Some of the most impactful music is the most simple – just an acoustic guitar and a voice. Abby Powledge, a new artist who got her break on TikTok, is the perfect example of how music doesn’t always have to be created for the most streams or media attention, but how it can simply be someone’s way of sharing their experiences with the world.
Powledge is a 20 year old native Texan, currently living in Nashville, TN while studying at Belmont University. She only started publicly releasing her songs, with her first single being dropped in February of 2024 and her first EP following one year later, but her heartfelt lyrics and gentle voice have garnered a lot of attention over the internet.
Her single, “spoiling me”, caught the eye of many viewers and sparked a continual popularity of her songs; some of her later singles, such as “the way that i am” and “to be held” have been used as background on audios on TikTok and Pinterest. This breakthrough also led Powledge to sign with label Mutual Friends, who also represents many artists of a similar “approachable indie” vibe (Quinn XCII, Lyn Lapid, Jeremy Zucker). In addition to being on the same label as these artists, she has also opened for Chelsea Cutler, Jeremy Zucker, and Hazlett.
Her work is pretty string-heavy, relying mainly on her acoustic guitar with some songs also featuring violin accompaniment in the background. This makes for a rather simple backtrack in theory, but the layered sounds of a well-played guitar actually amount to a really pretty song that holds your attention till the end. Her melodies are poetic and almost folk, and I find that the earnestness of the guitar makes her lyrics even more relatable for listeners.
Her voice is warm and her lyrics are honest; people gravitate towards her work because it feels comforting, even if a song is about heartbreak or pain. Powledge’s music offers a glimpse into her life, providing ballads about experiences we all can relate to – growing up, heartbreak and falling in love, family, and realizing one’s identity.
Besides simply being a musical artist, Powledge is also an “actual” artist. All of her singles and EPs feature hand-drawn colored pencil depictions of her life as album covers, providing snippets of her experience living that her music expands upon. Powledge’s music, while perhaps not as well-established or flashy as other artists, is beautiful and serves as a reminder that it is simply everyone else’s first time living too.
My Top Ten:
- “winding down”
- “benefits”
- generations in the making” (if i’m honest for once)
- “grown”
- “spoiling me”
- “forgive” (if i’m honest for once)
- “ruin me” (if i’m honest for once)
- “help me see myself”
- “i still check your playlists”
- “the way that i am” (if i’m honest for once)
For fans of Noah Kahan, Lizzy McAlpine, and Paige Fish.
