Abi Mia is back!
The great English singer-songwriter has just released a brand new track “Checking In”. And we just love it.
We had the opportunity to present the London-based artist a few months ago, and in the meanwhile, the good stuff kept coming at us. At Connan Press, we’re more than happy to have noticed the powerful singer whose talent is just… obvious. Enjoy.
Connan Press: It feels great to interview you again, Abi Mia. As we’re slowly seeing the end of the pandemic in some parts of the world, especially in the UK where you live, what’s your current mindset?
Abi Mia: Thank you! It is great to be interviewed by you again! To be honest my mindset hasn’t really changed. I always try to have a positive and productive mindset and try to make the most of the circumstances I am in. I am very much looking forward to being able to perform live as things open up and until then just working hard to reach the goals I have set for myself!
C.P.: Your next project is a brand new single called “Checking In” which will be out this Friday. What is it about?
A.M.: ‘Checking In’ was inspired by my almost daily Zoom chats I have been enjoying with my Grandpa over the past year. I wrote it from the perspective of talking to him so it has an intimate, comforting and casual feeling to it. The overall message of the track is to remember to check in with friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances on a regular basis even if they seem ok. You never know what someone may be going through, and if they are struggling or just need someone to talk to and to feel connected with other people. Even if they are ok it is always important to still make an effort and just keep ‘Checking In’ with others and then there will hopefully be fewer times where people feel isolated and alone. This has always been an important thing to do but has definitely become more poignant over the past year.
C.P.: Our world is exploring the digitalization of everything, including social and personal relationships. Do you feel comfortable with this or are you scared by the phenomenon?
A.M.: I am both scared and comfortable with this concept. Like with anything a balance is always needed and this is no different for digital use for social and personal relationships. I feel there is a time and place for when this is necessary and advantageous for example over the pandemic it was the only way I was able to connect with musicians and fans through my music Instagram page! It is also really amazing as distance and geography no longer need to be a limitation on who you can connect, work with and form friendships with. So in this sense I am really in favour of digitalization.
On the other hand, I do feel that face to face interactions and even phone calls (rather than messages) are irreplaceable when it comes to really forming a true, bond or relationship with someone, be it personal or professional. When you meet someone in person you can really get to know them, having experiences and so much is added through body language and atmosphere as well face to face. Most importantly you know that they are genuine and who they say they are and that to me is one of the scary parts of online interactions and digitalization. People can and do pretend to be someone else and this can be dangerous, frustrating and also just a waste of time and energy.
I feel digitalization has its place where geography could get in the way and is truly useful to build a music fan base and to build friendships as I have done over the past year but I feel face to face interactions should not be replaced and I truly hope people still make an effort to continue that more personal approach even with the more digital options. For example live streaming on my Instagram has been amazing but it does not replace the thrill of performing live on stage in front of a real audience and I feel this with all types of friendships and connections. I hope to be able to discover a good balance as the face to face world opens up again.
C.P.: As time goes on, we tend to change our focus in life. Is that your case? How did the pandemic influence this movement?
A.M.: Yes change such an important concept and I feel I have definitely changed over time. We all change and evolve as we enter different stages of our lives and different contexts and I feel this is a very healthy thing to do. We shouldn’t just stay the same out of habit or because it is comfortable.
For me the pandemic opened up many changes for me as I had a lot of free time to really think about what I wanted out of life and to realise that perhaps my priorities had changed and developed. It gave me that wake up call I needed to start pursuing music as a profession not just a hobby and to realise how much I appreciated being able to freely express myself through my music. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy or appreciate my life before because I did love what I was doing but it gave me additional dreams and goals to work toward. The pause and mindfulness it gave me encouraged me to be more confident in who I am as a person and to more openly pursue the way of life that entailed.
Our focus naturally changes over different points in our life as our surroundings and maturity develops. Sometimes more quickly or significantly than others but I definitely feel that the pandemic gave me that extra push to develop and change in ways that I may have just taken longer to do or may not have ever occured had I not had that ‘pause’ on my usual busy day to day life and I am actually really grateful for that!
C.P.: You have another passion which is Health and Fitness, as you told us before. Can you tell us more about the weightlifting competitions you did? It seems fascinating!
A.M.: Yes I am indeed very passionate about health and fitness! I got into competing when I joined the Weightlifting team at Middlesex University. I had been doing strength training for a few years before this but immediately fell in love with the sport -something about throwing heavy barbells above your head is so empowering and fun! I only competed over the course of a couple of years but it was so thrilling and it gave me a great work ethic and dedication that this sport requires! It also gave me a lot of inner strength and confidence and I also loved the aspect of being part of a team. Even though it is very much an individual sport, we all trained together and encouraged each other throughout and I met some amazing people through having this experience! Even after I decided to stop competing I still enjoy that type of training and try to integrate it into my training program so I can keep those skills that I worked so hard on.
C.P.: What’s your definition of art, in a broad sense?
A.M.: This is a great question! To me art is any form of creativity that results in something that wasn’t there before and that can influence how you are feeling or enhances the senses somehow. It is a form of expression that no one can take away from anyone else which is why I love it so much. There are no rules to art or creativity and everyone has something different to offer!
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