ABISHA beckons us into the most vulnerable corners of her mind in her new single and music video “Numb”, which released in November 2021. Blending her silky croons with slow-burning production, the hypnotic track finds ABISHA ruminating on the toxicity of social media and hollow relationships that can take a mental toll.
“Numb” fences off what has been a tough period living under the physical and emotional pressures of the pandemic that have put our mental health to test. The stunning dark-toned visuals feature her through an intimate, close-up lens where the peaceful solitude of her surroundings highlight the private and lonely nature of her inner battle.
“I wrote ‘Numb’ at a time where I felt exactly that. The pressure of social media alongside superficial friendships and dead-end relationships was really getting to me, and I was feeling pretty low. I was also struggling with self-image and my identity, which has always been a battle for me; I wanted to include all of these things in a song so that anyone else who might feel the same way wouldn’t feel alone,” shares ABISHA.
This past year has seen ABISHA pioneering her message of mental health further and more ambitiously through her music and ambassadorship with MindOut, where she has been advocating for LGBTQ+ mental health. Her knack of translating complex, heavy-hearted topics into uplifting melodies and her boldness to voice out causes that are close to her has helped her fans form a profound connection with her. Originally written in August 2020 with Toby Scott and Olivia Sebastianelli, the track was created with the hope of empowering its listeners to get through the lowest moments.
In October 2021, ABISHA returned with an all-female remix package of her UK garage-inspired single “If You Were Mine”, which featured reimagined versions by British house legend DJ Paulette, Brooklyn artist Talia Goddess, and Liverpudlian ESSEL. DJ Paulette’s remix was featured on BBC Radio 1 Dancefloor Moment by Jaguar, who interviewed ABISHA and introduced her as “the queen, the vision”. For the 26-year-old, it is not only about the melodic appeal of her music but also the encompassing message and its impact on her listeners.
From her 2020 debut EP, Scorpio, R&B jam ‘One Night’ and a collaboration with FootLocker EU for their #ShoesDontChangeTheWorld campaign, to self-care anthem “Time Alone,’”Abisha continued pushing herself with more confidence and ambition. Her authenticity and avant-garde sound have garnered support from heavyweight tastemakers across the globe including DAZED, i-D, Billboard / Billboard Pride, BBC Introducing, COLORSXSTUDIOS, Earmilk, gal-dem, Complex, DUMMY, High Snobiety, NYLON, Gay Times and many more. In an exclusive interview with Billboard she shared, “I’m discovering who I am as an artist, I’m also discovering who I am as a person, and I’ve finally gotten to a place where I’m happy to stand out and express myself every way I can.”
ABISHA is ready to embark on a new chapter of her artistry where there are no genre or thematic boundaries for her creativity and plans to release new music in 2022.
Learn more about ABISHA here: Official Abisha Website.
The 26-year-old singer/songwriter, that confidence follows from overcoming profound insecurity, a journey closely tied to coming of age as a gay person of color in her homeland of Devon. Imbued with both raw sensitivity and understated power, ABISHA’s music intimately documents her transformation through the years – and ultimately speaks to the urgency of representation, and the radical beauty of self-acceptance. “Growing up black and gay in a place that’s largely white and where I didn’t know of anyone else who was queer, I had this feeling of being different for most of my life,” ABISHA confesses. “There wasn’t anyone around for me to identify with, and there weren’t even many popular queer artists back then – so for a long time I wanted so badly to be what I thought was normal. Now that I’m discovering who I am as an artist, I’m also discovering who I am as a person, and I’ve finally gotten to a place where I’m happy to stand out and express myself every way I can.”
Her debut “All That” launched in 2017 via tastemaker brand and magazine Highsnobiety while her follows ups [“Project X,” “Nothing Matters,” “Confused”] were well-received and led her to coverage from the likes of Clash, Complex, Covers, Dazed, Euphoria, Gay Times, i-D, NYLON, Red Bull, and The Line Of Best Fit to name a few. ABISHA’s signature electronic-pop-tinged R&B sound landed her on several DSP playlists including Amazon’s Proud, Apple’s Best of the Week, Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, This Is How We Do, Spotify & Chill, and Soultronic, and TIDAL’s .wav and Rising: Pop in addition to editorial playlists such as Gay Times’ Queer & Now, i-D’s Best New Music, and The Independent’s Now Hear This. Marrying up her enthusiasm for art, fashion, and music, ABISHA has also worked with top brands from ASOS to Barbour International, PUMA, and Superdry.
