After 20+ years of performing/singing/writing, including releasing several singles, EPs, and even a cassingle, Cincinnati-based multi-genre artist Abiyah (uh-BEE-yuh) has released her first full-length offering: Strangers Love Me, a 10-track curveball genre-blur of an album. The Eugenius-produced work has hit Bandcamp, as well as streaming providers!
"When I reflect on my 20+-year music career, ’Strangers Love Me’ is all about connection to me. Connecting the dots of all the points in my life that got me here. Connecting to my past, present, and future selves. Connecting with strangers who may become friends. Connecting with others who may be feeling the same way. And letting myself and others know it’s okay to do your own thing and be yourself. " - Abiyah
With this release, Abiyah returns to her new wave roots, singing more than delivering other vocal styles while also diving deeper into the avant-garde and experimental sonic waters that she’s visited in the past - along the way further crushing musical boundaries and pushing not just herself as an artist, but her fans as well.
“As a musician, you wish that your music has enough range and understanding to create a personalized approach to an amalgamation of various styles that speaks to the sum of your influences but still retains a voice that is uniquely your own,” says Beans of the legendary alternative/electro hip hop group Antipop Consortium. “Look no further than Abiyah.”
The title of the album is based on Abiyah’s struggle with loneliness and feeling meaningfully connected to others. After recognizing that her unique outward style and appearance seemed to be a mode of communication that draws strangers to engage, she began actively utilizing that tool in her daily interactions with strangers to begin to feel more connected. The connections came and strangers became friends. Every friend was a stranger first. The vivid and vibrant cover art concept by Derek Toebbe seeks to deconstruct Abiyah’s style in ways that will continue to draw strangers to engage and connect.
