It has been a whirlwind year so far for 22-year old singer-songwriter and producer Absolutely: back-to-back shows across Europe, a recent run supporting her sister RAYE on tour, an intermission opening for Renée Rapp. Now, she’s gearing up for the US leg of RAYE’s shows. All before the year’s really even started.
We caught up with Absolutely – or Abby, to her friends and family – on home turf, backstage at London’s O2 Arena. (She may live in LA, but London will always be home.) There’s a calm-before-the-storm kind of buzz simmering in the air ahead of another sold-out show, but in the dressing room where we meet, the energy couldn’t be more different. Absolutely is calm, laughing, and completely at ease, surrounded by her team, friends and boyfriend. It seems like just another day for the singer. For her, it probably is.
Her second album Paracosm, released back in February, feels like opening up a music box and entering the rabbit hole to Wonderland. It’s a whimsical exploration of childlike wonder, underscored with darker rock and pop elements – a record that leans into her instinct for world-building. As she shares her Culture List – the corner of Service95 where we ask artists, creators and thinkers to share what’s inspiring them – it’s clear that her vision extends far beyond music. “I had to relearn how to create the way I did as a child. Without rules, without fear,” she says. “Once I tapped back into that freedom, the world of Paracosm opened up.”
How else does she channel that creativity? Through fashion, for starters. Absolutley’s style is immediately apparent. Effortlessly cool, a bit gothic, with a touch of Tim Burton, made up of thrifted finds that she’s hunted down over time. She’s the first to admit she’s spent “a lot of time and money” building her wardrobe, and it shows in the details – from her go-to red boots (which you’ll hear about in the video below) to the Pamela Anderson lip combo she turns to every time. When it comes to her looks onstage, she designs everything herself and works closely with seamstresses at @agrostudio_ to bring each look to life: dramatic, intricate and entirely Absolutely.
If you haven’t already, you’ll be hearing her name everywhere soon. Last year, viral TikTok videos of her singing I Just Don’t Know You Yet – a love letter to a future partner she now says she’s found in singer songwriter Noah Noah (who makes an appearance in our video) – had viewers begging for its release, which she gave to us in summer. Cut to now, where she’s leaving her dressing room to join sisters RAYE and Amma onstage to perform their song Joy, it’s clear that Absolutely is holding her own, and proving with each performance that she i's one to watch.
Discover Absolutely’s full Culture List – including the world that inspired her latest record to the artist she’d most love to collaborate with – in our video below.
