Abigail Wighton is a folk-influenced singer-songwriter from Sydney who released the EP interwoven in 2019. In recent months she has released the singles ‘letter’ and ‘if you let me’ from her new EP soon. She’s also supported Fanny Lumsden at her Sydney show and played in the National Folk Festival.
In our recent interview Wighton talked about her musical journey, from an unlikely start writing songs for the funerals of her pet mice to studying music at university and releasing her debut EP Interwoven in 2019. She also talks about dealing with performance anxiety earlier in her career.
‘I remember writing it and … break-ups are hard. This was a fairly short relationship that inspired me to write this song, but I remember just feeling so terrible, but knowing that I just had to leave.’ (Abigail Wighton on the inspiration for the song ‘letter’)
Wighton’s new EP soon features songs written during her early 20s, including the title track which she first penned in 2018. She explains how returning to these songs several years later to finally record them felt like ‘diving back into old diary pages’ and forced her to reconnect with that period of her musical and personal development. The result is a collection of songs in which Wighton allows herself to be vulnerable and, through that, opens herself up to connection with the listener, all the while letting them know they are in safe hands.
‘It was just the big encouragement I needed before this busy EP release season of, I’m doing this because I truly believe it’s what I’m meant to be doing on earth.’ (Abigail Wighton on playing at the National Folk Festival)
Wighton will be playing a string of EP launch shows starting in June at venues in Sydney, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands (NSW), and NSW Central West – details below, along with shownotes. You can watch our chat on YouTube (below), watch a snippet (above) or listen on the podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
https://www.abigailwighton.com.au | Listen to soon on Apple Music
Tour dates
June 13 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Sydney)
Camelot Lounge – Marrickville/Gadigal NSW
June 15 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Wollongong)
The Vault – Pork Kembla/Dharawal NSW
June 22 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Albury)
Rita’s Kitchen – East Albury/Wiradjuri NSW
June 27 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Blue Mountains)
Side B Vinyl – Blackheath/ Darug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri NSW
July 5 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Mittagong)
Eden Brewery – Mittagong/Dharawal NSW
Free solo show 7pm
July 20 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Dubbo)
Commercial Hotel – Dubbo/Wiradjuri NSW
July 21 – Abigail Wighton ‘soon’ EP launch (Mudgee)
Mudgee Brewing Co. – Mudgee/Wiradjuri NSW
Free solo show 5-8pm
Shownotes
Topics discussed:
– Wighton’s experience supporting Fanny Lumsden at a show in Sydney
– Playing at the National Folk Festival and the impact it had
– Wighton’s musical background – singing from a young age, writing songs for her pet mice
– Studying music at university and the focus on songwriting
– The story behind Wighton’s new EP soon – songs written 2018-2020
– Discussing the emotion and vulnerability of recording older songs
– The inspiration and meaning behind the song ‘letter’
– Using imagination vs truth in songwriting
– Upcoming tour dates for the EP release shows
One response to “Abigail Wighton on her new EP, soon, and tour”
[…] Abigail Wighton’s set was charming – and I am one of those people who thinks there should be more charm in the world – and she knows just the right amount of detail to give about a song before she plays it, which means we found out that she wrote the song ‘Church Boys’ at the DAG Sheep Station Songwriting Retreat with Mitchell Steele, and ‘Stage Fright’ at the same place with Ashleigh Dallas. The thing with Wighton’s songs is that they don’t usually go where you expect them to, lyrically, which means she keeps your attention as she relates the stories in her strong, mellifluous voice. […]