Whatever the formula for success in modern music is, if there even is one, it’s safe to say that Abe Parker, a singer/songwriter based in Atlanta, has figured it out. Through his bedroom-pop-oriented approach to sad-boy pop music and seamless inclusion in the contemporary Christian music space, Parker has drawn over a million monthly listeners. All 10 songs under his Popular section on Spotify have garnered over a million streams, some with well over 10 million. His new album Everwood, a compilation of 10 previously released songs as well as three new ones, is out now.
The Story of Everwood
Collectively, this album is a collection of stories written over multiple years of Parker’s life. “This album is the first time I’ve decided that I wanted to dive into some of the pain, dive into some of the hurt,” he said. “A lot of the songs, like ‘Imposter Syndrome,’ ‘3 Moods,’ which is about a breakup, and ‘Empty House,’ talking about social anxiety, are about things I dealt with in the past. They’re things I’ve always felt. A lot of them I’ve figured out how to make it through but have never written about. It was a cool experience to allow myself the freedom to write about something I went through eight years ago as if it were right now.”
For The Fans
Joining the ranks of songs like “Imposter Syndrome,” “3 Moods,” and “Butterflies” are new additions “Crazy About You,” “Younger Me,” and “Good News” featuring Christian rapper Hulvey. The project, in terms of its development over time, is one that his fans, whether they knew it or not, had a say in. “The last three are songs I had teased at a certain time throughout the year,” he said. “They all had a cool moment where a bunch of people were connecting to the song, but, for whatever reason, we decided to go with these other ten first. Then what I wanted to do was go back, for the fans… and finish writing and producing them.”
“Crazy About You”
“Crazy About You” is, arguably, the most commercially viable of the new tracks. The Ben Folds-style track has a bounce and infectious groove to it and showcases Parker’s quirky yet admirable vocal ability as he squeaks, crackles, and flips in and out of his head voice nonchalantly: “Oh I’m floatin’ on a cloud that’s not really there / Pull a dopamine hit right out of thin air / No you’re not real cause I don’t really care / Cause I’m crazy… about you.” “Most of my album isn’t as poppy or upbeat as that song,” he said. “I wanted to have one song on the record that’s just kind of fun. It FEELS fun. Lyrically, it might be a little bit more introspective, but it’s really just a fun, poppy ‘bop’.”
On “Younger Me,” Parker admits that he still doesn’t have it all figured out: “Oh, dear younger me/I don’t have the answers yet / I wish I was stronger / And I’m not even close to where I thought I’d be.” “Good News” is more faith-driven, professing his belief that God doesn’t discriminate whose sins He forgives when they arrive at the pearly gates: “I’ve got good news for the lonely ones / The tired and betrayed and abused / … He’s dying to see your face turn around / He died so you didn’t have to/Yeah, I’ve got good news.”
On “Good News,” Parker is accompanied by Christian rapper Hulvey, with whom he has collaborated previously, on the track. It is a perfect match, as Hulvey sounds like he could simply be an alter ego of Parker’s: “There is a Father that wants you/He would do anything just to hold you/With tears in His eyes He chose you.” Parker says “Good News” was one of many songs that came out of a peak COVID-era writing splurge. “I just feel like everybody… the world was like, ‘What just happened?’,” he said. “It was like a musical therapy process.”
Finding His Lane
Parker’s discography sees him shoot for almost any modern musical trend including Instagram/Tik Tok fodder on “Stupid Face,” electro-pop on “3 Moods,” and clear hip-hop influences in the production of “Imposter Syndrome.” “For the first time, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna pick a lane.’,” he said with a smile, citing Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler, and Quinn XCII as references. “I love that I’ve found an audience in this area. TikTok has been amazing. I’ve been very blessed… every song of mine so far has had some kind of viral moment behind it. I definitely worked my tail end off for it, but I’m very blessed to have gained some traction.”
While most certainly a student of pop, he cites John Mayer, D’Angelo, and the hip-hop community he is both surrounded by and heavily involved with living in Atlanta as influences. Even so, his understanding of the pop genre is, at this moment, fully fleshed out. “I felt there was something so magical about being able to package everything together in a very consumable way,” he said. “But I think at my core I’m just a singer/songwriter. Just give me a piano or a guitar and let’s write a song.”
Finding Balance
Parker also used this record as an opportunity to figure out how much of his faith to include in his artistry. “My goal is to have most of my songs be about life… and then have one element of my faith,” he said. “One song that talks about something spiritual… where I can really just talk about that. I don’t want that to be the only thing I sing about, but I also don’t want to be an artist where I have to be like, ‘Ok, I have to play the politically correct game here and can’t talk about my faith.’ That’s not a world I want to live in… where people can’t talk about what they believe. Ultimately, as a Christian, I love to tell people about my faith, but my goal is to reach people who may not be the same as I am. To be able to encourage and help them however I can.”
Songs For People
Ultimately, Parker is making music with his fan’s best interests in mind. “Some artists are all about their vision… they feel like they have to be true to themselves,” he said. “My approach is that I just want to write songs for people. If I’ve got two songs and I like both of them but I like one more and my fans like the other more, I’m probably going to go with that one. That’s just my mentality.”
Stream Everwood:
