Abi Rider is an 18 year old country-inspired singer songwriter from upstate New York. She just finished her first year at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, where she studies songwriting and music production. Those are some impressive bona fides, but what caught my ear was Rider’s wry pun in an otherwise earnest-sounding feminist anthem.
“On Top” is a fierce, feminist, country-inspired song about staying optimistic after a breakup. As Abi explains, she uses the witty double entendre to convey the message that “No matter who got the short end of the stick, we’re always better off because we deserve to be with people who respect us and our needs unconditionally.”
As Rider exhibits in our discussion below, she’s got wisdom we beyond her years — and beyond the years of many country music veterans. Come for the song, but stay for Rider’s important perspectives on the country music industry and how progressive artists can find their place in it.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I definitely pull inspiration from artists of many genres, but women in country music are the most inspiring to me. Some of my favorites include Maren Morris, Ingrid Andress, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town and Maddie & Tae, because they all share important messages about women’s rights, women’s sexuality, and the stance of women in the country music industry
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
Anyone who’s spent an hour with me has probably seen me frantically scramble to type down an obscure sentence on my phone in the middle of a seemingly-boring conversation; I always start with a good line first, and the melody for that line usually comes within seconds. Going at it in this order gives me a sense of direction, as then I will have both a topic and a mood to work around.
What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
I believe it was on the weekend of my 13th birthday that I attended my first concert. It was the first of three Ed Sheeran concerts that I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. It was a beautifully clear night in May, I was dazzled by his confidence as he played alone with his guitar, and the fried Oreos were the perfect birthday snack that I didn’t know I needed
Have you changed your practices to ensure that your team is diverse?
As a white country-inspired artist, I think it’s incredibly important to acknowledge the racism that’s been brought to light recently in our industry. My band, production team and music video team all include people of diverse backgrounds, and I try to always keep open conversations with them about the ways in which we do and don’t want our brand to align with the broader country music industry and stereotypes surrounding the genre. It’s incredibly important to me that everyone on my team feels comfortable with the position that we’re putting ourselves in by associating with the genre, and I look forward to continuing these conversations both with my team and with fans to ensure that we’re contributing positively towards the movement of making a comfortable space in country music for people of all backgrounds.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
My best advice would be to forget that genres exist for a little bit. When I first started writing music, I had never heard a country or Americana song in my life— it wasn’t until years later that I discovered the genre and realized that that was what I had been making for all that time! So don’t worry about trying to fit yourself into a bucket. You are too unique to be just one thing, and your ideas deserve to be expressed in whatever way feels most natural to you— regardless of whether or not that’s similar to everything else you’ve .
Abi Rider — Instagram, Spotify, Mailing List, Save “On Top” To Your Favorite Streaming Service