Absolutely On ‘Paracosm’ & Touring With Raye: “She’s A Proud Big Sis”

Absolutely is currently on the biggest tour of her career, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to her. When we chat over Zoom on Feb. 19, just one day before the release of her sophomore album, Paracosm, it’s clear the 22-year-old British singer-songwriter is bursting with pride over such an accomplishment, though her temperate excitement never rises above a soft-spoken purr. “So crazy, [the album] comes out tomorrow. Oh my gosh,” she tells NYLON, her voice vibrating with humble disbelief.

Aside from a show in Glasgow, Absolutely (born Abby-Lynn Keen) doesn’t have any major plans for record-release night. But when you’re on tour with your two sisters — one of whom is pop’s newest It girl, Raye — every night is special. “We perform a song together at the end of my sister Raye's set called ‘Joy,’ and that moment is just so beautiful, us three being on stage together and just spreading joy, and laughing, and smiling, and jumping around while being in an arena,” she says. As for how Raye feels about her sister’s successes, “she's a proud big sis,” Absolutely says, beaming.

In honor of Paracosm’s release (out Feb. 20), we caught up with the artist to chat about the new project, tour life, childlike wonder, and her future as a fashion designer.

Your album comes out tomorrow. How are you feeling?

I'm feeling very proud of myself right now because it's been almost two years and it's been a rollercoaster of a journey. The album has been so many different versions of itself, and finally I brought it together and I'm really proud of it. It's a relief that finally, it's off my shoulders and it's the world’s now. So I'm excited about that.

You said it was a “rollercoaster of a journey.” What made it a rollercoaster?

Well, there was two times where my hard drive broke and I lost a lot of the files, so I had to rebuild the songs. Some songs I didn't get back, so that sucked. But honestly, [I] ended up making the songs better than they were before and it improved the album so much more than it was.

You worked on this project for two years. How do you know when an album is finished?

That's the question, isn't it? It's really tough to know when it is finished. It could have been finished a year ago. I had enough songs and I loved the songs, but there was something missing. For me, it's when the label says, "Right, you got to hand it in now. It's too long." And then I just have to pull it all together. Otherwise, I would just keep moving on past everything.

So two years ago you start working on this record. How did it all begin?

It was straight after I released my first album, Cerebrum. At the time I was just writing songs prolifically, just every day for fun. So I wasn't yet thinking with any intentions of what the album would become. There's probably two songs from the beginning of the process that made it. “I Just Don't Know You Yet” was the first song I wrote for this album, which is crazy. From there, I just kept writing and writing.

Do you have a specific songwriting process, or do you just take inspiration as it comes?

My process has evolved since the beginning of the project. I would usually have the production done and then I would go in my studio, freestyle melodies on the mic, and then piece it together after and write the lyrics with that. That was how I did it on my first album. But nowadays, I find it a lot easier to write in the room with the musicians, with the music and the co-producing, and thinking about my intention of the song before I go a lot of the time.

What kind of headspace were you in when you were writing the lyrics?

Because it was over the span of two years, there was quite a few different headspaces. I was heartbroken for a little part of it. There's a few little heartbreak songs in there, and there was some little situationship things. I was falling in love. And then there was a lot about my relationship with God in there. Towards the end of the project was where I was trying to figure out what the missing pieces were for the album, what were the missing songs, how to finish it.

But when I was thinking about that too much, I began to get stuck and I began to be creatively blocked, which was weird because it was the first time that I'd not been able to write songs as prolifically. So I really had to go back to the beginning when I found my first love for music as a child, and I was able to write and create music so freely and so limitlessly, and just exploring and playing with sounds. That was the mindset I had to be in to finish the album. Childlike wonder was, like, the overarching theme of the album.

Is there a song you're most excited for people to hear?

Well, the song “Paracosm,” which is the title track of the album, I'm really excited about that song. That was the last song I made, and I think it really perfectly encapsulates that feeling of childlike wonder. It has all of the sounds that remind me of my favorite childhood films like Tim Burton films, Alice in Wonderland, Coraline, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Those kind of magical childhood films that would transport you into other worlds. That song has a lot of that feeling.

Also the song “Prototype,” which is very different for me. The lyrics are very different than how I would usually speak. It's very confident and bold and the production is really futuristic. I feel like that is the standout song of the album, so I'm excited to see how people like that one.

Is there a song you're nervous to release?

I think it would be that song I was just talking about, “Prototype.” It's different for me and the lyrics are very cocky, confident, which is not usually in my character, but it's going to be fun to see the reaction to that song.

How are you able to channel that side of you when writing that song?

I actually wrote that song for a video game. I got a video game brief for the video game called Valorant. So I was already thinking from that perspective of badass kind of vibe. I wasn't necessarily thinking it from my own perspective, which was why it was easy to do that, to play a character and yeah.

You're currently on tour with your sisters right now. How has the tour been so far?

It's been really beautiful. It's been a big jump. It's the longest tour I've done and the biggest venue sizes I've played, but I feel like I've grown so much, even just from the beginning of the tour. Being able to do it with my sisters is so beautiful because we all understand what we're going through. We all support each other in a way that nobody else really can at this time.

It's really surreal. It's definitely strange when I step back and think about it, but it's amazing.

Did you guys used to dream about this growing up?

I wasn't as overt as my sisters or as Rachel, Raye, with my dreams. I was just a bit more shy and I didn't want to be a copycat sister, so I would kind of do everything in my own space. I'd be working quietly and then like, "Look what I've done," after the fact. But yeah, music has been just embedded in us since we were born, so it's really beautiful full-circle moment.

What do you guys do to pass the time in between shows?

I love vintage shopping, and thrifting, and finding cool little jewelry spots and things like that. I've had fun doing that and eating food. I love food. We've been going to cute little restaurants, and cafes, and a lot of the time just resting as well, ‘cause it’s so much energy to be expending a lot of the time. It's nice to have days off that I can just watch a movie, do some knitting and relax.

I heard that you had designed tour outfits for this. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

I've always loved designing clothes. Even before I started singing really, I was designing clothes all around the same time, just drawing them. Before I went on the Banks Tour last year, my dad was like, “Why don't you just design clothes and then we can find a seamstress to make them?” So then I started that journey of getting colored pens and pencils and just drawing whatever I wanted to wear. It was so fun, and now I'm getting really good at it. I've got an iPad [and] Procreate so I can make it nice and symmetrical, and it's just so fun being able to envision anything that I could ever dream of wearing and just have it made.

For this tour I made 14 or 15 looks that are all in this kind of whimsical, fantastical kind of aesthetic. It's really cool.

Would you ever consider pursuing something more in fashion and designing?

Definitely. I love it. I have such a passion for it, and I love clothes so much, too much. I love clothes.

Going back to your sister Raye for a moment, she's obviously having a really big year. What's it like watching your sister blow up like this?

It's surreal and so amazing. She's been working so hard and she's so talented, so it's so amazing seeing her finally getting the recognition that she's deserved for her whole life. She's just such a beautiful human being. I'm so happy that her moment is finally here. She wrote a lot of songs for other artists, and many people didn't know that. So it's nice that finally she is getting the recognition. It's beautiful.

You're also opening for Reneé Rapp next month. Is there anything you can tease about those shows?

I'm so excited to be opening for her. She's so amazing. I feel like her crowd would appreciate music, so I'm excited to play my new album to them. But yeah, it will just be me playing my new album, which I've been playing on this tour as well [and] has been so fun to re-explore and re-imagine for live music. I'm excited.

Do you approach opening for another artist differently than you would opening for your sister?

Sonically, I don't think so, but I guess my expectations have to be managed a little bit because I'm definitely getting the princess treatment right now from her team, and her crew, and everything. I'm definitely getting a lot more benefits than I would on another tour. So in that aspect, yes, but I think sonically I will probably keep it the same.

What are you hoping people take away from this album?

I hope that it can help spark a sense of childlike wonder in people the same way that it did for me when I was creating it.

What's next for you? What are you manifesting for this year?

This year I have been working on an animation project, which I'm really excited to share this year. Over the course of the last year or so, we've been working on it alongside the album. I can't wait to share that. I can't wait to explore fashion more and designing and just seeing where that can evolve to. And writing more songs and seeing what the next world is going to be and playing more shows.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.