This year several pop culture moments have gripped the public, from “brat summer” to the rise of queer artists like Chappell Roan and Renee Rapp. Now, the spotlight is on queer, solo artist, and recent UR alumna ’23, abby and the ghost, who is rocking the Rochester music scene with her refreshing take on the pop genre.
Hailing from Connecticut, Abigail Johnson’s dream was to become a musician. Now, she works as a full-time prevention counselor at elementary schools in the area through the Community Place of Greater Rochester, but that doesn’t stop her from playing or writing music in her free time. In the evenings, she performs gigs all over Rochester. Her love of music started long before her time at UR, though.
As a child, she learned to play the piano, while also being “classically trained in voice.” However, she attributes her passion for pursuing a musical career to joining the a cappella group “Vocal Point” at UR. There, she lent her talents as a music director for two years.
During her college career, Johnson also majored in Creative Writing, which helped her develop writing skills, making her fall even more in love with writing her own music.
“I love writing, but I never had the patience to write a novel,” Johnson said. “I would write poetry for a bit and then I would read poetry and be like: ‘This isn’t really for me.’”
After being recommended to join the cover band, “BB Dang,” by her friend post-graduation, Johnson made their debut in the Rochester music scene. Through her experiences in the band, she cultivated her connections and wanted to explore the solo side of her career.
“Abby and the ghost” has currently released three singles and an EP titled “Passionate Computer,” with each song feeling like an experimentation of the pop genre. Her first single, “Lost Cause,” and EP, both released in 2023, are reminiscent of the current electro-pop movement spearheaded by Charli XCX with the cynicism of Penelope Scott. Meanwhile, her other singles, “A Good Thing (Thank You)” and “Waterdog,” act as a counterpart, with heartfelt acoustics and even more heartbreaking lyrics.
She revealed that her music style is partly related to her stage name, “abby and the ghost,” which references the “phases” of her music style.
“There’s ‘abby,’ which is kind of like the song-writing, more stripped-down, real instruments, of it all that I’m focusing on right now,” Johnson said. “And then ‘the ghost,’ which is kind of what I deemed the more electronic side of things.”
However, it’s not all glitz and glamor, as Johnson has found that being an indie solo artist goes beyond just making music. Part of the struggle of being an indie musician, she explains, is overcoming a lack of outreach.
In the interview with the CT, she highlighted the importance of the number of streams and views that an up-and-coming artist garners, as well as the number of times their songs are added to a playlist — clicks that get their name out to the pool of listeners.
“Social media, TikTok specifically, is so elusive. Things blow that you never expect to blow up. You never know,” Johnson said. “Social media feels like you’re gambling. But, I think for that too, [you] reach out to whoever you can. You never know, you do everything you can and someday, something catches. That’s what I hope.”
Regardless, Johnson says that “even if the numbers are small, it still feels rewarding.” She teased that she has two unreleased singles for the future that will make their way onto an acoustic EP titled “Tug of War.” She’s also hinted at future performances throughout the rest of the year as her music career builds.
“abby and the ghost” can be found on social media platforms under @abbyandtheghost, as well as at www.abbyandtheghost.com. In person, she can also be found playing at Boulder’s Cafe and various other performance locations in downtown Rochester.
