Indiana based Singer Songwriter Abbie Thomas to release eagerly awaited second album Sept 27

The candid creative spark behind Abbie Thomas’s second full-length studio album Not Gonna Lie (Sept 27, 2024, self-release) is fueled by a combination of her first major award momentum and a life-altering cancer scare. The result is at once an honest, audible life lesson manual for listeners and, more importantly, a diary created for her young daughter.

Reflects Thomas, “I realized that I wanted to be unedited in what I was writing about so that my daughter would really know who I was should I not be around when she's older.”

Thomas taps into the treasure trove of life lessons she’s learned along her already remarkable career trajectory —from her humble beginnings starting out as an open mic singer with stage fright, to leaving her corporate job and using the money from selling her house to fund her first self-released album, to achievements like accepting the 2023 JMA Artist of the Year award at The Grand Ole Opry. The life experiences behind the songs on Not Gonna Lie read like one long message about life from someone who's still really young but who has had the courage to figure life out along the way.

Alongside a perfect balance of vibrant trumpets, trombones, keys, and strings, Thomas’s rich vocals deliver universally relatable lyrical themes that express the philosophies she lives her life by. That mix culminates in an utterly honest and organic stream of sounds, emotions, and energies, from softly reflective to bold and full-bodied expressions of Blues, R&B, and Jazz.

“Once I started, I just kept writing more and more new songs,” says Thomas, “...until I realized ‘oh, my gosh, I have more than enough for an album’ because I had over 30! We whittled it down to 15 songs and realized the common thread running through all this music is that it's all very honest. Many topics are things you can no longer talk about around the dinner table or with your friends because of cancel culture; like politics, sexism in the workplace, parenthood struggles, the American class system, marriage, etc. That's why I ended up calling the album Not Gonna Lie because I wasn't holding back and editing myself based on what my family or current fan base would think.  I was taking Nina Simone’s advice: “It’s an artist's job to reflect the times”.”

A prime example is album focus track track “Bitch Make the Coffee,” (Sept 27) a very female-empowerment-driven track about how awful women working in the corporate world have been treated over the years. The song is based on some of Thomas’s own experiences working in the corporate world that left her wondering what the workplace had been like for her grandmother two generations earlier.

“It's an angry female empowerment record that I'm really proud that I wrote,” says Thomas. “I hope my Grandma would be proud too, though she might not like the use of the B-word. But, using that word is not as bad as how we get treated.  Without that word, the song falls flat.”

Thomas lets herself speak just as frankly throughout the album with songs that touch on themes from politics and parenthood to relationships and even death. The album’s title track “Not Gonna Lie,” which features guest R&B artist, Corey Ronell, is a relationship song that speaks to marriage struggles, and sticking out through the hard times, as promised. “Mid July” is very motherhood and parenthood driven, and a song called “Traffic Lights” is about how hard being a parent can be, something Thomas feels people don't talk about enough.

“It can get lonely,” says Thomas. “Being a working parent leaves you drained mentally at times, tired, and I have personally found myself staring into space when I feel like I should be focussed on my child, and enjoying the moment.  Parents feel pressure to ‘do it all’, and I think if I’m feeling this way, others must be, too.”

Single “Till My Last Breath” is a song that celebrates the ups, downs, joys, and pains of family relationship dynamics and reminds us to tell those close to us how much we love them before they are gone. The release of “Till My Last Breath” was accompanied by a charming official music video by cinematographer David Perkins that features Abbie and her best buddy, Tank, a 12-year-old bulldog, embarking on a “dog's last day” road trip, that symbolizes taking time to spend with your older family members while you still have the opportunity.

Says Thomas “ ‘Till My Last Breath’ is inspired by my most loved and cherished older family members, past & present. I love how the music turns what could have been a sad song, into a celebratory anthem.  It’s also the first track you get to hear from the album where I play trumpet & trombone, which get utilized on many songs on the full album. I’m so thankful for the team who helped give this song life.”

Abbie Thomas’s full-length album Not Gonna Lie with focus track "Bitch Make the Coffee" is available everywhere on September 27, 2024.

Not Gonna Lie album tracklist:

1. Down for the Ride
2. Bitch Make the Coffee
3. Wild & Free
4. Lettuce & Mayo
5. Walkin’ & Talkin’ (LIVE, featuring Corey Ronell)
6. Not Gonna Lie (featuring Corey Ronell)
7. Mid July
8. Devils’ Advocate
9. If I Die
10. Lucky Penny
11. Traffic Lights
12. Grudges
13. Get Over You
14. Crystal Ball (LIVE)
15. Till My Last Breath

About Abbie Thomas:

Fresh off of her 2023 JMA Artist of the Year award at The Grand Ole Opry, Abbie  Thomas is a rising singer-songwriter who is gaining international attention and nominations for her live performances, lyricism, and visual content. Mixing genre-bending arrangements with soulful vocals and hints of Blues, Jazz, and a vibe from the songwriters of the 70’s, she is currently touring regionally; most recently opening for Clint Black, Laine Hardy, and Girl Named Tom.

Influenced by artists such as Carole King, Lauryn Hill, John Mayer, and Ella Fitzgerald,  versatility has her playing throughout the Midwest USA, from acoustic listening rooms to clubs with her full backing band. She and her live band, recently dubbed "The Crazy Hearts”  were recently nominated for a 2023 Hollywood Independent Music Award for Best Live Performance for Thomas’ original, “Try”, and a 2024 nomination for the JMA’s for her live EP “Live from  Ignition Garage”. Thomas just earned herself three new solo nominations for the 2024  JMA’s, as well (Vocalist of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Songwriter Achievement for  “Crystal Ball”, due in September of 2024.)