On Sept. 23, 2023, Madison Abigail “Abby” Jones, whose stage name is Madison Abigail, released her debut song titled “autumn leaves.” Jones is a member of the class of 2025 at Meredith College and is studying Music in Vocal Performance with a minor in Arts Administration.
Of the songwriting process, Madison said that she writes from the perspective of personal life experiences. Specifically, “autumn leaves” was inspired by memories she has of her mother. Madison also said that, “The autumn season has been a season of nostalgia, revisiting past memories and constant change.” Jones recalls that from a young age, she and her mother would spend autumn afternoons collecting fallen leaves on the ground. She also added that she saved the leaves they collected and has kept them in an old photo album in her dresser drawer. Jones shared that this is where she “keep[s] special things.” She further elaborated on her songwriting process by talking about relating her lyrics to her life experiences. Jones makes reference to how the song is symbolic of her strength to “come back stronger” from experiences where she may have “fallen down and hit the ground” which is similar to what autumn leaves do every year “in their repeated cycle of constant change.”
This debut marks Abigails’ first experience recording in a studio. She said, “Working in a recording studio was a challenging process and very time-consuming, but rewarding in the end.” Jones talked about how she had been wanting to get the opportunity to have her work recorded for some time, and that she spent the past summer making it happen. She explained the process in some detail, describing how she “met with the manager of the studio and sound engineer early on to explain [her] vision for the project.” Jones added that the recording process was multi-facited, comprising of times where where instrumentals were recorded, followed by vocals and then lastly vocal harmonies.” Jones explained that before recording, she had one rehearsal with the musicians.
Jones reflected on the recording of her single and EP, saying, “There was a lot of hard work that went into the making of the single ‘autumn leaves’ and the entire upcoming EP, but it was incredibly rewarding.” Jones shared that she was able to make many connections and meet many “amazing people” during the process. She expressed gratitude to all who helped bring this song to life stating that she is “grateful to the studio, the studio musicians and everyone else involved with this project for their endless support and hard work.”
To learn more about Madison Abigail and stay up to date on her newest projects, follow her on Instagram @madisonabigailmusic and listen to “autumn leaves,” out now on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Youtube, Pandora and more.
By Haileigh West, Associate Editor
Photo courtesy of Madison Abigail