Cincinnati's Genre-Bending Queen Abiyah Releases First Full Length Album

A staple of Cincinnati’s music scene released her first full-length album on Dec. 8.

Strangers Love Me is a dreamy, 10-track record from Abiyah, a local multi-genre singer and songwriter who has glittered Cincinnati with singles, features, cassingles and EPs for the past 20-plus years.

Abiyah blends genre and fashion into a signature musical and personal style so effectively that when she walks into a room, if you don’t already know she’s Abiyah, you know she’s someone — someone who’s made invaluable contributions to Cincinnati’s arts. Most commonly associated with alt-pop, hip-hop and spoken word, or “floetry,” there’s an Abiyah-ness infused in everything she creates.

Abiyah’s stand-out style starts with her bright, colorful wardrobe, then bleeds onto her commanding presence (on and off stage) and culminates in her musical additions to the world.

In 2018 Abiyah released “Crylike/Masked,” a double A-side single, that followed 2017’s cassingle “BOOM” with rapper Evolve. “BOOM” is a bouncy, fluid track with noise influence, melodic interventions and vocal “booms.” Of course, there were additions to the Abiyah collection before and after these releases, but never a full-length offering, until now.

“Still standing, still singing, still dancing, still dreaming,” insists a chanting chorus on Strangers Love Me’s first single, “Still.” The song, which features punk legend Alice Bag of the early punk band Bags, is called an “ageism-confronting, punk banger,” in a press release announcing the album.

The dancy, rock-out conclusion of “Still” is instantly absorbed into the dream-like introduction of “Big Up,” in which a harmonic progression makes way for Abiyah’s signature lyricism and poetic delivery.

Strangers Love Me is a return to Abiyah’s new-wave roots, though it can’t be defined wholly through genres or terms. It’s an emotional, exciting listen with dance anthems, slow jams, noise rock and experimental takes. The album title is a mantra for Abiyah, according to a press release, which she uses to “obtain and maintain meaningful connections to combat her struggles with loneliness.”

When Abiyah recognized that her unique style was a mode of communication that attracted strangers and prompted meaningful engagement, she found friends in those interactions and used those connections as a muse.

“Abiyah highly recommends that listeners experience each song from beginning to end, as well as the album from start to finish, to get a full picture of what’s really going on,” the press release states. “There are several songs that have unexpected yet impactful ‘switch-ups’ mid- to late-tune, as well as some that have no repeating musical parts. The first round is going to have to be the whole thing.”

Strangers Love Me was produced by Phillip Smith (AKA Eugenius). Stream, download or buy the vinyl here on Bandcamp.

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