Getting To Know: Abi Foster

With roots stretching from the serene landscapes of West Wales to the vibrant city life of Birmingham, Abi Foster is a force to be reckoned with in the UK’s singer-songwriter scene. Known for her fierce DIY approach, Abi's music blends comforting melodies with soft, inviting vocals that set her apart, drawing inspiration from artists like Maisie Peters, Noah Kahan, and Lizzy McAlpine. Having performed across Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire, and the Midlands, she’s become a staple in the regional music circuit. Her 7-track EP *History Talks*—birthed from a successful crowdfunding campaign—cemented her growing presence, while her regular releases and self-shot music videos have earned her airplay on multiple BBC Introducing shows.

Recognized as one of 'F-List Music’s Emerging Artists' and BBC Radio Shropshire’s “Artist of the Week," Abi’s star continues to rise. But beyond the music, she’s a director at Beneath The Wood Sanctuary, a rescue haven for 91 pigs, who even make their way into her art, starring in her self-produced videos like the captivating *Sorry Doesn’t Cut It Anymore*. Abi Foster is an artist on a mission, offering a heartfelt mix of vulnerability and strength, authenticity, and artistry. Keep your ears open—there’s more to come.

1. Your music is described as having a unique blend of comforting melodies and inviting vocals. How do your influences, like Maisie Peters, Noah Kahan, and Lizzy McAlpine, shape your sound, and how do you make it uniquely your own?

These are artists I listen to a lot and I feel like whatever music I’m listening to has an influence on my writing, quite subconsciously though which I think is good because that makes it my own rather than intentionally trying to copy any specific style, it’s just sort of whatever comes out comes out and whatevers going on around me - life, the music I’m listening to, the things I’m learning about etc are all going to influence that. The only time I’ve intentionally tried to write in a way that is reminiscent of another artist is with my collaboration with Andy Lowe ‘Hear Me’ (https://youtu.be/67h8lp8-w4k?si=66a6C2Jc3zQgfs2t ) where we decided to do an original song in a similar style to ‘Chvrches’ as people often say my voice is similar to Lauren Mayberry.

2. You've built a strong following with a DIY approach, from crowdfunding your EP ‘History Talks’ to creating self-shot music videos. How has this hands-on method influenced your growth as an artist and connected you with your audience?

A lot of my DIY approach is by necessity - wether that’s because I’ve not had any funds to hire professionals or because I’ve lived in the middle of nowhere with an unpredictable schedule - but also it’s a lot of fun. I really enjoy creating my own music videos often involving the people around me in some way - whether that’s filming in their house or getting them to drive my car from the footwell so it looks like a mannequin is driving it (https://youtu.be/481VCLF2qdI?si=Cb3OtSTkRjd63Zpz) - it creates a lot of fun memories as well as giving me the opportunity to hone skills in all sorts of things like fundraising, video/image editing, photography, promotion etc. I hope the DIY approach makes people feel more involved in the making as I often post behind the scenes clips etc and want to share the process even more with my next releases for this reason. 

3. Beyond your music, you also serve as a director at Beneath The Wood Sanctuary, which has even found its way into your art. How has your work with the sanctuary inspired your music, and what message do you hope to convey through these unexpected elements?

The pigs at beneath the wood were all rescued as one big herd of 91 from a cruelty case and I’ve been lucky enough to be heavily involved and even lived on site - experiencing them go from scared traumatised animals to these incredible social and emotional individuals isn’t something that could not have an effect on you! My song ‘Sorry Doesn’t cut it anymore’ is for them - I played it in the main pig barn to them to see their reactions and VeeVee (a beautiful big orange pig) came and lay next to me and listened and had some others flopping at my feet and coming to investigate (https://youtu.be/CJm1YOU6Kkg?si=39_WgkzSes3mPl8n) I love sneaking pigs into my videos now - in my video ‘no more air’ I snuck them in by using them in a drawing that gets symbolically ripped up to match the lyrics - it could have easily been a drawing of people but I thought it needed the piggy touch! (https://youtu.be/zOV2LiLAL64?si=rVQQQZD1rLCflPJ3)

I hope the message I want to get through about animals is clear in ‘Sorry Doesn’t Cut It Anymore’ - simply that animals deserve so much better and our excuses for exploiting them in any way don’t cut it. 

4. You've been recognized by BBC Introducing and the F-list Music’s ‘Emerging Artist Network’. How have these milestones impacted your career, and what advice would you give to other independent artists navigating the music industry?

I’m not sure if I should be giving other artists advice as I’m only a small artist myself but my ethos has always been to just make things that i enjoy making and that I like - I don’t think that can ever be bad artistic advice. Being picked for F-lists ‘Emerging Artist network’ was incredible, it was such an inspiring group of artists and I learnt a lot from the masterclasses too. Being BBC Shropshires ‘Artist of the week’ was a huge surprise - I was over the moon! Both have definitely given me a boost of confidence and some more credibility as an artist which always helps with future opportunities and gig bookings.

5. Your recent single, 'Sorry Doesn’t Cut It Anymore', features a unique storyline and self-produced music video. Can you share the creative process behind this track and the inspiration that drove you to make it?

I wrote this after a couple of very contrasting days - one was spent in the city where I saw trucks full of pigs being driven to slaughter and then the next I wrote this after a couple of very contrasting days - one was spent in the city where I saw trucks full of pigs being driven to slaughter and then the next was spent in the piggy paradise of Beneath The Wood Sanctuary (https://beneaththewoodsanctuary.co.uk ) I’ve recreated this dichotomy in the music video showing the pigs in trucks and the place that they’re going into vs the rescued pigs happily hanging out on the field.  (https://youtu.be/TuffuOPvZW8?si=MFusIAOxvLyxfA74)