Q&A: Abbey Cone Reclaims Her Voice on Independent Debut Album ‘Greener’

MusicQ&A

Apr 14

INTERVIEW

A BREAKUP STORY IN FULL BLOOM — For Nashville-based singer and songwriter Abbey Cone, her debut album Greener is a narrative arc, an emotional reckoning, and ultimately, a reclamation of self. Told in chronological order, the record moves through the chapters of a recent breakup with a clarity that’s rare in pop-country storytelling. From the euphoric highs of infatuation to the aching lows of heartbreak, Greener is a fully realized emotional landscape, capturing both the collapse of a relationship and the slow, steady emergence of new love.

The album opens with “If You Were a Song,” a track that radiates with romantic idealism. It’s the sound of someone falling hard, enamored by the idea of forever. But the dream begins to unravel almost immediately. With “worse case scenario,” Cone strips things back to just her voice and an acoustic guitar, pondering the loneliness and uncertainty of single life with quiet vulnerability. “Video games” picks up the thread, tracing the spiral of post-breakup overthinking—when every memory, text, or glance becomes a riddle you can’t stop solving.

On the shimmering “I Hate Springsteen,” Cone tries to convince herself she’s okay, lying through ringing guitars and sparkly synths. The denial cracks open into rage with “cry that it happened” and “i kissed my friend last night,” songs that confront emotional chaos head-on. Here, Cone doesn’t push down her messiness—she leans into it, allowing space for impulsiveness and confusion.

By the time the title track rolls in to close the album, something has shifted. Cone isn’t just surviving the breakup—she’s transcending it. “I hope you fall so hard for someone new / It makes you realize how wrong I was for you,” she sings with a mix of release and clarity. With lush instrumentation and emotional resolution, “Greener” transforms a painful ending into the promise of something better.

Sonically, Greener lives in the liminal space between Nashville country and indie-pop—echoes of her Texas rodeo roots rubbing against ethereal synths, folk-leaning guitars and pop hooks. It’s a sound Cone’s been refining since she moved to Nashville.

Now, fully in what she calls her “independent era,” Greener feels like the truest version of Cone we’ve seen yet. The album mirrors the journey she’s taken not just through heartbreak, but through the music industry itself. It’s the sound of someone reclaiming their voice—on their own terms, with their own team (many of whom are women), and with a confidence that only comes from having been through it.

Greener may have been born from a breakup, but its heart beats with renewal. It’s about letting go, yes—but more than anything, it’s about finding your way back to yourself.

LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?

ABBEY: I consider myself a country artist at heart, even though this album leans more into the pop-country space—and honestly, a few songs on it are pretty much straight-up pop. But I still identify as a country artist because of where I come from. I'm based in Nashville now, and I’m originally from Texas, which both play a big part in that identity. More importantly, I think it’s the songwriting that makes something country. Country music tells stories, and that’s what I try to do with my music—tell honest, heartfelt stories. At the same time, I really love indie pop, and lately, some of my Spotify playlisting is even starting to explore more of a folk sound. So I’d say my vibe right now is kind of a mix—indie pop, country and folk. It’s a blend, but storytelling is always at the core.

LUNA: You just released your debut album Greener and a huge congratulations is in order. I love how deeply vulnerable this album is, especially when it comes at a really transitional time in your life. What inspired the album and what themes and emotions do you explore?

ABBEY: This album is a breakup album—there’s no secret about that. I was in a very long-term relationship that ended about ten months ago, and while some of the songs were written before that, like “If You Were a Song”—which opens the album—I feel like that’s where my journey as an independent artist really began. I released that song back in 2023, and it was my first release after stepping out on my own. For the past two years, I’d been trying to make an album, but the timing just never felt right. Part of that had to do with the fact that my previous relationship was so deeply tied to my work and music—we collaborated closely, and it made things complicated. That’s not the only reason it was delayed, but it definitely made things harder.

In the end, Greener wasn’t the album I originally set out to make—but it’s the album that came out of this chapter in my life. I’ve always written what I’m going through, and honestly, this past year has been one of heartbreak and healing. After the breakup, I was really struggling. There was a part of me that wanted to stop making music altogether. But my closest friends and my manager encouraged me to keep going—to not give up—and I’m so grateful they did.

After my first record deal ended in early 2023, I had worked so hard to stand on my own as an independent artist. And even though I was in pain, I kept writing. I was producing and creating the album at the same time, and that process really helped me heal. That’s why I write songs—to turn pain into something meaningful. A couple of days ago, I had a small album release party in Nashville. The night before, I made a conscious effort to sit and listen to the album from start to finish. I got emotional—not because the songs still make me cry (though grief still lingers in certain moments)—but because I thought about all the people who helped me bring this album to life. Ten months ago, so many of them weren’t in my life yet.

I worked with new producers for the first time in a long while. Before that, I’d only worked with my former partner, and after the breakup, I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to make music that felt good again—or that people would connect with. But these collaborators showed up, supported me, and helped me find my voice again. So for me, this album isn’t just about heartbreak. It’s also about resilience, rediscovery, and the people who helped me find light in the middle of it all.

LUNA: Greener is such a personal and chronological storytelling album. When you were writing this project, did you always know it would follow that emotional arc, or did it reveal itself over time?

ABBEY: Honestly, the concept of the album kind of revealed itself when I wrote “Greener”—which ended up being the last song I wrote for it. That’s why I often say I didn’t expect to make this album. When I used to imagine putting out my first full-length record, this just wasn’t the story I pictured. And I think that’s something Nashville tends to put a lot of weight on—debut albums. Like, yes, it’s a big deal to me, but I’m not placing huge expectations or pressure on it.

For me, I knew I was working toward a project, but I was really just writing what I was living through—processing it in real-time. I kept telling myself that eventually, I’d know when I was done. And when I wrote “Greener,” everything clicked into place. It felt like the right way to close this chapter. Like a “to be continued” moment.

Not only did “Greener” feel like a fitting title and ending for the album—it just hit me emotionally. I remember getting the demo back a few months after writing it. I hadn’t cried about my breakup in a couple of weeks, and then one night, I was driving home from Target, just casually listening to the demo, and I completely broke down. I sobbed. It felt like a letter I never got to write to my ex. We didn’t end on good terms, and it wasn’t really a situation where reaching out felt safe or right, but this song felt like closure and a weight had been lifted. That’s when the structure of the album made sense to me. It could start with “If You Were a Song,” which symbolizes the good that existed in that relationship—the sweetness and beginnings. Then it could move through all these raw, heartbreaking moments I’d written over the last year, and finally land on “Greener,” which represents where I am now. “Greener” was the song that tied it all together for me. It helped me see the full arc—not just of the album, but of everything I’ve been through to get here.

LUNA: Do you have a favorite song on the album — either emotionally, lyrically or sonically? Which one feels the most “you” right now?

ABBEY: “Greener” is really special to me. I love the production, but more than anything, I feel so deeply connected to it emotionally. It’s the song that helped everything click—the one that made the whole album make sense. What’s wild is how some of the other songs on the album unintentionally foreshadowed what would eventually happen in my life. “Worst Case Scenario”—I wrote that almost two years before my previous relationship ended. And the last verse says, “Worst case scenario, we stay two years too long.” There's even a line that goes, “Worst case scenario / You move to Pasadena / Meet your wife and realize the grass was really greener.” I had no idea at the time that I’d go on to write a song called “Greener.” Those little full-circle moments give the song this kind of magic, like it was always meant to be there.

That said, my current hyper-fixation song is “Cry That It Happened.” I just absolutely love everything about it—the writing, the sound, the way it captures emotion. It’s the one I keep coming back to. I didn't record “Cry That It Happened” until the night before I turned in the whole album to my distribution, and I have no idea why I waited that long. I wasn't planning on putting it on the record, because I was really scared of how vulnerable it was, and then I realized the story doesn't feel complete without that song. I'm oddly attached to that song. I think it's important for the narrative of the whole thing. I’m also obsessed with the production. I love how it doesn't have drums and I used my voice as an instrument on that song and really stacked a lot of background vocals.

LUNA: Was there a moment during the making of Greener where you experienced a personal or artistic breakthrough — a moment of clarity where something shifted for you either as an artist or just as a person?

ABBEY: “Greener” felt like reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. I had been trying to make an album—or at least had the intention to—for about three years. I kept thinking I was close, but nothing ever quite came together. When I finally wrote “Greener,” it brought this unexpected sense of clarity—both personally and creatively. Without that song, I honestly don’t know if the album would’ve fully come into focus. It’s funny, because if you take “Greener” off the project, I’m not even sure what the title track would be. None of the other songs quite carried that same weight or felt like the anchor of the record. Before I wrote it, I had a few possible title ideas floating around, but nothing felt right—nothing stuck.

And then there’s this serendipitous timing too. I didn’t plan for the album to come out in spring—spring just happens to be my favorite season. I’ve been driving around lately noticing how everything is so green from all the rain, and I’ve caught myself thinking, “wow, it’s literally the Greener era.” It really feels like Greener unintentionally became the theme of this entire chapter of my life—and that’s what makes it feel so special.

LUNA: Looking back at the journey this album represents — emotionally and professionally — what’s something you know now that you didn’t when you first started writing Greener?

ABBEY: From a musical standpoint, this album helped me rebuild my confidence—especially when it came to holding my own creatively and being more secure in my production instincts. There are a lot of producers on this record, but the common thread in all of it is me. I was in the room for every session. After my breakup, I had lost a lot of that confidence. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety—not about my ability, necessarily, but about trusting myself and feeling like I belonged in those rooms. This project gave me some of that confidence back. A lot of that came from the people I worked with, honestly. They were so supportive and vocal about how much they loved the songs and enjoyed working with me. That creative affirmation helped ease my anxiety and made me feel grounded in making music again.

And on a personal level, this album represents so much growth. I’ve never tried to paint my ex as a villain—it’s not about that—but I was in a place where I didn’t fully believe I deserved more. I’ve gained a deeper sense of self-worth since then. A lot of that came from unexpectedly falling in love again and realizing I didn’t have to change myself to be loved. That experience made me understand that maybe I had just been trying to love the wrong person before.

Honestly, I’ve learned so much—things I didn’t even know I didn’t know. That relationship spanned such formative years for me—from age 20 to 25, right during the time my brain was literally still developing. And the past 10 months, especially, have felt like the most transformative time in my life.

LUNA: You signed a major label deal when you were just 20, but two years ago you walked away and declared you were entering your “independent era.” What has that transition taught you about your artistry and what you want from a career in music?

ABBEY: I signed my record deal just a month before the pandemic hit. I already had music ready—songs I had recorded in 2018 and 2019—but once everything shut down, I ended up having to sit on it for two and a half years. The project was originally supposed to come out in June 2020, but they didn’t let me release it until April 2022. By then, the music didn’t even feel like me anymore. I was in this frustrating place of asking them, “either help me move forward, or please just let me go.” I was creatively depleted and emotionally drained—I just needed freedom. And thankfully, they let me leave. Not long after, I also parted ways with my management, which wasn’t something I had initially planned. But within a few months, I had essentially cleaned house and in that space, I was able to build a new, independent team—made up mostly of women, which has been so powerful.

These past two years have shown me how much you can do on your own. When I signed my deal, I really thought I was informed. I’d been in Nashville a long time, I thought I understood how the business worked—but you really don’t know until you’re in it. I’ve learned so much about what’s actually necessary, and what isn’t. Being independent is not easy. I don’t have a label budget, every dollar counts. But the freedom I’ve gained is invaluable. I get to find my own lane, without anyone telling me I need to succeed in a certain way. Of course, I still have to make it work financially—I have bills to pay, and making a record isn’t cheap—but it’s also fun in its own way. When you have a small, dedicated team that really believes in you, it becomes so much more meaningful. You get to celebrate the small wins.

I do think record labels can be amazing—if the artist already knows who they are and has done the development work themselves. But right now, it just doesn’t make sense for me, especially from a business perspective. I want to own my masters. If one of my songs takes off on streaming, I want to be the one who benefits from that, so I can reinvest in my next project. There are definitely days where I feel overwhelmed—days where I think, how am I going to make another record when I don’t have the money to fund it? But even in those moments, I’d still rather be where I am now. I feel more capable. I feel more confident. And most of all, I feel like I’m finally in control of my own life.

LUNA: Now that Greener is out in the world, what do you hope listeners walk away with after hearing your story from start to finish?

ABBEY: I just was on a tour and I sang a lot of these on the road, and it's what everyone hopes for music that people can listen to and relate to, and hopefully it makes someone feel less alone. I also hope that I can move on from this chapter of my life, on to even greener grass. I hope that it brings someone some sense of comfort. I feel like I have to remind myself that not everyone can write songs. Hearing a song that feels like someone reading your diary is when you find a perfect word for what you were trying to say. I hope that people have those moments with it, and it makes them either be able to stop and have some sort of cathartic, somatic release in their body.

LUNA: What’s the best environment to listen to your music in?

ABBEY: Driving. I think I make good music for a nice, long drive, maybe a nighttime drive. Also, I always feel like I love records that I can turn on and clean my house to, where I just play it top to bottom.

LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?

ABBEY: Feeling pretty good. I feel like releasing music is interesting, because I always feel really chill about it until it's the day before, and then I get this sense of anxiety, but I feel the most peaceful I've ever felt in my life. I'm not really attached to any sort of outcome. I’m just happy that I'm in a better space mentally and emotionally than I was 10 months ago.

I'm already working on another traditional country record right now. I'm doing a 180 as far as production goes. I've always wanted to make a traditional record. I grew up singing traditional music, so I'm putting a little bit of a pause on my indie pop, country vibe for a second. I want to write for other artists too in this next season, like on the off chance that I do write for another artist, it feels so good to not talk about myself for a couple hours. I'm always thinking about what I want to say, and I just feel this moment to help some other artists say what they want to say.