Recent Queen’s grad, Abby Stewart, ArtSci ’25, wowed the crowd at the first “Friday Nights in the Recital Hall” event of the year.
On Jan. 23, Stewart kicked off “Friday Nights in the Recital Hall” in the Principal Emerita Karen Hitchcock Recital Hall at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Her set list offered a wide range from original hits, including “I’m Still Faster” and unreleased song “Halo at Home,” as well as a wide range of country and pop hits by Taylor Swift, Train, Lady A, and more. The hall was packed full, with the audience completely captivated by Stewarts upbeat and engaging performance—and they stayed that way throughout the night.
Starting promptly at 8 p.m., Stewart took the stage, starting her set off with her song “Bless Your Heart.” Stewart set the bar for the rest of her show high, showing off her stable vocals and impressive runs right from the start.
It was clear that Stewart felt very comfortable on the stage. From smiling and dancing around onstage, joking with the band, and interacting with the audience, she carried herself with confidence that felt genuine and effortless.
“It felt really good, [it was a] really great room to do it in too,” Stewart said in an interview with The Journal, when asked about how she felt after her performance at the Isabel Bader in Kingston, her hometown.
She incorporated several covers into her set, including a cover of “Somebody” by Bryan Adams, which was a sentimental classic for Stewart. “He’s very ingrained into every year of my life,” Stewart said, reminiscing about the influence he’s had on her childhood and musical life.
Despite ongoing guitar issues due to the temperature in the recital hall, Stewart continued her set as planned. She used it at an opportunity to slow things down and perform a few songs on an acoustic guitar.
During the acoustic section of her set, Stewart performed an acoustic version of “Mean” by Taylor Swift—who she credited her interest in country to during her set. In this performance, she utilized different types of percussion, including small handheld shakers and cajón, that added texture to this acoustic cover.
Stewart previewed a few unreleased songs during her set as well, one of which was her upcoming song “Halo at Home”, a pop-country beat set to release on Feb. 6. It feels like your classic pop-country song, both catchy and relatable. Stewart named this song as her current favourite, mentioning she was inspired to write it partially because of her own people-pleaser nature and partially as a reminder that you can let your guard down and do what you want to do.
Another song worth mentioning is one of her latest releases, “Love’s Gone”—which was given to her during a writing trip down to Nashville, Tennessee. Although it was originally written by Kelsea Ballerini, this song, and genre, suits Stewart’s voice incredibly well.
Stewart’s song “Goodbye” features fun guitar riffs in the chorus and shows her vocal range really well. It sounds like a song that could’ve been sung by Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert. It has a classic empowering female country singer feeling, the type that you could yell the words to and feel more confident after.
Overall, Stewart will be one to look out for in the future, with several new songs coming out this year and mentions of a full EP, as well as multiple music festival appearances, it’s clear that this performance may be just a glimpse of what’s yet to come.
Tags
Abby Stewart, Country music, Isabel Bader Centre, Live Music, Music, Performance
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