Quality Americana

Abigayle Oakley has a heartfelt new release that feels like a movie trailer. You’re transported to a nature trail as you hear the guitar melody and harmonies from Jed and the Valentine.

Oakley recently placed at the Kerrville New Folk Competition, a long-running contest started by Rod Kennedy, and has been preparing for a Texas tour with the finalists this fall.

“The camping and like the hippie music lovers is such a special crew,” Oakley said about Kerrville.

Hazel Eyed Lover in Patagonia

Oakley has been received well in the Northeast and in Montana at the Red Lodge Songwriters Festival.

“It’s just this little cowboy town right off the Bear Tooth Mountain range,” Oakley said. “The whole town comes out. It’s one of my favorite events to go to. I write a lot when I’m in Nashville, and then try to get out of town to play shows.”

The fans in Montana pushed Oakley to release the song, a unique single that really shows her artist identity. The single has taken off, reaching over fifteen thousand streams in the first week. The single was produced by Anthony DeCosta. 

“He’s an incredible artist in his own right, and just a master producer, and was really fun to work with on these songs.” 

The theme centers around a thrift store purchase her significant other made.

“My boyfriend got a Patagonia fleece from our local thrift shop, and that was such a steal,” Oakley said. “I don’t know if you’ve tried to buy Patagonia recently but it’s like… you can call it cowboy chic.” 

Throughout their journeys, the title floated around in Oakley’s head.

“I just sat on my porch one day and figured it out,” Oakley said. “It’s rare when I get a solo write that feels as good as this one did. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”

Las Vegas

Oakley was raised in Las Vegas, where she attended a performing arts school before relocating to Nashville. 

“That’s where I really found a love for music along with community theater,” Oakley said. “My parents are both musicians, so they really had music on all the time and we would tour as a family growing up, so I’ve always been around it, and love it.”

Oakley’s father is a jazz bassist and her mother is vocalist in musicals. She started writing songs in her teenage years and later majored in songwriting and music business at Belmont University in Nashville.

“There’s so much great folk music happening in Nashville,” Oakley said. 

Oakley has been spending her time writing and collaborating in Music City, and with other writers in New York and beyond. She publishes her work independently.

“I found success just by writing with my friends and knowing that my friends are going to be the next big thing, and that’s going to hopefully work out well for us,” Oakley said.

She’s also been writing about her experience as a songwriter on Substack.

“It’s small but mighty,” Oakley said. “It feels like early social media, like the old days where it was just slow and creators creating to create and support other creators. That allows me to be free to work on the creative things that I really care about.”

Support the Artist

More information about Abigayle Oakley can be found here.

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