Abby Anderson Leans Into Her Romantic Side With “I’ll Still Love You”

According to Abby Anderson, her latest single “I’ll Still Love You” came from somewhere up above.

“I was on tour with Brett Eldredge–this was in the fall of 2018–and I was sitting in the back of the tour bus with my guitar and I just started with that melody of ‘I’ll Still Love You,’” the Nashville country artist told American Songwriter in an interview featured below. “It just fell out from the sky. I like those songs–they’re easy to write ‘cause God kind of gives them to me, you know?”

Anderson hammered out the track with songwriter Jordan Minton in less than an hour, but she didn’t release it until February of this year. The final product is a heart-wrenching country pop number that shows Anderson leaning into her romantic side: “When the colors fade / From these picture frames / When my hair turns gray / The seasons all change / And we’ve seen better days / Whatever this life puts us through / Baby I’ll still love you,” she sings in the chorus.

Today Anderson debuts an acoustic version of “I’ll Still Love You”–plus an accompanying video–via American Songwriter. The visual shows the Texas-born singer-songwriter delivering a breathtaking live performance of the track at Black River Entertainment’s Sound Stage Studios in Nashville.

“I remember coming back to Nashville after that tour [with Eldredge] and the first thing I did was I sat down at my piano and played it,” says Anderson of her inspiration for the video. “The piano’s my first instrument and will always be where I write many of my songs. I remember how peaceful and beautiful it felt, how pure it was, just me and the piano. And I said, ‘Can we just make a simple video of an acoustic version of this?’ So it didn’t take a lot of brain power, but it’s what I wanted to do.”

Anderson also spoke to American Songwriter about how “I’ll Still Love You” compares to previous releases and how she’s coping with quarantine in Georgia, where she and her boyfriend are currently visiting family. 

While Anderson hasn’t officially announced a debut album following two breakout EPs–2014’s He Loves Me and 2018’s I’m Good–she all but confirms that it’s on the horizon. Check out the full interview and video below.

American Songwriter: I know that you co-wrote “I’ll Still Love You” with Jordan Minton. How’d you get connected? What was the songwriting experience like?

Abby Anderson: I was on tour with Brett Eldredge–this was in the fall of 2018–and I was sitting in the back of the tour bus with my guitar and I just started with that melody of “I’ll Still Love You.” It just fell out from the sky. I like those songs–they’re easy to write ‘cause God kind of gives them to me, you know? That melody just started and I called Jordan real quick and I was like, “You gotta get over here!” He was on a walk or something, and I was like, “You’ve gotta get to the bus–I’ve got this verse and chorus! I need your help!” And we wrapped it up in about 30 or 40 minutes. It was a quick one.

“I’ll Still Love You” comes after your last two singles–“Flowers” and “Guy Like You.” How do the tracks compare to each other?

They’re totally different worlds, all three of them. “Guy Like You” is the fun, upbeat part of me, and then “Flowers” is the sassy part of me, and then “I’ll Still Love You” is definitely the romantic in me. I’d say they each equally represent different parts of my brain.

Can you talk a little bit about the video for “I’ll Still Love You”?

It’s very simple–it’s just me at a piano singing. We had a lot of ideas–the label was tossing ideas of making a lyric video for it and doing all that fancy stuff, and I was like, “Nah, I wrote this just me and a guitar in my hand.” It was just so beautiful. I remember coming back to Nashville after that tour [with Eldredge] and the first thing I did was I sat down at my piano and played it. The piano’s my first instrument and will always be where I write many of my songs. I remember how peaceful and beautiful it felt, how pure it was, just me and the piano. And I said, “Can we just make a simple video of an acoustic version of this?” So it didn’t take a lot of brain power, but it’s what I wanted to do.

Where’s home right now? Are you in Nashville?

I’m actually in Georgia right now. My boyfriend lives out here, he’s got his family here, my family’s here. So it was just a good place to quarantine all together.

How’s quarantine going?

You know, I feel like it’s going better for me than it should. I feel very at peace and I think that has a lot to do with having time to breathe, having time to think, and really think about what I want to write. I’ve found that my writing feels better, I feel more in tune with my body and the world around me. And I realize I’m very privileged to be healthy and to be where I am in life. So I don’t take that for granted–I feel very thankful. I think that’s what quarantine has done for me–make me realize all my blessings.

You’ve now released two EPs. Do you think a full-length album might come next?

That’s always the goal, for sure. I think it’s just a matter of having the right song to introduce that album. I have all these songs that represent different parts of me, but I still feel like there’s certain songs I’m waiting to put out that are the perfect introduction to Abby Anderson. And I think the album will easily follow after that.

So the songs are in your back pocket, or not quite ready yet?

They are in the back pocket! They are waiting to be put out into the world, and I’m really excited. They’re songs I’ve written pretty recently. And I just turned 23, so I think my sound and what I want to do music-wise has changed just a little bit, but not too much. So I’m excited to get those songs out.

What else can you share about the music you’re making right now?

During quarantine I’m doing these little Instagram Lives on Mondays and Fridays, and that’s been really fun. If the people reading want to tune in to the music I’ve been writing, they can always tune in to that. I’m really thankful for all the listeners. I don’t write music for myself, that’s for sure. The hope is that people hear it.

“I’ll Still Love You” is out now. The acoustic version arrives tomorrow via Black River Entertainment.