Rising Star award winner still has her heart set on Nashville

By Randy Capps

When Abby Stephens appeared on the cover of Johnston Now magazine in May 2018, our annual awards program was still in the process of being created.

But it’s unlikely that anyone has been a more fitting recipient of the 2020 Johnston Now Honors Rising Star award than she is.

From her Clayton Idol debut, to singing on stage at the Ryman Auditorium with Kelsea Ballerini, to adding a couple of songs to her rapidly filling Apple Music page, the Benson teen is no stranger to the spotlight.

Even so, the rise of COVID-19 has affected her songwriting. She prides herself on creating positive, inspirational music — and that can be tough to do these days.

“That kind of put a halt on everything,” she said. “In the beginning, it was like, ‘oh, I’m just going to have an early summer,’ because I was still in school. Or, ‘maybe we’ll just have a few weeks off.’ But nope. I had a bunch of free time at home. The good thing is I still had the resources at home to keep making music, keep rehearsing, things like that.

“I found it hard to stay motivated. Sitting at home all day, every day. Yes, you have plenty of time, but the inspiration you get from being around other people, being around other events, doesn’t come easily for me when I’m sitting at home. I would find myself walking around the house, thinking, ‘something jump out at me. I need to write something, but I need it to pop out at me.’”

Another casualty of the pandemic was the frequent trips to Nashville, where she would immerse herself in the music scene. She returned there recently, and it was a memorable trip for a couple of different reasons.

“Seeing downtown being empty was crazy to me,” she said. “When we went a month ago, we toured (Belmont University),” she said. “It kind of went through my head. ‘What if I graduate early?’ ... I could just go ahead, get it out of the way and focus on my future. When we toured the college, we were amazed. It was stunning, and they offer everything I could possibly need.”

The reigning Miss West Johnston is planning to graduate in December. She’s applied to Belmont, and if accepted, she’ll have to apply for its Commercial Music program.

“It’s a series of auditions,” her mother, April Stephens, said. “We were looking forward to going in person, but unfortunately, they’re all online now. She has to send in video auditions and a portfolio. So, we’re putting together everything she’s achieved and really hoping that’s going to make a big difference in her getting accepted into the Commercial Music Program.

“It’s very competitive, but it seems like everything is set up so perfectly. They want her to do one classical piece, one musical piece and one commercial music piece. She can do all three of those. They want her to play the piano, she can do that. So, it’s like when they laid out the audition process, it was like check, check, check.”

If her musical exploits to date are any indication, she’ll be walking around on campus in Nashville come springtime.

“I’ve got my boxes ready,” she said. “I’m really excited for my future. I don’t want to get too excited for college or after college, because I don’t know how things are going to lay out. But the unknown is kind of making me happy right now, I guess, because we’re in such a weird time. Looking forward to something, anything, right now for me, is the best thing ever.”

Or, as she put it in one of her newer songs, “Dreamer:”

“Dreamer, dreamer. Follow where your heart may lead. Go be who you need to be.”