Abby Powledge - if i'm honest for once EP (2025) Hi-Res

If you need a hug, or a really good cry, the up-and-coming 20-year-old star Abby Powledge has released her EP ‘if i’m honest for once’. A go-to artist for anyone with love for conceptual masterpieces and lyrics cutting straight to the heart, Abby displays that effortlessly on what surprisingly is her very first project. Abby’s a student in Nashville for music and has already made waves in the scene with her very first single, “the way that i am.” The song took TikTok by storm, resulting in a huge surge of music listeners to turn into Abby Powledge lovers, who now all have a beautiful EP at their hands. She said in a release post, “Man, I am so grateful for the opportunity for this to be heard. When I had written these songs last year never could I have imagined the extent to which they would resonate.” This EP is a seamless project including six songs for 22 minutes full of storytelling at such a high level, each song invoking genuine emotion, especially the opening track “generations in the making.”

This song immediately shows what Abby is bringing to the table throughout this project. Beginning with a standard acoustic guitar, honesty sets the stage right away in her singing about how she thought moving out and growing up would make her more bold, but she’s still her younger self with her messy curls and still has doubt she’ll ever be wanted. Eventually building surrounded by layered vocals and subtle strings, the chorus brings home the sweetest sentiment, “That I'm a reincarnate of my mother's beauty / And every other woman come before me / If my parents and grandparents were adored / Then somebody has loved my face before.” the song focuses on realizing you can’t be too hard on yourself if you open your eyes to the greatness in which you come from within your family.

The next two tracks pivot from a family focus to more personal relationships. “real winter” is another yearning moment, where she writes so uniquely about having no one to hold you when you’re cold. The relatability presented throughout her writing hits home for many listeners.

“I've never had another that could fit just like a glove / Like how i've never felt real winter as much as i've been in love” is a perfect lyric to encapsulate it all. Following “real winter” is “men on the internet,” which has some twang within production and almost has a haunting feeling with dual vocals in all the right places. “At least i'm self aware / I think i'd do the distance / I told all my friends that there's mutual interest / But we've never met.” Yet again, she highlights the desire for love being so overpowering, that you fall in love with strangers.

The final three tracks were previously released as singles, but are standouts for displaying the talent Abby holds. “forgive” is a self-reflecting track on how hard you can be on yourself. “And maybe I've tried / All that I could / Maybe I've changed / Or maybe I should” she sings as she realizes growing older and changing, losing friends or making mistakes with your body is all a part of life, and you owe yourself some grace. “to be held” and the most well-known track “the way that i am” finish off back to that wish of being in love. “to be held” is conceptually genius in its use of everyday occurrences to fill the void of love in her life. Holding hands when getting your nails done or getting your everyday coffee made without needing to tell the barista your order all played up to be more than what it really is; an everyday thing. Closing with “the way that i am” finishes listeners on a more hopeful note, being patient that someone will come along and love you for who you are. This EP takes you twisting and turning through the thoughts of your mind when all you want is love; doubt, mistakes, delusions and hope.