Manchester-based Abbie Ozard's new song "Grown" is a deeply personal one, not least because it samples audio taken from old home movies shot in her family home as a child. The track begins with the sound of a baby babbling before Ozard cuts through and states simply: "I'm sorry for the way I treated you." It's a clever trick employed to immediately take us past the bravado and face-saving tactics that the end of a relationship can bring and directly to Ozard's core.
From there "Grown" explodes into life with a chorus equal parts Evermore and Imogen Heap, intimate yet a little alien at the same time. It's an intoxicating mix, pulling you in ever closer to take in every last word.
Speaking to The FADER via email, Ozard said: “I wrote ‘Grown’ back in 2017, 4 years ago, when I was coming out of a rough patch, and it helped me see the light and accept that things change, people change - they grow, leave your life and meet new people, and that’s totally ok.
I used to, and probably still do, have a hard time accepting that people come in and out of your life. I couldn’t comprehend that a person can be your best friend for years, and then suddenly become a total stranger - I found it really hard to get my head around. I hope it helps other people like it helped me, and I hope it helps you remember that you haven’t met half the people you’re going to love in your lifetime yet, because that to me is pretty cool and comforting. It’s the most important song that I've ever written to me, and will likely stay with me forever.”
Thumbnail image courtesy of Charlotte Rudd.