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Hanna Kowal

Review: "Die Without U" - Abigail Sparrow



Abigail Sparrow's new song "Die Without U" is a beautiful and heart-wrenching exploration of the singer's relationship with being chronically ill. The words are a personal dive into the artist's experience with Cystic Fibrosis, with the song sounding like a love letter to her illness. If you don't listen to the lyrics too closely, you could easily think that the illness is a person who is devoted to the singer, constantly crawling into every aspect of her life. Abigail poetically details the many important parts of life that are impacted, like "family photos, at your insistence, you're always in them". If something's in your life for that long, no matter if it's good or bad, you are bound to develop an attachment to it.


With Abigail's words, this attachment becomes something people can connect by relating it to relationships. The meaning that comes from this portrayal of her experience helps listeners understand just how large a part of life and identity an illness can be. Some of the lyrics give a profound and haunting image like "over my shoulder, you whispered and I never considered that you are a shadow I can't outrun." This personifies the Cystic Fibrosis, giving it a voice and a dark, constant, looming reach. The words bring intensity as the speaker grapples with just what this connection means to hear, physically and emotionally.



"Die Without U" has a cool, dark tune that blends intense guitar with Abigail's strong feminine vocals. The first verse starts simple, with dark and low muted guitar picking. The vocals start with a cynical narrative tone to the beautiful and low sound. Building up to the chorus, electronic instrumentals, piano, and a lighter vocal tone emerge. In the chorus, the vocals get higher and the instrumentals warm up, conveying that feeling of love and attachment that the singer grapples with in the lyrics. The verses throughout the rest of the song are loaded with emotion and power, as Abigail's voice forces that blend of feelings into the words. Bringing all the intensity and more, the vocals in the bridge belt with a range and force like Demi Lovato. The song ends with a chorus complete with layered impressive and emotional vocals, delivering the lyrics with all her heart.


Abigail Sparrow is a New York-based musician and actor, who was raised in a musical home in Long Beach, California. “Die Without U” is her second single, demonstrating how she creates intimate narratives with bold vocals in her music. She studied musical theater and vocals at California State University, and has been very active in the musical theater scene. She took on important roles like Sherrie in Rock of Ages and Katherine Howard in Six The Musical. Her on-screen acting credits range from starring in music videos directed by Sydney Fitzgerald to appearances in a short film. Check out the links below to keep up with Abigail.


Written By Hanna Kowal



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