by The Alchemist
Ian Abel (pronounced “able”) is the queer fantasy lovechild of an East Village comic book nerd with a heart of gold. He was brought up in the East Village of NYC, raised on a steady diet of R&B, soul, and alternative rock. As an effeminate little 4th grader, he grooved to Destiny’s Child, bopped to the Spice Girls, and plumbed the depths of angst with Alanis. For well over a decade, Ian has been an artist and performer. He has performed around the world and with greats like Nile Rodgers, Jimmy Fallon, and the SNL band. He has sung onstage at Carnegie Hall, on Chinese national television, and in festivals in Sun Valley, New York, and Edinburgh.
In his newest track he sings about getting over his ex in a tender, uplifting, and powerfully driving ballad “Mirror Mirror,” released today. The confessional, pining track came from an experience Abel had years after his first big breakup while sifting through old emails.
“I was honestly still totally hung up on it,” says Ian. “I thought my ex and I were meant for each other. But reading old emails it suddenly dawned on me that we weren’t perfect after all… I realized that the version of us I had in my head wasn’t really how it was, and it was like a huge weight was lifted.”
As we listened to the track, it immediately brought us to a place where we felt happy. It gave us memories of some of the best times of our lives. Ian Abel has one of the most unique voices and lyrics we’ve heard in some time. “Mirror Mirror” is Abel’s second single of 2020. His first single “Taste” was released in May and received praise from numerous blogs and playlisters, including a glowing review from American Pancake’s Rob Donker Curtius, who called it a “deeply engaging blend of genres and art pop tones.”
In addition to being released across music platforms, “Mirror Mirror” is accompanied by a trippy video performance featuring lush, evocative projections, produced, directed, and edited by Abel himself.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
