He admits he “didn’t do much with radio, social media and stuff like that,” and was “embarrassed” about the production level of his music.
He stepped away from the industry so that he could become more comfortable with the quality of his songs, while continuing to run his construction company.
After a few years outside of the limelight, he is ready to share a new message.
Abbott released a new version of his popular single, “Something to Say,” on May 14, 2018. It is now playing on over 450 stations in 85 countries.
The number of likes on his
“I wish I had (hired them) so long ago,” he says.
His new single has allowed him to expand his music globally.
“I never thought it would go this way. I just wrote songs for fun and my own personal gain and then God started connecting me to so many people and using my songs in ways I never thought He would,” he said.
Abbott always thought music was going to be a passion that he entertained on the side. The 26-year-old husband and father of two grew up in a large Christian family. As a young boy, he regularly attended church with his parents and 11 siblings.
Abbott continues to run his construction business so that he is able to invest in his music.
“There are a lot of artists slugging it out, trying to get out there. I would love to do music full-time but right now it makes sense for me to have another job,” he explained.
Abbott sees his new momentum as a second chance. Between flying to Costa Rica to shoot a music video and preparing for a Canadian tour next year, he wants to make sure that his music, like “Something to Say,” maintains a deeper meaning.
“I find a lot of people just say ‘I am not qualified to make a difference in the world’ or ‘I am not qualified to share God because of my past,’ but I really wanted to write a song that helped people see that, in my opinion, you are more qualified. You have been redeemed from something like that and now you have a story to share.”
Part of touring his music is also about sharing his own testimony.
“I was addicted to pornography for four years,” said Abbott. “So coming out of that and seeing how God can redeem you from whatever it is you are walking through, I just wanted to write something that helped people see, especially young people and young adults, that they are not defined by their past.
“They are defined by the freedom that has been given to them by the blood of Christ.”
Abbott is going on an Ontario tour in September with plans on a cross-Canada tour in the spring.
He’ll also be heading to Nashville to work with a production team in advance of his next single coming out in the Fall.
Abbott is amazed at how far he’s come in the span of a few months.
“My hope is that young people and just anybody who says that they’re a follower of Christ would stop being defined by their past but that they could go make a difference in spite of it.”
(Geenen, 18, is a first-year communications and political science student at the University of Ottawa.)