“SOME OF THIS MUSIC CARRIES THAT MAGIC OF FAIRY TALES”: ABSOLUTELY

Absolutely – RAYE’s little sister – is a dreamer. Paracosm, her second album two years in the making, is now bringing that fantasy to life.

Absolutely is a word that lands with conviction – no hesitation, no doubt. You would think anyone bold enough to claim it as a name would be built from the same certainty. But Abby-Lynn Keen, 20, vermilion-haired and pixie-faced, the younger sister to Brit powerhouse RAYE, isn’t performing confidence.

“Sometimes I’m quite shy, introverted, gentle, and soft,” she says. “The word itself is such a bold, confident word…maybe it represents the best and most concentrated parts of me, an exaggerated version of who I am.”

That blend of softness and certainty has shaped her from the beginning, ever since she was 12 and recording in her dad’s London utility closet turned makeshift studio. “I was working really hard, but quietly,” she says. “I wasn’t telling everyone about it.” Music stayed private then, something she nurtured while letting her love of fashion sit centre stage. “I wanted to avoid the whole ‘little sister copying big sister’ thing,” she laughs. When she finally played RAYE her first song, “Time Out”, the reaction changed everything: “She was like, ‘Oh my god, this is amazing.’ It felt good, getting that big-sister validation.”

With her dad stepping fully into manager mode and a BRIT-winning sister clearing paths, Abby’s quick pen placed her at the heart of the music industry sooner than most. By 17, while her friends were figuring out adulthood over cheap pints, she signed a publishing deal with S10 Entertainment, linked to BMG, and began writing for artists whose names glow in neon. “Suddenly I was in these big L.A. rooms, writing for people like Normani and Anitta. I completed over a hundred Zoom sessions. I was developing so much – my songwriting, my social skills, my ability to record myself and produce. The The network I built then opened a lot of doors. I learned how to navigate a session and speak up for what I want.” If those years serve as training camp, 2026 is the sprint. 

Laruicci Lace up corset dress and raw edge dress.

Paracosm, the follow-up to her 2023 debut CEREBRUM, arrives January 23rd. “It was supposed to be ready two years ago,” she says, laughing.

“I’ve spent so much time on this one. The first album was easy, I didn’t have as many opinions. This time, I went through so many versions. I was searching for the one that felt most right. My dad always tells me I have to capture moments in time because I move past them quickly. The music I made two years ago would’ve been left behind. But now is the right moment for this album, and I’m excited.”

Lead single “I Just Don’t Know You Yet” already justifies that patience – a timeless pop ballad that aches and relearns love, now surpassing five million streams. Its successor, “No Audience”, enters stranger terrain. “I love Tim Burton and stories like Alice in Wonderland,” she says. “Some of this music carries the magic of fairy tales.” The song mirrors that feeling – cinematic, haunting, unafraid of its own drama. “None of the songs overlap in genre or sound,” she says. “But they still belong together. In the middle of making the album I got stuck – I was thinking too logically. I had to remind myself of the beauty and childlike wonder of creating.”

Paracosm also arrives as part of a family moment. Abby joins older sisters RAYE and AMMA on the THIS TOUR MAY CONTAIN NEW MUSIC UK run, February– May 2026. Naturally, she’s designing her own looks. “I’m having so much fun with it,” she says. “It’s like my childhood dreams are taking form – in sound, in clothes, in everything.” The fairytale magic may run through the songs, but Paracosm itself is no fantasy. She isn’t dreaming anymore. She’s doing it – absolutely.

Source: https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/11/22/absolutely-wonderland-winter-25/

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