by Carla Caruso

Once upon a time, Adelaide singer-songwriter Abbey Mae never thought she’d get behind a microphone.

But she’s come a long way. The 24-year-old has enmassed a whopping 40,000 followers on TikTok. She’s also one of the stars performing at our UnPaving Paradise re-greening benefit show on Saturday, June 4. [Book here.]

“I had to train myself to sing,” Abbey Mae confides, “because when I was younger, I had these growths on my vocal cords.

“They had to laser them off, and then they grew back, and they had to scrape them off [again]. So, they didn’t even think I was going to be able to talk properly, let alone sing.

“I was criticised a lot by music teachers growing up. One told me that I sounded like a dying cat! So, I played saxophone for a bit because the teachers wanted me to do that instead. But I have ended up training myself to a point where I’m confident in saying, like, that I can sing.”

And sing she can. She’s well-known for her covers - a few of which she’ll perform at the benefit show, raising funds for our re-greening initiative in Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27). [Book here.]

Her musical influences include Melanie Martinez and Postmodern Jukebox. “I like to sing covers differently than the way the original song was meant to be sung. I’ll be doing Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, and a Taylor Swift song but it’s going to be in a swing style.”

She also plans to perform her own song, Satan, which is out on Spotify. It draws on her background. “Basically, I grew up in a very religious family. They were Christian and I’m gay. I changed religions and some of the people were quite nasty about it.

“The song is basically about letting people do what they want with their faith. Because it’s their faith, and if it’s not hurting anybody, they should be allowed to do whatever they want.”

Her TikTok following grew, she says, “when the first lot of COVID hit”.

“Most of my followers are American. When they were in lockdown, it blew up. I was getting thousands of followers a day at one point … It’s a good platform to promote [my music].”

Other performers at the APA’s benefit show include comic Mavis, acoustic trio The Serotonins, singer David Gauci, and hippie rockers The Love Mussels. [The show is this Saturday 4 June 2022 at Diverse-City in Grote Street. Book here.]

Show organiser Laurence Nobes says it’s “a great start to the cabaret season with a unique line-up of local talent—unmissable”.

“Diverse-City is [also] an intimate, welcoming venue in one of Adelaide’s historic buildings. You’ll feel at home instantly, but the food and cocktails are better!”

As well, he says look out for the German mistress of ceremonies and cabaret performer (below). “Helga Handfull has graced street corners from London to Edinburgh and Adelaide to Tokyo. She is a woman of the world, even if the world doesn’t always treat her well. She is quirky, entertaining, and a little risqué.”

[The show is this Saturday 4 June 2022 at Diverse-City in Grote Street. Book here.]

You can book tickets either with or without meals.

Meals are served from 6pm. Showtime is from 8pm.

Mains. Choose from:

• Beef in red wine and garlic on a bed of creamy mash with green beans

• Beer-battered flathead, salad and fries

• Mushroom, eggplant and sweet potato vegan lasagne with Mediterranean salad and crusty bread

Desserts. Choose from:

• Mango, ginger and white choc cheesecake

• Chocolate mousse with toffee shards and whipped cream

• Brie, gorgonzola and tasty cheese, fruit and crackers board

[The show is Saturday 4 June 2022 at Diverse-City in Grote Street. Book here.]