Abe Parker’s new single “It is what it is” focuses on finding strength to get through life’s obstacles

Abe Parker has received international recognition by putting clips of his music on TikTok, and the singer/songwriter released a new single titled “It is what it is,” which is meant to inspire hope for those going through troubles.

Parker said that an interesting part of his creative process is finding fun ways to engage with his listeners. For this song he made the beat for the chorus and posted it to TikTok without lyrics with the caption, “what does this make you feel?” A fan commented that it felt like getting to the point of “it is what it is.”

Parker is always proud of the next song he is releasing, so in this case he can’t wait to see how “It is what it is” is received by his listeners.

“My goal is to find a core audience of people that I can really help, really speak to, and can really be a voice for,” he said. “I feel like art has such a crazy way of speaking for people.”

The new single is about Parker’s personal struggle with an intense case of GERD that can leave him debilitated. This is a health condition he has been battling for the past three years, and he feels that fans who are also coping with something major in their lives can commiserate with him.

“It is just kind of coming to terms of ‘it is what it is’ to find the strength to push through difficult times” Parker said. “That’s what it is for me, but I try not be too specific so listeners can just connect with it in their own way.”

He knows that there are worse problems people are facing in the world, but the song’s theme is something anyone can relate to.

“That’s the one thing I love about music,” Parker said. ““I can write about whatever difficulty I am currently going through and it can translate into other people’s stories that may be struggling with a totally different issue.”

Parker grew up in the small Ohio town of Blue Rock, just outside of Zanesville, and he admits that it is a spot where not much happens. He recalls there being two stop lights and plenty of corn. Parker didn’t grow up with a lot of money, but he had supportive, musically talented parents, with his mother playing banjo and father playing guitar.

This influence led him to where he is today, as he is just starting to dive into the folk music sector. He has produced successful songs for the likes of David Kushner, and continues to do so.

Parker does it all with music: he writes, produces and mixes the songs himself in his studio. Everyday he would write a hook, make a video, and tease it on TikTok. He did this until something landed, and he would take these snippets and be able to record a whole song. The production world is something he loves as he is able to use his diverse background in musical genres, but his focus now is creating his own material.

“What really inspires me most is writing songs, touring and releasing them,” Parker said. “That’s where my heart is at right now. I love it.”

Parker started playing music in junior high when he created a punk band called Artificially Flavored, where they would ride around on skateboards and play shows. This was the beginning of his musical journey, which continued into college playing in a rock band. Parker got more into writing and producing after the band split up, and he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he did work in the hip hop scene. Things really started to take off for him when he began making TikTok videos three years ago.

“It was wild,” Parker said. “For the first seven or eight months I had zero traction. Everyone was wondering what I was doing with my life. Eventually I started to find the right audience there and the last album I released I did almost all the songs as singles, and then compiled into an album.”

Parker has had some great moments in his musical career, noting that his song “Butterflies” had become popular internationally. The track had blown up in southeast Asia, and he got a chance to fly to Jakarta last year to meet with fans. When visiting he was told by his listeners just how huge he was there. Parker was amazed that complete strangers knew so much about him, down to the name of his Labrador.

“I’m so proud of all that and honored that people all over the world have been listening to my music.”

Parker wants to encourage hope in people and send the message to “never give up.”

“I’m not the person who is all shiny and bright all the time, but I want to be the bridge to get people out of really dark places,” Parker said.

Be sure to check out “It is what it is” on February 15, and keep up with Abe Parker on his website and all platforms.

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