Q&A: Abrina Shows Vulnerability and Creativity with New Single “End Of The World”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY MOLLY PECK ☆
THE MEETING OF THE DIGITAL AND THE PHYSICAL IS A COMMON THEME — across all art forms as the world’s creatives try to reconcile where technology fits, or doesn’t fit, into their process. Abrina’s new single, “End Of The World,” is a rebuttal to all of this strife within the art and entertainment worlds. A lack of inspiration led her to leave her native California and fly to Nashville, where she was surprised to find the answer to her musical woes. Abrina isn’t going country; she’s an R&B artist through and through, but she is welcoming a rawer sound that embraces the use of live instruments and features a wider vocal range.
A San Diego native and California girl at heart, Abrina has been pursuing a career in music since she was just 13 years old, when she loved playing with her grandfather’s band. At 17, she won a singing competition, which gave her the push to move to Los Angeles and immerse herself in the LA music scene. Abrina’s music has always had a distinct California flair, evoking sunsets, ocean waves and sexy nights out in the LA heat. Her love of ‘90s R&B and classic soul is evident throughout her discography, and while “End Of The World” approaches those genres from a different angle, the single feels like a progression of Abrina’s style rather than a complete departure from her previous work.
It’s surprising that “End Of The World” came out of Abrina’s Nashville sessions when it fits in so well with what massive pop and R&B artists like Ariana Grande, Kehlani and SZA have released over the past few years. Working with producer Pete Eddins, who supports acts such as Adia Victoria and Arts Fishing Club on keys and sax, Abrina created a track that is catchy, relatable and reaches a new level of vulnerability for her. The shimmering accent notes add a modern effervescence to the single’s production, while the warm instrumentals and complexity of the vocals keep it grounded and in line with the song’s theme. “End Of The World” doesn’t feature the heavy bass and sharp production that is common in her previous work, but it retains the fresh, pop-leaning R&B sound that Abrina has been developing.
The plain honesty of its lyrics makes the track feel special and personal, and is in part why it’s so reminiscent of the work of today’s top artists. One of the strangest dichotomies of the digital world is the way social media both encourages and discourages sincere connection. Abrina plays with this theme in “End Of The World,” starting the song by revealing how lost and disheartened she feels: “I try to keep calm, so I play a little Marvin / Tell me what is going on?” She laments in the first verse, but finds relief and a safe space to breathe with her partner in the chorus: “Even though tomorrow’s not certain / Long as it’s you and me baby, until the end of the world.”
Luna recently sat down with Abrina to chat about working with new collaborators, what is currently inspiring her and the literal end of the world.
LUNA: Could you talk a little bit about your biggest inspirations and influences to help new listeners understand your sound?
ABRINA: Growing up, my parents raised me on traditional R&B. I'm an old soul, so I love Stevie Wonder and Tina Marie, and I grew up on TLC and Beyoncé, a lot of ‘90s stuff. Now, I'm an artist that doesn't want to be put in a box, and I'm trying to be a little bit ambiguous with my sound. When people ask me now, “What do I sound like?” I say Kali Uchis, Kehlani, Alina Baraz, those types of artists. I’m manifesting maybe one day I could open for them!
LUNA: Many of your songs have a distinct California hip-hop influence. As a native of San Diego, what does it mean to you to bring that influence into your music?
ABRINA: It's me, you know? I am that San Diego beach Latina girl, and I always want to be true to myself and keep who I am in my music. Finding a way to mesh the Cali sounds and the R&B sound that you would think is California, and still staying true to my roots is important to me. It was over a long time that I built the sound that you hear now.
LUNA: Following the release of your EP, Sunset Cliff, in 2025, you decided to move production from LA to Nashville to work on your next project. What drew you to Nashville and how did the culture there influence your latest work?
ABRINA: I just felt like I needed a refresh. I've been working with the same people in LA—who are amazing, who I still work with to this day—but a lot of people are busy, and everyone cares about working with the big artists in LA. When you're trying to build, you just want to work with people who don't care about that once in a while.
So my friend, who also co-manages me—her name is Angela, shoutout to her! She's been telling me about Nashville for so long. At first, I was hesitant because it makes me think of country music, and I don't do country, which is dumb because obviously Nashville is such a melting pot. I finally discovered that, and there are amazing, amazing musicians and producers that I linked up with. That's where I met Pete, the producer for the new song that I dropped, “End Of The World.” It was a really, really great experience and a refresher for me. It recharged my creative juices and my battery because it was such a different vibe that I loved.
LUNA: You recorded your new single, “End Of The World,” at producer Pete Eddin's home studio. How did that environment influence the sound and feel of the single, and what was it like working in a more intimate and casual setting?
ABRINA: I loved it. I was like, “We're totally garage-banding it right now!” It was true rocker style and hippie style, with the old-school carpets on the ground, and right outside was the forest and greenery, which was so beautiful. It felt like I was in the country, and clearly it was! It was so new to me.
Pete brought such an uncut, raw energy, and he was so cool and exciting to work with. He made the vibe of the session, and that's why we created such an amazing song from scratch. Everything he played—shoutout to him because he's an amazing musician who can play everything, which is what I love, and is so hard to find. It was incredible to experience, finally.
LUNA: The lyrics to “End Of The World” tell a relatable story of feeling anxious and overwhelmed, but finding safety in a particular person. What made you want to tell that story, and how do you hope that listeners respond to it?
ABRINA: I definitely was overwhelmed and stressed out when I came to the studio. It's hard not to feel those things these days, especially being in your early 30s; so much pressure is on your shoulders. And then just being a woman, and obviously everything that's going on politically and in the world, period? It's very overwhelming. Being Mexican in California, I’m also dealing with the protests, dealing with ICE up the street hassling the people that I see all the time and a lot of my friends being in the DACA program. That's been something that hits home to me.
That was at the front of what I was feeling at that time, and I wanted to tie that in. I have been feeling stressed out and everything, but it’s important to find somebody that will make all of that go away when you get home at the end of the day. It’s like the end of the world! I hope people aren't thinking I mean it seriously; sometimes you feel like it could be, but it's not, and it's about having that special person that makes you feel so much better.
LUNA: Your vocals on “End of the World” are really stunning, and it’s exciting to hear you using your full vocal range. Was that intentional when you began creating the song, or did it come about organically while you were working on it?
ABRINA: I definitely have been wanting to sing more. When I went out to do the sessions in Nashville, some things that me and my girl Angela spoke about were giving more vocals, giving more true storytelling, being more vulnerable and gritty with the songwriting and the singing. A lot of my songs in the past have had fun, party, cutesy vibes, which was fine. But I want to be more of a deeper artist and give more to people. And I can actually sing, so I need to start singing! (laughs
LUNA: “End of the World” seems like the beginning of a new chapter for you musically. Can fans look forward to hearing a similar sound on your upcoming releases?
ABRINA: Definitely. Me and Pete have a lot that we've been building off of. A few other people that I worked with out there, we have some stuff coming up too. Once I found this gritty, Nashville, but still California, R&B sound—which sounds crazy, but I felt like I needed to keep going and building off of that. So a lot more coming from that, and a lot more real storytelling as well. And more singing!
LUNA: Is there a music video for “End of the World” in the works?
ABRINA: Yes. It's taking a little bit longer than expected, but some things take more time. I'm also trying not to be that artist that's rushing stuff out. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. But yes, there is a video that's coming very soon that I'm excited about.
LUNA: What else is coming up next for you?
ABRINA: There are definitely more singles coming. I can't say exactly which single yet because we're taking our time planning everything and making everything quality—but a lot of songs. I'm basically going to keep releasing for a while, and then there will definitely be another project coming next year. We're building, building, building up to that. It's going to be very thought out, and I'm excited.
