Artist to Watch: Absolutely Is Building a Career Worth Paying Attention To

I came across Absolutely by accident. One of her live performance clips popped up on my TikTok feed:, a red-haired woman with locs and big headphones, singing with quiet intensity. “Oh-oh, and how to be loved.” The song was “I Just Don’t Know You Yet.” There were no flashy visuals, no viral dance, just her voice, stripped down and steady. I ran it back more times than I’d like to admit.

I didn’t recognize the name, so I looked it up.

Absolutely is the stage name of Abby-Lynn Keen, an English artist with deep roots in music. Born to a Swiss-Ghanaian mother and a British father, she grew up in a musical household. Plenty of artists claim deep musical roots, but in Absolutely’s case, it rings true. Her mother sang in church, her father is producer Paul Keen, and her sister is Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter RAYE. Before stepping into the spotlight herself, Absolutely was already making moves behind the scenes, writing songs for artists such as David Guetta, Teddy Swims, Anitta, and Normani.

In 2023, she began releasing music under the name Absolutely, appearing as a featured vocalist on tracks with Snakehips, Tiësto, and Rudimental. These early collaborations gave her a platform, and industry reps took notice. Her breakout moment arrived with the aforementioned “I Just Don’t Know You Yet.” The piano-led ballad first appeared online via a live performance snippet she posted to TikTok on June 11, 2025. By June 16, she asked fans to use the audio to help convince her label to release the song. Ten days later, on June 27, it officially dropped.

The song itself sits somewhere between alt-pop and spiritual ballad. It’s not typical TikTok bait; it moves slowly and thoughtfully. She sings to someone she hasn’t met but believes is meant for her, building a narrative around longing and faith. There is a quiet reverence in the way she delivers it. “I Just Don’t Know You Yet” shows that TikTok can still be a powerful tool for music promotion without sacrificing quality. In an industry driven by quick hooks and algorithm-friendly content, Absolutely proves it is still possible to create something meaningful while working within the system.

Her 2023 debut album Cerebrum backs that up. Released under Epic Records, the project blends alt-pop, R&B, rock, and filmic sound design. It is musically diverse but thematically consistent, often psychological and introspective. Producer Dave Hamelin (070 Shake, Beyoncé) is credited across the entire record, giving it a coherent and layered feel. Tracks like “Daylight,” “24 Hours,” and “Glass” stand out for both their lyrics and production.

Vocally, she lands somewhere between Skylar Grey and 070 Shake. There is rasp, there is control, and most importantly, there is emotion. Absolutely just wrapped a North American tour opening for Banks, and clips from the shows reveal a consistent and confident vocal presence. The cherry on top is her visuals. She leans into a slightly surreal, stylized world. Her aesthetic pulls from abstract pop culture references without going overboard;. It’ is minimalist with a touch of fantasy. She nods to this directly in her song “Patterns,” singing, “I’m wonderin’ like Alice, wonderin’ what could happen.”

Bottom line: Absolutely is building something intentional. Whether or not she becomes a household name in the next year is beside the point. She has already proven she has the skill set and the vision. And as we have seen time and again, those are the artists who last.

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