Photo Credit: Brenna Weeks

The summer of 2024 saw many new artists raving about the inspiration they felt due to Disney Channel titan, Hannah Montana (for those not cool, that’s Miley Cyrus’ character from the show of the same name). However, many forget that before that huge win for Disney in the mid-00s, Hilary Duff was the queen of Mickey Mouse’s tween empire, inspiring a generation of future talents like Monica Aben. Lizzie McGuire’s influence is where we started, but as we dug our heels into it, we got into hotel lobbies, the power of nature, and Aben’s 2024 release, due out on September 6th, ‘‘Everything I’ve Ever Known.’ 

Kendra: You grew up in a home that respected music, but thinking back – do you remember the first instance in which you embraced an artist who felt like they were only for you?

Monica Aben: As a young kid, Hilary Duff and her Christmas record “Santa Clause Lane”  was IT!! I WAS OBSESSED. I even had karaoke cookie decorating holiday parties where we would sing along. Now I’m going to have to play it for old time’s sake. Obviously  ‘Metamorphosis’ too. But I grew up on Lizzie McGuire, I think my personality reflects that, so it makes sense that her first two records were everything to me.

Kendra: Let’s fast forward to 2019’s ‘In Your Universe.’ Being that ‘Everything I’ve Ever Known’ is inspired by the natural world and rediscovery – do you feel like you’re a different artist and all-around person than the one who wrote and recorded that album five years ago?

Monica Aben: I feel like I’m the same artist, but more mature after having been through the throws of life and a Saturn return, HA! ‘In Your Universe’ was about going through my first big breakup, then meeting and falling in love with my now husband. I love the songs on that record and I have this dream of re-recording them with an orchestra one day cause that’s how I heard them in my head when I wrote them. 

‘Everything I’ve Ever Known’ was me coming to terms with (depending on how deep you’ve gone) the reality that everything we’ve been told is a lie–how the beautiful truth about our being has been suppressed. But it’s all being rediscovered and remembered! So while I feel like the same artist and person…I just went through a massive awakening that gave me new consciousness, perspective, and connection with the natural world that our ancestors always knew. 

Kendra: Again, nature plays an integral part in your life and music now. With that, what outdoor space in California would you say best mirrors the overall sound of ‘Everything I’ve Ever Known,’ and why?

Monica Aben: I would say Garner Valley (which Is basically a mountain meadow dream come true), or the cliffs of Pismo Beach (dramatic, but peaceful). Ultimately, this EP felt like my lighthouse–like I’m on the precipice of change, or about to embark on a grand adventure that will ultimately lead me to my next evolution. I think a mountain meadow and dramatic ocean cliffs both symbolize this feeling of either embarking on something new or returning home. It’s interchangeable, and I like that! 

Kendra: I’d love to know if there was an exact moment that inspired “Force of Nature,” or was it an accumulation of your self-discovery journey that went into making that song in particular? 

Monica Aben: This is hilariously embarrassing. I wish I had a better story. But I had just gotten back from the 2023 “What Good Shall I Do Conference”  put on by Force of Nature Meats at Roam Ranch in Hill Country, TX. I’m a Pilates instructor and I remember I was in our lobby on my computer looking at my notes from the conference that I had jotted down…And with some super mainstream pop playing in the background, I ended up writing the entirety of “Force of Nature” in maybe 10 minutes, like a spiritual download! Went home and played my guitar and the first chords I played felt right. You’d think it had some beautiful, I wrote this in a field of flowers, story, but no it came to me in the studio lobby at like 10 am on a Wednesday after a transformative weekend away!

Kendra: Going back to California, as a native there myself (I miss it sometimes) I know there are some picture-perfect places there as far as nature is concerned but have you ever thought of packing up and heading to an even more natural beauty like Montana, for example, just to be more in-tune with the natural world?  

Monica Aben: YES. I grew up at the beach, and while I love the ocean, I feel so over the beach scene. I’ve been craving the mountains more than ever. Running water and mountains. We’ve been looking for land out of California, but I’m a firm believer that when we find it, we will know it’s home. I imagine waking up with the sun sitting on the front porch with our future kids drinking fresh warm raw milk and walking barefoot in the garden. 

OH, and I REALLY want to build a natural pool where I can take nude sunset swims. I’m not afraid of the hard work of homesteading, I think it gets glamorized, but I crave that feeling of satisfying exhaustion knowing I made that or I grew that, etc. It’s much different than burnout. It’s this desire to eat seasonally and live a life in tune with our circadian rhythm, with light, with nature. My long garden project days are some of my favorite…not to mention the best sleep EVER after those long days. 

Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being summertime, I’d love to know what is your go-to backyard, get-together song that you feel really helps bring everyone together?

Monica Aben: For this summer…ANYTHING JUNGLE! I love them. I jokingly say they are my consolation prize for being born too late to experience being a teenager when the Bee Gee’s came on the scene.

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Everything I’ve Ever Known’ out on September 6th, what else can fans expect as we dive deeper into the summer months?

Monica Aben: I’m trying to organize some special intimate outdoor shows and those will be announced soon.