Born in Queens, New York into a family of missionaries, Abra spent her first eight years in London, where her parents built the church they would ultimately work in. Her introduction to singing came from that church, too, where her father was pastor and her mother oversaw praise and worship. After London, her family settled in the quiet suburb of Lilburn outside Atlanta. At 14, Abra began playing guitar. She attended Parkview Highschool and was an active member of the drama department, graduating in 2007. Later in her teens, she began uploading her acoustic covers of rap songs onto YouTube. This led to her being discovered by Awful Records founder and rapper Father, who encouraged her to make original music. She later joined the label in 2014.
Her first EP, BLQ Velvet, was released in 2015. Her second EP, Princess was released by True Panther Sounds on July 15, 2016. It is her first release on a major label. The song "Fruit" off the album Rose was featured in an article on the best R&B songs of 2016 by The Guardian.
Regarding Abra's style of clothing, Vogue commented in 2016 that "deliberate contrasts are part of her artistic identity on the whole: Abra is a member of the mostly male-dominated Awful Records coterie, an outlier crew swiftly taking over Atlanta with a sound that stands apart from ATL's rap oeuvre".
Abra is one of the stars of the 2018 film Assassination Nation and plays Em.
Unwise
Abra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it a wipeout
Is it a heavy current
Who turned the lights out,
And there will never be enough salt in the sea
To clean me
You make me feel like a real bad
A real bad
A real bad
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mine
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
I don't wanna make that choice
Hands up on my neck
And you let you take my voice
Let me lay back in the black
In the dank of my room
Smoke screen and the sweat
And you, you, you
You make me feel like a real bad girl
You make me feel like a real bad girl
You make me feel like a real bad
A real bad
A real bad
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mine
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mine
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
Want it so bad making me work
Want it so bad making me hurt
Want it so bad making me work
Want it so bad making me hurt
Want it so bad making me work
Want it so bad making me hurt
Want it so bad making me work
Want it so bad making me hurt
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mind
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mind
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mind
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The sands of time make demands of mind
And i'd rather spend it unwise
It's fine it's fine
I'd rather spend it unwise
In "Unwise" by Abra, the lyrics reflect the tension between the desire for a moment of reckless pleasure and the fear of the potential consequences. The opening lines of the song use metaphors to describe the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the situation, as if the singer is caught in a treacherous tide. The line "you make me feel like a real bad girl" suggests that the singer is being tempted into something she knows is not a good idea, but that the allure is too strong to resist. The repeated phrase "I'd rather spend it unwise" is a declaration that the singer is embracing the danger and choosing to act with abandon, despite the risks.
In the second half of the song, the singer takes on a submissive role, allowing another person to have control over her. However, this surrender is not a sign of weakness, but rather an expression of the intense desire that is driving her to take such risks. The repeated refrain "want it so bad making me work, making me hurt" reinforces the idea that the pleasure is worth the pain.
Overall, "Unwise" is a song about the conflict between our rational self and our desire for short-term satisfaction. It's a reminder that sometimes it's okay to be unwise and take risks, but that we should be aware of the consequences of our actions and understand that the enjoyment we get from them may not last.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it a darkwave
Questioning the nature of the current situation
Is it a wipeout
Questioning the chances of success
Is it a heavy current
Questioning the difficulty of the situation
Who turned the lights out,
Wondering who caused the current situation
And there will never be enough salt in the sea
There will never be enough to fully clean and heal me
To clean me
To clean and heal from the current situation
You make me feel like a real bad
Being influenced by someone to do something wrong or immoral
A real bad
Doing something wrong or immoral
I don't mind if it's only right right now
The present moment is more important than future consequences
The sands of time make demands of mine
The passage of time puts pressure on making decisions
And i'd rather spend it unwise
Preferring to make an unwise decision or indulge in the present moment
It's fine it's fine
Accepting the consequences of an unwise decision
I don't wanna make that choice
Not wanting to take responsibility for a decision
Hands up on my neck
Feeling trapped or controlled by someone
And you let you take my voice
Being silenced by someone else's influence
Let me lay back in the black
Retreating to a dark or unproductive state of mind
In the dank of my room
In the darkness or gloominess of one's own space
Smoke screen and the sweat
Engaging in unhealthy habits to distract or cope with the situation
And you, you, you
The person who is causing the negative influence
Want it so bad making me work
Being motivated by a desire for something which requires effort
Want it so bad making me hurt
Being motivated by a desire for something which causes pain or hardship
The sands of time make demands of mind
Feeling pressure to make decisions as time passes
And i'd rather spend it unwise
Preferring to make an unwise decision or indulge in the present moment
Contributed by Grayson C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.