Abby Stewart rocks Prince Charles with Pink Shirt Day concert

Craig Bakay | Mar 07, 2018

Pink Shirt Day is quickly becoming country rocker Abby Stewart’s personal cause in the Frontenacs as she showed up at Prince Charles Public School in Verona last week to help the school spread the word. Last year, she did a similar gig at GREC in Sharbot Lake.

Pink Shirt Day seeks to raise awareness about cyberbullying and hopefully end the practise.

“I’ve been bullied and I really support the Boys and Girls Clubs for all they do,” Stewart said before taking the stage at Prince Charles. “Bullying is something that has to end — 100 per cent!

“And, I really like the slogan this year, ‘Be Kinder,’ it’s beautiful.”

Stewart said she received good feedback on her Sharbot Lake show last year and that’s part of the reason she wanted to do another one this year.

“Not face-to-face feedback but on social media,” she said. “Some people confided in me and told me my songs have helped them.

“That felt good.”

Songs like No More Falling Down and Stewart’s own You Don’t Know That, which the Boys and Girls Clubs have adopted as their anti-bullying theme song.

“It’s an anthem for anyone who’s been bullied,” she said. “I wrote it with a guy in B.C. via Skype.

Surprisingly, a number of kids in the audience were singing along with her on that one.

As a Grade 11 student at Holy Cross in Kingston, Stewart said school work has “kinda taken time from music” lately but she’s managed to keep up with songwriting.

“I find songwriting a release,” she said. “You know, sometimes coming up with a line or a little riff on the guitar can make a difference.”

But her mood shifts and her voice gains excitement when she talks about performing.

“I like being on stage,” she said. “Especially if it’s an emotional song and you look at people in the eyes.

“You know they’ll remember.”

Stewart plans to get back on stage in May with a show at the Embassy in Kingston.

In the meantime, you can find her on YouTube with songs like her latest — What If They’re Wrong.