“Abilene” is Tori Martin’s fast-rising and current #6 Texas Regional Radio Report single, and she is thrilled to have a ‘short film’ companion music video available now for her fans on her YouTube channel. The clip was co-directed by Jason Engelman and Director of Photography Justin Frech for LuckySky Music.

 

The video was filmed entirely in Abilene, Texas (the storybook capital of America) during a surprise February cold snap. Costumes are a key part of the visuals, as are the locations. Sites range from the charming Cedar Crest Cottage, inhabited by actors portraying both the 21^st century characters (Theresa Rowley, Ricco Fajardo) and the 1940s couple (Cheyenne Haynes, Blake Blair), to the iconic Larry’s Better Burger Drive In. The settings are authentic and aid in the timeline transitions. Also featured are the historic Paramount Theatre and Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot, both scenes of enormous emotional impact for the protagonists. Throughout is powerful performance footage of Martin, alone in a high wind on a deserted section of highway.

 

The story behind the video reads like a fairy tale. It all began when Tori (in real life) discovered love letters long hidden in a rental house. After reading them, Martin was inspired to tell their story. “It really stuck with me. The sweetness of their love, the heartbreak of war, the gravity of loss and the sense of ‘belonging’ that you feel in a place.”

 

In 2022, Martin wrote the song with hitmakers Bill DiLuigi, Kirsti Manna and the song’s producer Bill Warner. “I was on a radio tour, and I remember saying to them, ‘I can’t stay in Abilene because the wind makes me crazy,’ and from there the ideas started flowing.” It’s an idea that has propelled the “Abilene” single on a trajectory that surpasses the singer’s first TRRR #1 from 2024, “Lost In The Country.”

 

“Texas radio in particular has been really good to me,” says Tori. She is nominated in the TRRR Awards “New Female Vocalist of the Year” category and will perform on the Awards show on March 24 in Arlington, TX.

 

Martin made the most of various press and TV opportunities during February’s Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. Recent media hits include The Pulse of Entertainment, Prime Time Podcast,  Breakin’ Indies Country Countdown on Kickin’ Kountry 101,  Terry Hudson’s rBeatz Radio, Nashville Insider, Dance Time in Texas, Coda Country, Country Evolution, and Nikki In Nashville. Tori is currently writing songs and recording for her next album.

For the latest news go to her official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter) and YouTube.