GRACIE ABRAMS: A MIRROR TO OUR WORLD

This year, the world has stopped spinning for once. Societies have been coerced into their own thoughts, their own feelings, and their own spaces – taking the time to reflect upon their lives, their ambitions, and their values. 2020 has been a year of reflection.

Above all else, our world needs art that mirrors this state of humanity. …And beyond all the chaos lies Gracie Abrams – an introspective, singer-songwriter that will unify all society’s listeners in heart, mind, and soul. 

Gracie has artistry in her veins. Hailing from a family in the entertainment business, she has always been encouraged to pursue her passions in the arts. From the beginning, Gracie showed immense talent – even as she performed in front of hundreds at middle school talent shows. At thirteen, she would hone in on her craft by beginning to write songs, inspired by the artistry of Phoebe Bridgers. 

With years of practice, reflection, and life under her belt, Gracie began releasing music in 2019, and since then, she has released two heartbreakingly beautiful singles and a groundbreaking EP entitled minor. She is only 21. 

minor is unlike anything out there today. It is poignant in its melodies, lyrics, and themes – it is truthful to the grounded, compassionate artist that Gracie is, and through her introspection, we are called to look upon our own lives and dreams. 

From her release, Gracie has garnered much acclaim and success, having recently performed on Jimmy Fallon, and acquiring hundreds of thousands of followers on instagram. Not only that, but she is using her platform for good – as she speaks about issues closest to her, such as the current political and social standings of our world. 

Ladygunn had the pleasure of interviewing this up-and-coming star. 

How are you? How has quarantine life treated you? 

I am hanging in! There have been ups and downs but right now I’m absolutely hanging in. At the beginning of all this I was eating copious amounts of cereal as a coping mechanism I think but I’m slowly getting over that.

When did you first get into music? What made you realize that this is what you wanted to do? 

I started learning to play rock drums when I was 8 and remember just loving the feeling of hitting something really hard. I liked both the emotional release and the control so those two things really set me up to feel like songwriting was an essential part of existing once I got into that. 

At 20, you have released a few singles, a prevalent EP, have performed on one of America’s most popular late shows, and have amassed a substantial online presence. How do you feel? And have you been able to stay grounded amidst this fame and success? 

I mostly feel like I’m being pranked.  

Minor, your recent EP release, is filled with music of dynamicality, beautiful songwriting, and meticulously heartbreaking chords. What did the artistic process look like behind the EP? How long have you been working on it for? 

Thank you <3 All of the songs kind of came from different places, some were old voice memos and some started from journal entries. A lot of it came together just through conversation between myself and the one or two other people in the room at the time. I’m maybe too open about my feelings when it comes to writing, but ultimately I think that helped here. 

What musical artists do you look up to? What artists would you like to collaborate with in the future? 

James Blake is someone I’ve always been so jealous of and so I find myself thinking about working with him at least once a week. That’s my dream. Phoebe Bridgers I will always and forever look up to. MGMT. Kid Cudi. Thom Yorke.

If you could have written any song in the history of music, which song would it be and why? 

Karma Police by Radiohead because of the outro alone. Is that a boring answer? That outro is all the chaos I want all the time. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How do you wish to grow as an artist? 

I know I’ll be writing in 10 years. If people will still have me as an artist by then I’ll be doing that also. I just want to be learning from other people. Every time I’ve ever felt any kind personal growth as an “artist,” it’s always been the result of having learned something from someone else. 

What is next for you in terms of music?

I’m making a lot of weird stuff right now. So putting that out is next.

CONNECT WITH GRACIE

INSTAGRAM // TWITTER // SPOTIFY

story / Taylor Thompson