By the time you’re reading this, I’ll have announced that my second EP, The Alchemist, will be coming out on December 6th, 2024 — and we will all be collectively freaking out. I am beyond proud of these songs for so many reasons and im so excited to share them with you.
I decided to name the project The Alchemist for a few reasons. As a song, The Alchemist represents so much of who I am and who I am becoming. It’s about my tendency to try to fix people (who frankly don’t want my fixing), and believing that pouring enough love on anything can make someone change their mind about me and about themselves. As I continued making this project, though, this song began to represent much more than that. It became a personal anthem to me about my ability to create beauty and light out of my pain. The past year to sum it up was stamped with the worst depression, anxiety, and dissociation that I have experienced in my life, and there were times when it felt impossible to do anything in all honesty. These songs were my lifeline. BUT they were also absolute bitches to make and at times turned into physical enactments of the worst narratives in my brain that were screaming “You’re not good enough” “You shouldn’t be doing this” “No one cares” etc etc. Brains can be mean. I’m not saying this to garner sympathy but rather to say that through all of this, I never stopped creating, even when I didn’t want to, and it dragged me out of that place, by tooth and nail, one word at a time. I want to empower you to never let anyone or anything stop you from seeing the world as a beautiful place. A hard heart helps no one. You have the power to prove the negative versions of yourself wrong everyday, even if it hurts and is challenging. Rust can turn to gold, pain can become strength, and anger can somehow settle into forgiveness.
I know it sounds cliché, but I mean it: knowing that no matter what happens with these songs, you are on the other side listening, making friends, and making memories to them is what keeps me going. From the deepest part of my heart thank you for being here and always supporting me. My whole life I have only ever wanted to make people seen and heard and receive that same level of understanding, and I’m so lucky that I get to feel that every single day with you, however close up (like at shows…) or far away. I promise I will keep going for as long as you let me. Soon it will be time for this EP to go from being mine to being ours and that is the greatest gift in the world. Treat these songs well, it took a lot for them to be born. I can’t wait for all the memories we’ll make to them. Love you guys x infinity.
xoxo Grace (the alchemist)
(from the day of the EP shoot)
