Tour's Eve

 Hiiii

I'm back and betta than ever. Took a short hiatus from the blog posts due to tour prep (yay) and stuff for my ep next week (yay), but I'm leaving for Minneapolis tomorrow and wanted to write a lil. 

Im so excited for tour to start you have no idea. The other day someone asked me what it feels like when I'm on stage and the only way I can describe it is like I'm the best version of myself while floating on a cloud in deep outer space where my brain is free of any negative thoughts. Playing shows is maybe my favorite part of making music and I am just so grateful that I'm about to play 27!! There are so many surprises coming I don't think you're ready. Actually, I'm not even ready so you're definitely not ready. 

This month has been really fun. I celebrated turning 21, released "Bad Guy," saw all of my friends, have been gallivanting around New York, and even though this summer was busy I think I'll remember it for the rest of my life. So much is changing but is still the same which I guess is how it always is, but I can't believe a year ago I had no music out, was debating staying in school, and was crying about turning 20 lol. Next Friday we're playing Radio City? On the day of the EP coming out? With all my friends and family and fans? It feels made up, but also somehow makes sense at the same time. 

I've been working on this EP for the last two years, whether I knew it or not, and these songs are kind of my transition from childhood to adulthood. I feel so protective and proud of them like little hand-painted porcelain mugs but I know you will treat them very well. These songs have allowed me to feel so seen and heard and I hope they do the same for you. I guess I just want to say thank you for making me your first pick. And that I am excited for what's coming. 

my current suitcase situation...

See you on Friday...at Radio City...with an EP out...

Love, 

Grace

July 22, 2023

    The blog is late but this time for good reason. It's my date of birth today, making this my 21st time around the sun!!! Sometimes I feel like I've lived 5 separate lives already, currently on the 6th, especially as a child who was always called “mature,” but at least on this plane of reality I am 21.  Anyways, I thought it would be cute to do 21 lessons I've learned in my 21 years because I always enjoy reading them. These are lessons I had to learn the hard way, so if it sounds like I'm projecting, I am.

    1.    Don't buy shoes that are pretty that aren't your size just because they're the only ones they have. You will wear them once and they will make your feet bleed
    2.    I truly believe you are the average of the 5 closest people to you. If you are around negative people, your mindset will become negative too.
    3.    Ask people about themselves - especially if you get anxious everyone lovessssss to talk about themselves
    4.    If something bothers you, vocalize it to the other person - and it doesn't have to be accusatory but just to make them know how you feel. Most people will respond better than you think.
    5.    Boys are literally dumb and haven't developed their pre frontal cortex. Why would you care what they think of you? (unless ur reading this then ur cool)
    6.    Never ever ever ever EVER put a guy above a close friendship. The guy will inevitably be shitty and you will miss your friend.
    7.    Gloss over lipstick always
    8.    Two braids save a bad hair day
    9.    If you have a compliment for a stranger, give it to them.
    10.    Wear things that don't really go together - they're kinda always the best outfits
    11.    Your phone makes you sad. Try to get off it as much as possible.
    12.    It's ok to think you look pretty without shame attached to it.
    13.    Don't let other people tell you what's realistic. They are just trying to protect you from their own disappointments and failures, but you're not them.
    14.    Notice patterns in your life, in other people, patterns tell you a lot about what is changing and what you still need to work on
    15.    Throw a vegetable in every meal cuz why not they're yummy and make your skin glow
    16.    It's so lame to save an experience or an outfit for when you think you'll be skinny enough. You can do it all now without the self hatred.
    17.    Nothing is unfixable - there is always a solution if you pivot instead of dwelling on the mistake
    18.    Share your art and follow your passions. You will find a way to make money at it.
    19.    You're not unlovable just because you haven't been in a relationship. My mom once told me when I was sad It takes one day for what hasn't happened in a lifetime and I thought that was really cute.
    20.    Be silly. It's more fun anyways.
    21.    Practice gratitude. There is always something to be grateful for even when you feel like dog shit.

This year has been the best of my life so far, and a lot of that has to do with you if You're reading this. Thank you and I can't wait to make 21 even better.

I love you,
Grace

It's my 21st birthday next week

It's my 21st birthday next week.

How did I get so old its weird? I still feel 14, but I guess just like a 14 year old with a job and an apartment and who goes on tour?? I think 14 year old me would think that's pretty cool. But also tell me to chill out.  

Lately I've been really feeling the distance between childhood and adulthood growing. High school (and it's insecurities) felt like so long ago yet still so relevant? I feel like I've changed 100 different times since 18, but there are still some parts of that time that nag at me, and other parts that solidify who I am as a person.

For a while I think the beginning of these growing pains caused a pause in my songwriting. It wasn't stressful because at this point I've gotten through enough writers block to know it always eventually ends, but it was frustrating when my same tricks and moves didn't work any more. I can feel my perspective is changing. I'm finally in a place when I'm writing again which is super exciting, especially because I feel like I'm reaching into places I having touched before.

There's a lot coming that I can't quite Tell you about yet, but you'll knoW about sOon. I'm so excited For you to knOw all my little secrets because I have a feeling yoU’re gonna fReak.

Anyways, I've been super into Chinese steamed eggs for breakfast, so here’s that.

 

Lemme know if you want the recipe.

Love,
Grace

 

lucky 7/7

It's 7/7 (the luckiest of lucky days in my book) so I thought I would make an arbitrary list of things that are lucky and unlucky. 

- Converse are lucky

- Windows are lucky, but only when they're open 

- High socks are lucky

- Running water is lucky, bottled is not

- Blue, the color, is lucky 

- Folklore is taylor's luckiest album IMO

- Hotdogs are lucky 

- Indie alt pop from 2010 is lucky (think The Naked and Famous, Passion Pit, Of Monsters and Men) 

- When It Was Over by me is my luckiest song that is currently out 

- Any makeup bought in late middle school recommended by a beauty YouTuber like Bethany Mota is lucky 

- Dogs are unlucky (why do they always die by getting hit by a firetruck or a tree or something)

- Ankle socks are unlucky 

- Red, the color, is unlucky 

- Fireplaces are unlucky 

- Casual Nike sneakers are unlucky 

- Hoodies are unlucky, crewnecks are neutral 

- Tank tops unfortunately are unlucky 

- Leather couches are unlucky 

- Bags that don't go over you shoulder are unlucky 

- Almond pastries are unlucky 

my 7 tattoo

 

Ok bye now. Love you. 

Grace xoxo

Life is Cool Sometimes

HIIIIII!!

    Wow, this week has been so exciting. First, WHAT!! MY FIRST PLAYLIST COVER. What the heck? That’s been on my bucket list/manifest list whatever you wanna call it for a while now and I’m so happy and grateful that the first one is down in the books. If you didn’t know, Fresh Finds is especially for artists with no label (independent) and it’s a really big place where people find new music. It makes me proud to know that everything that’s happening is the result of basically me and four people on my team which is amazing to me. It’s like basketball kind of. And I have the best starting line-up ever.*

    Since it’s the one-week anniversary of WIWO (my mom always told me to celebrate every milestone ok), I want to say thank you so so so much for listening and I’m really happy that it’s become one of your guy's favorite songs. I also want to say, there’s a Bunch of new music cominG very very very soon. Like def sooner than a lot of soon things. AND thank you guys so much for making the shelf project and tiktoks and cakes for WIWO it was the cutest thing ever.   

 

 a turtle we saw during the WIWO photoshoot

me with dirt on my nose after rolling
around the grass in prospect park for an hour

the photo from the cover!!!!

   

   

    Besides music I’ve been good, going back and forth from LA to NY a lot to see my family and friends from college and high school. They are all graduating next year so it’s kind of the last guaranteed time we’re all gonna be together and I want to be there for that. Even though I am on a veryyyyyy extended leave from college, I am definitely going to visit them (especially Ella) this year when I get off from tour to get at least a little bit of the college experience. Maybe I’ll go back at some point, but I really like life right now and where it’s headed.

    Love,

    Grace xoxo

*if you didn’t know I was my high school team all-star and played varsity all four years of high school. Every boy wanted me and was definitely not scared I would beat them in one on one.

 

WIWO Release Chronicles

 Release Week!!

    “When It Was Over” is maybe the most conviction I’ve had in a song since “The Neighborhood.” I remember the week I wrote it I showed the song to two friends and they definitely did NOT like the beep boops. They have since come around (it is now their favorite song), but to be honest I really didn’t care whether or not they liked it because I loved it deep down to my marrow. I think I like the polarizing nature of this song because if you love it I know you really love it. And that makes me happy. There is no passive opinion on “When It Was Over.” I’ve never heard a song quite like this one.
    I wanna talk about the visualizer now too - Basically, it's a car driving over a road made up of calendar-month-squares with trees that lose their leaves and have them grow back. The idea came to me in a half-awake half-dreaming state of three mornings while my best friend Ella was staying with me in LA. Normally I might just forget about it and go back to sleep but I wrote it down in my notes and that Day we bought watercolors, which I used to create a mock-up. The trees are in the style of Shel Silverstein, “The Giving Tree,” which was one of my favorite books as a child. 

    This song was just an ongoing exploration of creativity. It makes sense to me that “When It Was Over” and its visuals have so many pieces of my childhood woven into them because of how new and unfamiliar the writing and producing process was. I pretty much never write to production. Usually, my songs start on acoustic guitar or piano, so the fact that we wrote this over the beep boops (sorry I don't know what else to call them) was totally uncharted territory. I felt like I was in kindergarten again learning that I can finally count to 20 or draw a dog that actually looks like a dog - that feeling of unadulterated, unwavering pride. Maybe I’m making irrelevant connections, but maybe that’s whY it got me to paint after not painting in so long.
    I’m happy it’s out in the world for all your ears to hear and whether you love it or hate it, thank you for listening (I hope you love it). Release weeks are my favorite weeks and there’s so much I wanna tell you but you’ll find out soon enough. Life is exciting! 

Love,
Grace

thoughts from home

Back in New York. Feeling oh so right. I swear to god I breathed in the Newark New Jersey air and my serotonin sky rocketed (no one has ever said such a nice thing about New Jersey).

It’s been three months of living in LA and honestly I don’t think I’ll ever get used to sitting in my car for at least 2/24 hours in the day. That’s 1/12! Which is kind of a lot when compounded over an entire lifetime. It’s been said time and time again but there is something so special about the energy of the east coast, specifically New York. I think the essential difference between here and la is in New York, you are rewarded for individuality. Almost to a fault. Everyone is trying to out-weird another. And there is no time to think about how you are perceived because in that split second you are looking at someone else you will probably be hit by a biker.  I feel so present, looking high and low for the next fun thing that is - literally - right around the corner. In a single night I was pulled into a woman’s gallery opening after lighting her cigarette with matches, dancing at a birthday party in Manhattan to then be invited to a 2am concert in bushwick where we were asked to dress up like nuns so we could sneak in. Polish it off with a 4am bacon egg and cheese (hold the bacon) and you’ve got yourself a great night.

LA, I’ve found, is very idealistic. Everyone is constantly trying to bridge the gap between who they are and who they want to be. It can be inspiring for sure - manifest ‼️ But it also can be exhausting not only trying to figure who you are but also trying to figure out who other people think you are. I wish I had a more fuck it attitude but as someone who needs everyone to like her, I think I might combust.

But, whenever I get overwhelmed I remind myself why I’m there - not to get a glimpse of some Euphoria extra sipping a negroni in the back corner of Tenants, but to finish my music. I have been working so hard trying to make all of the music and visuals feel like me (aka awesome) and I know when the songs come out it will have been worth all the blood sweat and literal tears. Maybe I even have a special supriseeeeeee for you soon. 

hmmmmmmm

Also shoutout of the week for Anna, Ava, Bear, Chris, Jess, Zoe, and everyone else who drew a little house for the neighborhood. You guys are the cutest best neighborhood I could ask for.

Ily a milly,
Grace