GRAE’s Drops Unforgettable New Single, “Forget You” {Q&A}.
Written & Interviewed by: Emma Wallace
In her new single “Forget You”, GRAE takes off her rose-tinted glasses and looks back on a relationship with wistful clarity. “This song was therapeutic and emotional for me to write. A release of all these emotions I had been feeling for years,” she says,“[...] this song is goodbye to them and our failed attempt at love.”
It can be difficult to capture such precise emotions in a song, but GRAE’s angelic vocals and precise lyrics paint a perfect picture of the experience of getting over someone you once cared for. Anyone who has ever struggled to move on will feel a deep connection to this song, but even those who don’t resonate with the lyrics will appreciate the easy-going alt-pop melody and subtle drumbeat. The chorus is especially powerful as the music swells and GRAE’s vocals reverberate. It’s one of those songs best listened to with headphones, so listeners can fully experience the song’s delicate echo and sharp lyricism.
GRAE is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter whose addictive sound has made her a name to watch in alt-pop. Her debut LP Whiplash will be released in April, and I’ll be playing “Forget You” on repeat as I wait.
Are all of your songs directly related to your personal life?
I could've answered yes to this question if it weren't for one of my more recent songs, “Room In The Desert.” Everything I've written has been from personal experience, but this one. I decided to experiment with my sound and lyrics; I put interesting words together and created a song from that, rather than relating it to me and getting inspiration directly from my life.
What does your songwriting process typically look like?
It starts with a situation that has created an emotional rise within me. I need a way to get those feelings out, so I resort to writing them down. My writing partner Willa Milner told me to write what I'm feeling on a piece of paper or in a document; it doesn't need to make sense. It's just a base to structure something later. One of the most helpful pieces of advice I ever got, before I'd try to write a whole song just from thoughts in my brain when things were muddy, this is a way more productive way. After I get down the initial feelings, I structure the song. I piece things together, and soon it's a verse, then chorus, etc. I start singing along, and soon a melody comes out; I can't explain that part; it's like magic. Sometimes I have a guitar, piano, track in the background, but the melody comes out a lot of the time on its own. I then bring the idea into a writing session with my producer and Willa, and we go from there. The songwriting process is unique to each artist, but this is what I do, and it works for me.
When did you realize you wanted to make music?
Two significant moments in my life confirmed I wanted to make music. When I got my first guitar around the age of 10, I started writing little songs myself; I realized how much I enjoyed doing that and hoped to make a career from it one day. Then, when I was 18, I moved to Australia and started doing little gigs around the city I was living in; I remember getting my first $100 from performing and thinking to myself, 'wow, I can make money from doing this?' haha. It was only up from there! I created my EP 'New Girl.' a year later. And now here I am!
What is the most rewarding part of making music for you?
I'd say releasing it. Having a body of work out into the world when you've put a lot of emotion and time behind is a gratifying feeling. You feel a weight lifted off your shoulders almost too; the lead-up is always anxiety-provoking because you want to make sure people like what you're putting out, but once it's out, you realize a lot. It's rewarding when listeners reach out and tell you how much your music has helped them or how much they appreciate what you've created. It makes everything worth it in the end when you know you're helping people, even if it's just one person; I find it to be the most rewarding part of the process.
What are some themes/ideas you want to explore in future songs?
I want to explore creating songs in the future like I did “Room In The Desert.” I think it's cool to build a fantasy world within your mind where you aren't necessarily the main character, and you can pull inspiration from something unrelated to you. I love writing from experience, but I think allowing myself the imaginative freedom not always to do that would open up many doors for me creatively and strengthen my writing skills in the process.
What is the most difficult part of the songwriting process for you?
Songwriting can be complicated when you lack inspiration. That's how I created “Room In The Desert.” I had no motivation and needed to make another world to escape reality. During covid, I wasn't leaving my house much or experiencing life. As a creative person, I beat myself up a lot. If I didn't have ideas, I thought I wasn't good enough and questioned why I was even making music. Self-doubt settled, and it was distressing at that moment in time. That's something you deal with a lot in the music industry, feeling like you're not good enough, and sometimes you get into these mental loops of comparison. Writing is challenging when you have down days and less productive creative days, but I've learned it's okay to take breaks, and that should be encouraged.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
I'm sure everyone is aware of my admiration for Robert Smith from The Cure by now. He's a massive influence alongside Prince. I'll always credit Prince for inspiring me to play instruments more seriously. He was an incredible musician.
If your listeners should take one thing away from your music, what would that be?
I always hope those who listen to my music feel they have a friend alongside them every time they play a song. I've leaned on music to get me through a lot in my life, and I hope they can lean on mine.
Connect with GRAE: Instagram