Addison Grace makes personal music for a universal audience, intimate songs which somehow manage to speak what the listener feels but cannot quite put into words.
The 20-year-old singer, songwriter, and social media star – who is non-binary and uses he/they pronouns – has fast made a name for themselves as a singular new artist, showcasing their one-of-a-kind perspective through mesmerizing bedroom pop and a bold, funny, utterly idiosyncratic online persona.
Grace has worked tirelessly in recent months and is now set to unveil their most ambitious music thus far, shot through with focused enthusiasm and glimmering with a lyrical ingenuity that celebrates their own extraordinary journey of personal growth and self-evolution. Indeed, songs like “I Wanna Be A Boy” mark a landmark leap forward for Grace, affirming their own human and artistic identity while offering a gloriously anthemic voice to the voiceless.
“I would love for kids to be able to find comfort in myself,” Grace says. “That my music helps them understand that there really isn’t any such thing as normal. That it’s okay to experiment, it’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to find what makes you happiest. The only way to really do that is to be completely transparent with how I found myself and who I am.”
Born in California but raised in Salt Lake City, UT, Grace was blessed with an outsized personality and a passion for music. But as the only person with musical interests in their immediate family and circle of friends, that enthusiasm also instilled a feeling of isolation in Grace.
Still, music offered answers to questions about their identity and experiences, with an early love of emo giving way to bedroom pop artists such as Cavetown, Chloe Moriando, Tessa Violet, Ricky Montgomery, and Dodie, a new generation of musical artists sharing details of their own lives to match the experiences of their audience, bonding them via the universality of personal self-exploration.
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
I think really any project I make, or my project “Addison Grace” as a whole, is to create and put something into the world that will help it feel less lonely. I want anyone who takes in my content, whether it is music or video, to see a part of themselves in me and know they aren’t alone in this big world. That normal isn’t a real thing. That those emotions you feel are valid simply because you FEEL them. I just want people to not feel so alone and unheard.
What should a song or piece of art communicate in your opinion?
Any song or piece of art needs to make the viewer feel something. As an artist, you can create something with a certain meaning or story but at the end of the day, you are sacrificing your art to the public. They get to be the ones who choose what it means for them. So long as you, as the artist, have made them feel something- even if with negative emotions at times, you’ve succeeded.
Who were your top 3 artists last year?
If we’re talking about the top 3 artists I listened the most to, my music accounts said Cavetown, dodie, and Phoebe Bridgers. I don’t think it’s a very surprising list! I think anyone would see that, look at me, and say, “yeah, that makes sense!”. Phoebe Bridgers was the only new artist on that list though since I had only found out about her in 2021. I severely wish I had found her music sooner!
What does TIk Tok represent to you?
Tik Tok is the heart of the internet at this point. I think it’s an amazingly messy collection of people sharing their jokes, thoughts, and art. It’s done absolute wonders for musicians, that’s for sure! For me, it’s the platform I find easiest to express myself on. I think that’s why it holds my biggest audience because it’s where I can share the most of myself and my music simultaneously. That being said, you get the most love there but you also get the most hate there. Still, I’m addicted. Everyone is.
Do you think Tik Tok is a necessary tool for artists to cut through the noise?
I think tik Tok has gotten to a point where, because it’s the “heart of the internet”, you kind of HAVE to be present on the app if you don’t already have an established audience that listens to your music. For me, growing up, the big apps were youtube and Instagram so that’s where I had to be. Now it’s Tik Tok. I don’t think Tik Tok is the end-all-be-all factor in getting your music heard but it’s definitely a powerful app if your song gets noticed on there. That being said, I find most of my new music on music streaming platforms themselves through app recommendations, playlists, and similar artists- not Tik Tok.
What are your 2022 projects and goals?
I have a lot happening in 2022, that’s for sure. I’m going on my largest tour to date as an opener for my two friends Cavetown, as headliner, and Tessa Violet, as main support. I will say I have a lot of secret songs that are finished, being made, and in the works that will finally see the light of day in 2022. Releasing “I Wanna Be a Boy” was and is just the start of my chaos. I think overall my goals are just to develop more as an artist- push myself harder this year and really establish what my sound is.
How would you change the relationship between artists and social media?
I think artists sometimes feel like they have to turn into influencers when that’s not the case. You don’t need to have a perfect social media life, you can just be you. I see so many artist friends of mine crying on private stories about how frustrating and demanding social media can feel, it’s awful. I think at the end of the day artists need to remind themselves that while numbers can matter, it also matters that you’re just connecting with your audience on a human level.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about.
My latest release is my song called “I Wanna Be a Boy.” Flat and dry, it’s a song about my gender crisis. I don’t like sugar-coating it since that’s the whole purpose of the title. I wrote it crying one night, frustrated because I didn’t understand what I was feeling, and ended up putting a demo on Youtube. I didn’t expect it to do well and then it blew up more than any of my other videos had. I got so many people, not just LGBTQ, telling me how they really related to feeling like they were “made wrong” and have felt that loneliness and desperation before. I pushed for it to be my first song back and I’m so glad I did, it’s really been my biggest release so far- I’m thankful for that. Though, that alone emphasizes how much people need more songs like this. And I want to add that while I wrote it with one meaning it absolutely does not have to have that meaning for you to be able to enjoy and relate to the song.
What is something you would want to change in the music and entertainment industry?
I want to change the filtering that happens. I think a lot of artists feel the need to filter themselves for fear of a song not doing well if they don’t. That can be with the length of a song, lyrics in a song, really anything! I wish media companies and radios would allow more diversity in the music they play/share, it would make for a more interesting and beautiful industry. We also need to make it more accessible to enter for people who aren’t privileged enough with the money to do so.
Can you outline your creative process?
This always begs to be a hard question for me and I always just emphasize that my music is my diary. I go through something, I feel an emotion, and I write about it. I’ve always been incredibly emotional and I was lucky enough to be raised by a mom who valued emotional maturity and crying when we needed to. Anything I write about will always be an exact situation I’ve gone through. You’re just listening to my diary that happens to rhyme and work melodically, that’s all.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
As a young teen, I was really inspired by dodie (I still am). She was the one who made me pick up the ukulele when I discovered her on youtube. I think starting off I mimicked some of her old aesthetics or quirks because of how much she inspired me. Nowadays it’s a mix of so many different people. Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, Mitski, and Rex Orange County are all prominent ones as of lately. I also just think my friends influence me a lot too, also my two older siblings. I copy my siblings a lot because they’re cooler than I think I am.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
I’m honestly just proud to be making music. I think as of recent I’m most proud of hitting 7M+ on my song “Sugar Rush” and for also having my biggest release yet with “I Wanna Be a Boy”. I’m also proud of opening for friends like Cavetown, Tessa Violet, and Chloe Moriondo. I’m excited to open again for a couple of those friends! I’m also proud of slowly making it in the industry without sacrificing who I am, genuinely.
What do you think an artist should sing about nowadays?
I think artists should just sing about what they’re going through and how they feel. I’ve never understood writing about fake scenarios without at least a part of it being true- I could never do that. I think if an artist just sings about those deep emotions they feel then you can never go wrong. Just be yourself and sing about what you know, stop trying to write about what you “think” will be liked.
Do you have any regrets?
I regret that I didn’t try out guitar sooner cause now I’m constantly relearning things on that instrument. I also regret that I haven’t done much experimenting with self-production. I think it’ll be really cool if one day I get to release a song that’s fully written, performed, and produced by me. I also regret not having recorded a lot of my originals from the past. I know there are some “smash hits” that I’ve lost in time because of that.
What is some piece of advice you would give to yourself right now?
I want to tell myself to stop caring so much about how others’ thoughts. That at the end of the day I am doing my best and that’s the most anyone can offer. That I hold incredible value, even if I am completely self-taught in my work. I also want to tell myself that my hair looks fine and I need to stop “fixing it” 24/7.
