Sydney’s heralded singer & songwriter GRAACE released her anticipated new EP ‘Self Preservation via Sony Music / The Orchard. Introspective and emphatic in equal measure, GRAACE is also sharing the video for EP track ‘Selfish’, featuring her all-female live band.
‘Self Preservation’ hears a revitalised GRAACE distil her rawest emotions into the boldest, most captivating work of her career to date. Last year’s ‘Sentimental’ set the scene, followed up by the hauntingly beautiful ‘Half Awake’ where GRAACE depicts the deep struggle of losing her Father at a young age.
On the roots of her new project, GRAACE commented:
“My first EP, ‘Self Sabotage’, was born through a chain of events; after torturing myself and putting incredible pressure on my relationships and friendships, I turned to art to ease the pain”
“I lived a fast-paced life during the period, being told where to go and what to do, that I lost sight of who I was and why I loved music. I forgot why I was doing what I was doing”
Buy/stream: https://graace.lnk.to/SelfPreservationEP
“So, after a year of feeling lost, I sat down in the mirror, wrote down the reasons why I started writing music when I was 12 and thought to myself, let’s rewrite your story. This is my story of Self Preservation.”
With over 100 million streams across the globe and being championed by the likes of Triple J, NME, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, Notion Magazine and more, GRAACE is a superstar in waiting. A bold, honest artist able to harness pure emotion with poignant clarity on every new track.
Tell us about your story
Music has been a part of my life since I was a kid. My best friend’s mum was a piano teacher, so I started playing as a seven-year-old. That progressed into playing the guitar and learning to sing and naturally lead to releasing music.
In 2019 my friend Hayden James asked me to write with him, which led to creating the track NUMB. Everything happened quickly and intensely from that point- I snowballed into living a very fast life, being told where to go and what to do. While I loved that period of my life, I had lost sight of who I was and why I loved music. I lost the version of myself who wrote folk music on a guitar and meticulously edited lyrics until they felt perfect. I forgot why I was doing what I was doing.
So, after a year of feeling lost, I sat down in the mirror, wrote down the reasons why I started writing music when I was 12 and thought to myself, ‘let’s rewrite your story.’ I thought about why I loved music and what I needed to do to get back to that headspace. I changed management, got myself an all-girl band for the live shows, and honed in on playing instruments when I write or do a show. ‘Self Preservation’ is a way to tie off who I used to be and point towards where I’m heading now.
What does songwriting mean to you?
I feel like if your songwriting is communicating an honest version of you – that’s the best place to be as an artist. My lyrics have always been like a diary for me.
What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired?
It’s tough sometimes, but trying to get out of my usual surroundings. Whether that’s going outside to the beach or taking a trip somewhere new. I’m actually heading to Byron Bay this week to celebrate the EP release and do some writing.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
‘Selfish’ – the focus track on the EP- came about very organically. I was sitting alone in my room with some candles and my electric guitar crying and decided to channel that angst into a breakup song. It’s easy to get carried away with your own emotions during a breakup, to the point where you can become selfish in the way you act and speak because subconsciously, you’re unable to compartmentalise logic and emotion. I knew I was being selfish in the whole situation and needed to let it go, but I was angered by the process, which kinda explains the rock outro.
How does a song of yours come about?
For me, songwriting is a space to work through my experiences. It’s so cathartic – I feel like it’s a safe place to be vulnerable and honest. A lot of the time the lyrics I write are things I think but don’t get a chance to express in everyday life.
Do you have any regrets?
Yeah, definitely. But learning how to grow from my regrets is the best gift I’ve been able to give myself. I’m learning from my mistakes to continue to try to be a better person.
