Toronto based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist GRAE shares her new single “Room In The Desert” and an accompanying music video along with the announcement of her debut LP Whiplash out April 15th. Dissecting her past to envision her future, GRAE is making new-wave pop music that’s both nostalgic and boundary-breaking. She crafts a hazy pop world filled with spacious vocals, buoyant production, and deeply personal lyrics. It’s both starkly intimate and boldly ambitious – the sort of music that can soundtrack a bedroom hangout just as easily as it can a venue of thousands.
With “Room In The Desert,” GRAE does what she does best and that’s mix wistfulness with modern malaise. Stemming from a period of despondency and fluctuation, the development of “Room In The Desert” derived from GRAE channeling creativity from the Cocteau Twins’ 1990 track “Cherry-coloured Funk.” When it came to the production for her single, GRAE set out to relocate from her past sonic tendencies. The impact behind the band’s enigmatic lyrics led to GRAE crafting her own sonically trippy endeavor where people could find their own meaning behind her song’s ambiguous undertaking.
GRAE shares this about the song,
“’Room In The Desert’ was written on a day when I was lacking inspiration. I came into the session with my producer Connor Seidel not knowing what to write about and instead of trying to fight that feeling, I embraced it. I decided to write a song about nothing, from nothing, using some random and interesting words we could find. At the time of writing, it had no real meaning, which was the intention, but now I actually find meaning in it which is interesting. I hope those who listen are able to find their own unique meaning too.”
GRAE’s music sees her dig through the musical inspirations of her upbringing and reimagine them through a new lens, colored by 23 years of experience. Her influences are deeply rooted in ‘80s new wave from The Cure to Joy Division but she’s also studied the singer/songwriter masters like Rodriguez. The result is a collision of electrifying atmosphere and lyrical depth.
Initially wanting to make folk-tinged music, her sonic world opened up as she began to collaborate with producers. Her 2019 debut “New Girl” paired her alluring vocals with dark and winding hip-hop-inspired beats. It put her on the map, drawing acclaim for Complex and Wonderland but it left her wondering, “Who am I inspired by?”
Tell us about your journey as an artist
Getting from “New Girl” to “Whiplash” was definitely a journey. At the end of the day it all came down to self-discovery and gaining a better understanding of the direction I wanted to go. I think staying true to my influences played the biggest part.
What should a song or piece of art communicate?
Art typically communicates a side of us that is deeply personal. Although I can’t speak for all, I know mine does. Music in particular can really show the most vulnerable sides of an artist, and help whoever is listening to deal with the things they may be going through as well.
Who were your top 3 artists last year?
- The Cure
- Prince
- Tame Impala
What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired?
Typically when I’m feeling uninspired, I force myself to do something, anything, that will get me back to that place of feeling excited again.
What are your 2022 projects and goals?
Releasing my debut album “Whiplash”. I’m hoping to have my first ever headliner in Toronto along with the release. I really want to play these songs live!
Favorite movie or TV show?
Currently my favourite TV show is “Power” and my favourite movie is always going to be “Purple Rain” because I love Prince.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
“Room In The Desert” was written on a day I had nothing to write about. I actually had a lot of those sessions, unfortunately, where I just showed up and had absolutely no inspiration. Lockdowns kept happening, I was stuck inside along with everyone else. I was in a happy relationship (which let’s be honest, doesn’t help the writing process, haha) but personally I felt very ‘bleh’. I decided for the first time ever to write something that wasn’t from personal experience, which was kind of hard for me because that’s all I know, but it was honestly really fun. Allowing myself to step out of the box like that helped my writers block a lot and we created such an interesting song from it. The inspiration for the track definitely comes from Tame Impala, and the Cocteau Twins. Their song “Cherry-Coloured Funk” has lyrics that make absolutely no sense and are just put together. I always found that so interesting and wanted to try out something similar. “Room In The Desert” is probably the most ‘out there’ track I’ve created, but I love it, and I hope anyone who listens does too.
What is something you would want to change in the music and entertainment industry?
After having experienced what felt like a collapse in the music industry over the pandemic, with live shows being taken away from artists, we relied so much on social media to get songs out there / streaming services. I still feel like streaming payouts are too low.
Can you outline your creative process?
Typically, I always start by writing things down. Willa Milner (my writing partner) actually taught me this, to get all of my emotions out first, and just write. It doesn’t need to be in the structure of a song, rhyme, anything, just to literally write down how I’m feeling. Then from there, I’ll start to put the pieces together and create the song. Lyrics usually come first for me. I like to start an idea and then bring it to my producers, then we just flow from there.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
There isn’t one person or thing that really inspires my style, unless I wear some heavy black eyeshadow, then it’s definitely inspired by Robert Smith haha. But typically I just like what I like. For the latest projects I’ve worked with Carla Candela who is an amazing stylist, and she really helped shape the style / next phase of GRAE.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
Winning a SOCAN songwriting award was an honour. Also having my song “Permanent Maniac” featured on Billboards “Top 30 songs of 2020” was crazy,
What do you think an artist should sing about nowadays?
I mean, as long as no one is hurting anyone through their music, I think artists can sing about whatever they want. Their emotional state, what they’re going through in their life, relationships, breakups, self-love. I don’t know! It’s up to the artist, really.
Do you have any regrets?
There are definitely things I wish I did differently, but I don’t have any regrets.
What is some piece of advice you would give to yourself right now?
Create something, anything.
