For Mckenna Grace, creating music is a form of therapy. At just 17, she is paving her way in the music industry with her authenticity and the raw teenage emotions that come out in her discography. “Listening to my music, it’s a time capsule of what I was feeling at the time, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember writing this and I remember what I was going through,’” Grace says in an exclusive interview with Her Campus.
Though her primary experience is being a successful actress in films like Gifted, The Bad Seed, and Ghostbusters: After Life, Grace made her music debut at age 15 when she released her single “Haunted House,” an honest musical depiction of reminiscing on a past relationship. Her EP Bittersweet 16, released in March 2023, was a collection of her truest emotions — from the realities of growing up to struggles with relationships — complemented by punk-pop beats. Her latest release, “Casual Kisser,” came out on Aug. 3 and redirects her sound into a more alternative route that reflects her own personal evolution.
The new single “was and is one of my favorite songs I’ve created,” Grace says. “It was different for me from the EP because I have experienced more, and I am writing about things that I hadn’t experienced before. It’s new uncharted territory. I also want to move more into a different vibe versus the punk, fun, poppy era that I was in with my EP. I feel like ‘Casual Kisser’ was a good way to bridge that and my new sound.”
“Casual Kisser” speaks to a relationship that doesn’t fit the expectations of what you wanted. The lyrics — “I told you I’m not a casual kisser / Then we made out on your couch / Did you hear what I said?” — show one person leading the other on, disregarding their different views of intimacy. This song is for the hopeless romantics and those craving long-lasting relationships over something casual — something that Grace also relates to. For listeners who connect with this song, Grace advises sticking to your personal values.
“I love love, and I love the idea of being happy with someone. My whole thing is I’m always really upfront about [what I expect in a relationship],” Grace shares. “Don’t change your morals or your boundaries for someone else. If you’re up front about something, then they should respect that and you should have that respect for yourself,” Grace shares.
For much of her creative process, Grace listens to her heart. Her songs are an extension of her and what she is feeling, so releasing “Casual Kisser” so soon after the EP just felt “right,” she says. “I actually didn’t plan on releasing ‘Casual Kisser’ first [after my EP]. I thought it would be a single later down the line, and I actually had a single set up and almost ready to go for the first one, but then [at the] last minute I was just like, I don’t think that this one’s right to be my first song coming out. ‘Casual Kisser’ just kind of naturally took that spot,” she says.
Grace’s music is organic and often spontaneous. She draws on her own experiences and what is currently happening in her life, from “Post Party Trauma” to “Self Dysmorphia.” It’s an outlet to express her emotions, which is her favorite part of the songwriting process. “You never know what you’re going to come up with, and it’s so exciting,” she says. “It’s really therapeutic for me to get that kind of stuff out in a musical way.”
Beyond just songwriting, Grace is a hands-on artist who is learning to find her place behind the mic, too. “I feel like now I’m really starting to figure out how to tell people what I want,” Grace says. “Whenever vocals are being pumped or whenever the production’s going on, I love to be a part of that process and to have control over how everything sounds. It’s exciting to learn more as I go.”
As she churns out new music and grows in her sound, Grace has learned to balance both her acting and singing experience. “I have a better understanding of my songwriting process now,” Grace explains. “When I first started out in music, I really had no experience in this world. I thought that it would be easier than it was because of how long I’ve been acting in the entertainment industry, but it’s such a different world that I had to get used to.”
In many ways, music is the bridge between the different aspects of her life, even on set. “As an actor, it is something that I use constantly to get into character, to feel the emotions of a scene. I think that music can really help you be in tune with your emotions and other parts of you,” Grace says.
Her emotions and experience might be her muse, but she is just like the rest of us when it comes to musicians. As a Swiftie herself and a Lana Del Rey fan, she looks at her favorite artists for inspiration, which sometimes translates to her music. Del Rey’s “Pretty When You Cry” played a part in inspiring “Casual Kisser,” and was on repeat in the studio. “I listen to so much Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift, so that’s of course a realm [of music] that I love and hopefully that’s what I’m moving more into [in my sound],” she says.
Other artists, such as Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray, and Fiona Apple, are her go-tos to feel inspired, but also to find an escape. “It’s so special that we’re able to feel something like that through things that we create, and that’s what other people’s music is for me,” Grace says. If you need Spotify playlist recs, she has them all. “Whenever I click on my Spotify, I have 235 playlists that’ll appear on my little profile,” Grace jokes.
Outside of making music and acting, Grace is just a teenage girl at heart who loves immersing herself in songs. “All I do is listen to music all day, every day, just depending on what I’m feeling or going through. Or maybe I just like to have something in my AirPods on in the background as I’m going about my day,” she says. No matter what, music is a part of Grace’s life.