2025 is shaping up to be Rachel Grae’s year. The artist wrapped her first headlining tour this winter, with shows in cities like New York, Chicago, and LA. And this summer, she’ll be taking the stage at Lollapalooza. “There’s genuinely no feeling that beats touring and having people sing the song back,” Grae tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview. “Meeting people afterwards and seeing the impact that my songs have on them is the reason I make music in the first place.”
Known for her emotionally-rich ballads, Grae has steadily carved out a space for herself in the pop music scene. Her latest single, “Know Better,” marks a significant turning point in her music career. “I’ve gained a sense of confidence and clarity in who I am and what I deserve, and just in life generally. It felt like a really pivotal song [to drop],” she says. The single “feels like a shift in my mindset” and marks a new era in Grae’s music — one that “may feel a bit more confident and a bit more empowering than it is sad.”
This new era (and “a lot of new music”) will have its moment to shine at Lollapalooza in July — a “big dream” for Grae. “[It’ll be] high-energy, feeling a lot of emotions — just a fun time. A big party,” she says. And she’s stepping into the next chapter feeling ready to go. “[This new music] is the most me I’ve ever felt. I feel like I have the most clarity in who I am as an artist,” she says. “I’ve worked on myself so much through the years of writing that there’s just this whole new chapter of confidence, and I feel more powerful than I’ve ever felt.”
And as she grows her audience, Grae is prime to share more of her personality and personal life along with it. “I’m really excited to show way more of that, and behind-the-scenes of my actual process of writing rather than just telling it,” she says. It’s also a process she hopes to do with writing collaborations in the future. “I grew up listening to the big ballad singers. I love Kelly Clarkson, Adele, and Justin Bieber. The music I listen to keeps changing every single week. Now, I’m obsessed with Doechii — who knows if one day one of my songs will lend itself to that sound, a little rap feature, that’d be sick. I love R&B now. If you ask me every week, it’s going to change,” Grae says. “The general theme is just people that are authentic in their music and want to spread a positive message. I’m so open to collaborating with anybody like that.”
So, what comes after Lollapalooza — the “big dream” — for Grae? “I just want to keep touring and meeting people and putting out music that I love and hope resonates with everybody else,” she says. “And I want to do it ‘til the day I die.”