In June of 2024, I traveled to Virginia for a Laufey concert on the lawn of an art museum. It was an intimate and low-key concert experience. I was under the tent, only a few rows from the stage. When Laufey’s opener walked on, much of the audience was still finding their seats and talking amongst themselves — but not me.
As the opener sang, I found that I really liked her music. She played her acoustic guitar and gave a performance that felt down-to-earth and authentic. This opener was Grace Enger, an artist I had previously never heard of. After that show, I listened to all of her songs on repeat. Enger (pronounced like anger) is an up-and-coming pop singer-songwriter that you should definitely be listening to.
So, who is she?
Grace Enger is only 22 years old, but she’s already released a plethora of music and toured with both Laufey and Maisie Peters. She’s on the rise to stardom, and I think that she is genuinely so deserving. Enger has a way of writing about love and heartbreak that makes her listeners feel the raw emotion behind her lyrics.
Enger’s most popular song is by far “The Neighborhood,” in which she sings about moving on from a breakup when her neighborhood reminds her too much of her ex. The song was originally released as a single in 2022 before being included as the second song on her debut EP, Well Here We Are in 2023.
While the EP’s initial release includes seven songs, the extended edition of Well Here We Are includes two more. One of these songs is “Ruin,” which is about worrying about the end of a relationship before there have been any problems. In the song, Enger expresses that she doesn’t want her favorite things to be ruined if things go wrong.
Enger released her second EP, The Alchemist, in December of 2024. The album’s highlights include “It’s No Fun,” “Girls Like Boys,” and “Think I Wanna See You Again.” “It’s No Fun” is a personal favorite of mine because it has the kind of bridge that you just can’t help singing along to. “Girls Like Boys” has a pop, upbeat feel that reminds me of Sara Bareilles. “Think I Wanna See You Again” is about meeting someone and feeling instantly drawn to them.
Start listening now, before she goes mainstream
Aside from her amazing music, Enger also regularly connects with her fans through social media — primarily Instagram and TikTok. She also occasionally writes on her blog! Her authenticity is a part of what endears her to her listeners. She feels like someone you could easily be friends with, leaning into relatability.
Grace Enger is now in the midst of her first headlining tour, the It’s So Fun Tour, which takes its name from her song, “It’s No Fun.” On the tour, Enger is accompanied by Jake Minch, whom she previously collaborated with for their song “Good Stuff.” Even though this is her first headlining tour, the dates have been selling out.
New music releases are on the horizon for Grace Enger. Recently, she’s been teasing sound bytes from her new songs on her TikTok account. Enger announced on her Instagram that The Alchemist (Gold Edition), an extended version of her EP, will be released on Feb. 28. It’ll include two new songs; we can expect one of these songs to break our hearts and the other to put them back together. I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to listen to The Alchemist (Gold Edition), and I know it’s going to be so good.
I’m a fan of Grace Enger’s music because of the honesty in her lyrics and the catchy beats and melodies that she writes. I see her as a Gen Z Sara Bareilles, and I love the way that she expresses complex emotions through heartfelt lyrics. Although she’s still relatively unknown, she is on the rise — and fast. So many people would love Grace Enger’s music, and I can’t recommend it enough.
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