Gracie Abrams is rising to fame rapidly, redefining the genres of sad girl and bedroom pop. She started playing in garages in 2022 and now has impressive experience under her belt, opening for massive artists like Olivia Rodrigo and, soon, Taylor Swift. Is she just another nepotism baby with too many resources or a genuinely talented musician? Here’s what you should know about Abrams.
According to Ayelet Kaminer of heyalma, Abrams is a 23-year-old Jewish singer from Los Angeles. Daughter to Katie McGrath, television producer, and J.J. Abrams, director of Star Wars, she grew up familiar with the entertainment industry. After attending Barnard College for a year, she withdrew and went on to pursue her music career, releasing her debut single “Mean It” a year later in 2019.
Career-wise, Abrams has had an impressive path to the spotlight. She began playing instruments when she was eight years old. Before her official catalog, Gracie would post covers and original songs on YouTube, accruing a small fan base. Through Interscope Records, her debut EP, “minor,” dropped in July 2020. It included songs like “21” and “I miss you, I’m sorry,” which earned over 100 million Spotify streams. She went on to work with Aaron Dessner, a musician in groups The National and Big Red Machine. Dessner is well-known for his collaborations on Taylor Swift’s recent albums in which he co-writes and co-produces.
In November of 2021, Abrams released her second EP, This Is What It Feels Like, a collection of melancholic reverie and introspection. In December, Olivia Rodrigo announced that Gracie would be joining the “Sour Tour” as an opening act.
Her most recent work is a single called “Difficult”, released in October of 2022. She co-wrote with Dessner, imaginably at Long Pond Studio, which is where the magic of folklore and evermore took place.
Abrams credits her musical influences as Lorde, Phoebe Bridgers, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Bon Iver, James Blake, The 1975, Kate Bush, Elvis Costello and Taylor Swift. Inspiration takes the form of friendship as Abrams attended Taylor’s 32nd birthday party and is now set to open for some shows on The Eras Tour.
Looking ahead, she recently hinted at a potential album drop, a creation of Abrams’ and Dessner’s with possible other collaborators. Dessner confirmed there is “more soon.” I can only hope she doesn’t withhold that for too much longer. Gracie is also set to tour with Swift beginning in April of 2023. Unfortunately, there’s a very slim chance of seeing her in action unless you get really lucky (thanks, Ticketmaster).
Although she had an easier way into the music industry through her circumstances, Abrams has all of the unique talent and charm to stick around for a while. I predict her rapid rise to fame will only be rocketed through her upcoming shows. You can check out Gracie Abrams on her website and on most streaming platforms.