Meet Pop Music’s Next Rising Star… Grace Grundy

Since 2016, Grace Grundy has made a name for herself by releasing her own covers of pop music’s biggest hits. Back in 2019, she earned critical acclaim for her cover of Cheat Codes and Kiiara’s single ‘Put Me Back Together’ – which first premiered on ITV’s Love Island. Grace continued to showcase her vocal prowess with her stripped-back version of Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa’s single ‘Scared To Be Lonely’.

After earning millions of streams across various platforms and securing a dedicated fan base, Grace is now gearing up for the release of her original debut EP “With You In Mind. Featuring her new singles ‘Wish I Could Stay’, ‘Headspace’ and ‘Boys on Posters’, the forthcoming record is set to elevate the emerging talents to new heights. We were able to chat with Grace Grundy about everything from her new EP to her creative process and so much more. Read the full interview here or below.

Thanks for chatting with us today Grace! How’s everything been going for you lately?

Thank you for having me! It’s been really good thanks, I’m so excited to finally be getting my original music out there. 

How has 2022 been for you creatively compared to 2021 and 2020?

They’ve been different kinds of creative really… I was making the songs for this EP throughout 2019-2021 and this was such a lifeboat for me during the lockdowns and pandemic.. I make a lot of it with my partner so it really kept us going and I felt super lucky to be in a little bubble making music and focusing on the project. 

Then in 2022 when the music was all ready to go It was all about making videos and shooting artwork. This goes so hand in hand with the music for me and is equally as important.. I went to art college whilst writing the EP so the visual and creative side of it is something I love to get my teeth into.

I often find when we’re making a song I have really specific ideas for how I’d want the art or a video to be, so I’ve absolutely loved having the opportunity to do that and see it all come to life this year. Also being out in the world again and able to work with other creative people and work in a team has been really fulfilling after being locked away at home!

Speaking of music, let’s bring it back a bit. Which artist(s) did you look towards as a major influence? 

I listened to such a variety of music growing up… in mum’s car it was Joni Mitchell, Shania Twain and Annie Lennox, then in Dad’s car was a-ha, Katy Perry, The Killers, so I think it’s a bit of a melting pot of lots of things for me. 

As I grew up I really got into indie music and pop punk such as Bright Eyes, Death Cab For Cutie, Paramore etc.. I think anything with heart and a story to it, I’ll love it. At the moment I’m loving Gracie Abrams, Jeremy Zucker, Phoebe Bridgers, Matilda Mann, Conan Gray… there are so many amazing artists out there. I really like finding new artists too. 

Do you remember your “ah-ha” moment that sparked your interest in pursuing music?

It was actually really organic and grew slowly; I always loved music and wrote little songs with my sister and I listened to loads of music growing up, but I wanted to be an illustrator for years! 

I didn’t realise you could do music as a job. It felt too much of a dream job to me and I wasn’t that musical kid at school or anything either, so it was very much a quiet love in my spare time.

I think YouTube was a huge confidence booster for me and doing the covers was a really nice gateway into giving me some belief, and showing me people out there wanted to listen!! It all kind of grew from that – I just met people and started writing properly and then slowly as more people followed what I was doing, I realised it was something I should take more seriously. 

Over the last few years, you delivered some captivating covers of hit songs. What’s your favourite aspect of recording a cover? What’s the most challenging part?

I mainly seem to cover pop songs… I think because I love stripping it back to the story behind it and the lyrics. It brings a different feel to the song when you hear it like that and I find that quite exciting. 

The hardest part is it’s someone else’s words so I am aware I need to be respectful, and that does mean there’s only so much you can experiment and explore.. I’ve definitely wanted to tell my own story for a while now!

You recently released two original singles, ‘Wish I Could Stay’ and ‘Boys on Posters’ – both fantastic! What was your creative process while creating these tracks? Was there a particular message or theme you wanted to explore?

Thank you! I always keep notes on my phone of ideas and things people say, little quotes and so on.. then usually meet with other writers and we get the main ideas down in a day, and then record a rough demo. I find a song either comes quick or not at all. 

Then I take them into the studio with two collaborators I love working with – Jason Elliott and Simon Cripps – and we play more with the production and details and finish them. Sometimes I recut vocals and other times if you caught something special on the day we leave them! 

I didn’t intentionally explore any themes really but I write from my own experiences and real life so the EP probably reflects feelings I’ve had whilst growing up and into my early twenties. From moving on from places and people to finding new things.. trying to figure out who I am and what I want and the heartbreak and joy that comes along with it all! 

For first-time listeners, how would you personally describe your sound? 

This is so hard!! I think I’d say honest, left-of-centre pop music, story-led/lyric driven and heartfelt. 

Fortunately for longtime fans, you’ll be delivering more new music next month! Can you give us a sneak peek into your debut EP, With You In Mind? What can fans expect from the record? 

Yes of course! It’s a collection of 6 songs that I wrote over the past 4 years. They come from different experiences and feelings I’ve had whilst growing up, moving away from home and all the things that come with that, so hopefully, some themes and feelings that people will relate you and resonate with. 

The songs span lots of different tones from stripped-back piano to more bouncy guitar-led tracks too.. I wanted to really explore and play with my sound as it’s my first project, so hopefully, people will hear different influences from music I’ve loved growing up. Every song is definitely one that could just be played on a guitar or piano, with the melodies and lyrics at the heart of everything. 

Overall I’ve always been driven by storytelling and lyrics.. so that’s definitely at the heart of everything on the EP. 

Is there a track that was your favourite to create? Is there one that you found challenging to complete?

That’s so tough and it changes day to day but the most challenging is a song due to come with the EP called Happy Without Me. It’s about a pact my parents made that they’d only stay together if they were making one another happy and not just out of duty, which has always seemed so romantic to me; to love someone enough that you’d let them go if they needed to. 

I never thought I’d be able to write that song or put it into words but I spent some time one December with a writer and friend of mine Tony Ferrari and my partner/producer Simon Cripps, and this song just poured out of us.. we caught something on the day that when we went in to finish it, it was really hard to do.. Two wonderful producers Jason Elliott and Joe Rubel also worked on it with us and it came together to be everything I’d hoped which is pretty rare!  So that was both the hardest song to finish but also the most rewarding. 

The most fun to create was probably Losers Together. It’s just such a fun song and it’s not like the others, production-wise. It’s a bit heavier and a nod to pop punk music I loved growing up. There’s a really grungy bass line and bouncy drunk guitar part. I think it’ll be really fun to play live as well. I also have to shout out Katy Tiz and James Birt who I wrote Boys On Posters and Stupid Reckless with! The days I spent writing with them were just the best. We all got on instantly and they understood what I was trying to do straight away which felt amazing. I really love writing with them and we have some more demos we’ve made that I love too! 

What do you want music listeners to feel while they listen to With You In Mind?

Sounds a bit silly really but I just want them to feel all the feelings!! I think we often shy away from leaning into our emotions and music is a safe space you can do that and feel seen, so hopefully, there is a song on there for everyone and whatever they’re feeling, that can be a friend to someone and make them feel seen. 

Looking ahead, what are five goals you want to accomplish over the next five years?

Wow! I’m actually not great at looking ahead and making plans… I think if I did, I might’ve missed the opportunity to do music at all as it wasn’t in my plans. I really like staying open to what’s ahead and seeing how things work out; just following new and exciting opportunities as they come. All I know is I love creating things and making music so hopefully a lot more of that. 

A goal I do have for the short term is getting out and doing some live shows. I love seeing my favourite artists live and seeing how it changes a song and it grows into something bigger.. so I’d absolutely love to do this and get to meet some people who listen to the music. 

Make sure to check out Grace Grundy’s latest release ‘Headspace’ here or below.