Musician Gracie Abrams on Why Music Should be Opinionated
PHOTOGRAPHY Lauren Leekley
STYLING Peri Rosenzweig
If COVID-19 hadn't turned the world upside down, Gracie Abrams would have given her very first concerts in early 2020. While she waits for her chance to perform, the 21-year-old Los Angeles-native is polishing her songs and writing new ones. Writing helps her fight her worries, she explains to L'OFFICIEL, and she often turns to her diary to pour out her day's thoughts. Empathetic and concerned with her surroundings, Abrams has never hidden her convictions in her music or interviews. This trait perhaps comes from her upbringing. Her father is director J.J. Abrams and her mother, producer Katie McGrath, was one of the activists behind the Time's Up movement.
“I can't separate my music from my opinions,” Abrams says. "It reflects my way of thinking. You shouldn't be afraid to talk about what you believe in. I find that very important."
Passionate about music since childhood, she wrote her first songs when she was still in high school. After studying at Barnard College in New York for a year, Abrams decided to take a break from her studies and return to LA. In the meantime, she signed with a label to officially release her tracks, including "Stay," "Mean It," "21" (produced by Joel Little, who collaborated on Lorde's two albums), and the tender ballad "I Miss You, I'm Sorry." Previously, the singer posted her songs on her Instagram page while recording them from her home.
Her music has won her over 392k followers on Instagram, including Billie Eilish and Lorde. The latter even sent her a private message one day asking her for the Mp3 of one of her potential hits. Abrams admires them both, but her absolute role model is not quite from the same generation.
"Joni Mitchell, who my mother listened to all the time, rocked my childhood," Abrams shares. "As I grew older, I began to listen to her words carefully and to feel that she was more emotional than other artists. I then understood that music could be an incredible outlet and it made me want to create music myself. I like her simplicity, she only needs her voice and an instrument. In turn, I wanted to compose from a piano or a guitar, building everything around it without ever losing sight of this central core. For me, a song should be able to perform with the bare minimum."
She also admires the legendary Canadian singer's style, and has found confidence in fashion.
“I see things happening on social networks that can inspire me or challenge me. A year ago, I felt more intimidated, but today I have gained confidence and above all I have learned to accept myself as I am. Since my year in New York, I've been going for clothes that help me feel comfortable and happy. What matters to me in fashion is how it makes me feel, more than the visual effect."
This victory of substance over form, which several figures of modern pop share, shows the dynamism of this new generation and inspires confidence in the future. Abrams is optimistic: “A lot of people my age appreciate the power they have to make things happen.” Tomorrow is theirs.
HAIR Sheridan Ward
MAKEUP Robert Rumsey using CHANEL BEAUTY
PHOTO ASSISTANT Mike Margott
