“I like your shirt, by the best way,” Gracie Abrams tells me throughout a comfortable Zoom name from Los Angeles, the place she grew up and nonetheless lives. “It’s unbelievable.”
The T-shirt in query is printed with a photograph of Taylor Swift and Lorde, two of Abrams’ favourite artists (and mutual admirers), hugging each other at a 2016 Grammys afterparty. It’s a reproduction of a shirt beforehand worn by the indie pop prodigy’s good friend and 2022 tourmate Olivia Rodrigo, who credit Abrams’ artistry with being a serious inspiration for her personal music.
Rodrigo, Lorde, and Swift – the latter of whom invited Abrams to open a slew of stadium exhibits on her extremely anticipated Eras Tour – are only a few of the various A-list artists the indie pop prodigy has made associates and followers out of since launching her music profession in 2019, with debut Interscope single “Imply It.” Billie Eilish has additionally sung her praises, as has fellow Swift opener Phoebe Bridgers, whom Abrams has been following since she was a 13-year-old with a Soundcloud account.
With so many well-known followers, and followers typically (with 1.4 million Instagram followers and almost 8 million month-to-month Spotify listeners), it’s a surprise that Abrams waited so a few years to lastly launch her long-awaited debut album Good Riddance, out Friday (Feb. 24) – particularly contemplating the streaming prowess of her 2020 breakthrough EP Minor and 2021 12-track mission This Is What It Feels Like. If she wasn’t a cult T-Shirt-level icon earlier than, it in all probability gained’t be lengthy till the poetic mastery on Good Riddance makes her into one.
However timing was very important for the full-length to come back collectively because it did, she insists. Primarily, there was the matter of discovering a producer whom she clicked with, following her sticky breakup – which ended up inspiring a number of the most painful songs on Good Riddance – from former go-to producer and longtime boyfriend Blake Slatkin, who just lately snagged a document of the 12 months Grammy for his work on Lizzo’s “About Rattling Time.”
She ultimately discovered what she was in search of in Aaron Dessner, whom you could know both from beloved indie rock outlet The Nationwide or, after all, his work with Abrams’ upcoming tourmate. The 2 spent months hammering out songs like racing lead single “Troublesome” and followups “The place will we go now?,” through which she soberly weeds by means of the stays of an overgrown relationship, and “Amelie,” a young love letter to the methods a stranger can completely alter our lives with out realizing, at Dessner’s Lengthy Pond Studios in upstate New York.
“I needed to do [the album] in a manner that will be its personal world,” Abrams tells Billboard. “I felt so drawn in my head [to exploring], ‘What wouldn’t it be like to take a seat down with one individual?’ We had been in the course of nowhere – having house from L.A. was so necessary.”
Abrams has come a good distance because the days of singing alone in her bed room, posting whisper-soft covers on Instagram and performing live shows by way of Zoom. In only a couple weeks, she’ll make stops at smaller music venues and theaters on her headline tour in help of the brand new album earlier than becoming a member of Swift’s sold-out Eras trek. However by means of the crush of rising to mainstream standing, connecting with an increasing viewers and, because the daughter of Star Wars director J.J. Abrams, fielding more and more tedious questions on her “nepo child” origins – all whereas courting somebody new, although she declines to provide extra particulars apart from “he’s nice” – Abrams is protecting her give attention to what issues most.
“I’m positive there are misconceptions, as all of us have about everybody,” she says of public perceptions amidst her rising profile. “I don’t select to fret myself an excessive amount of about what these are. I’m actually simply attempting to, as a lot as I can, have the first focus be in regards to the music and let it converse for itself.”
In Good Riddance’s case, that music is visceral, brutally sincere, unflinchingly self-examining storytelling of the very best caliber. In locations the place her previous work would converse, her new songs whisper – and but, the message behind every is a lot louder than something she’s written earlier than. This impact is simply heightened by Dessner’s delicate manufacturing, which calls for no particular consideration of its personal and dutifully serves as a supporting act for Abrams’ flickering voice and blisteringly nuanced lyrics. It’s probably the most mature set of songs she’s ever made, reflective of the oftentimes uncomfortable emotional progress spurts she’s skilled over the previous 12 months or so (“I do know I modified in a single day,” as she places it on “The place will we go now?”).
“It’s an attention-grabbing factor to only develop up, interval,” the 23-year-old displays. “Month to month, s–t varies, deeply. There’s a lot of fast-track growth that occurs.”
Beneath, Billboard catches up with Gracie Abrams about evolving by means of heartbreak and getting weak with Aaron Dessner on Good Riddance, being “deeply obsessed” with Taylor Swift and extra:
You’ve been open in regards to the stage fright you felt going into your first touring experiences. Is that one thing you’ve since conquered?
I like performing now, and that’s on account of how really type my viewers is. They’re all delicate folks too, and that has modified my life even on a songwriting entrance. There’s much less worry about being lifeless sincere in my writing; I can depend on them to connect with what I’m speaking about now.
They’ve been so beneficiant with their experiences and telling me how completely different songs remind them of s–t they’ve gone by means of. Seeing them cry and dance and chortle within the viewers makes me really feel like I can do all these issues too. That half type of eliminates the worry.
With the Eras Tour particularly, it’s gotta assist that there’s in all probability a lot of overlap between your fanbase and Taylor Swift’s.
Clearly, she has everyone on the planet obsessed along with her. I do know her fanbase so properly as a result of I’m part of it. On the very least, whether or not or not any of her followers know that I exist, I really feel very stoked to share an area with people who find themselves deeply obsessive about Taylor too. I believe I’ll really feel secure up there realizing that everyone within the stadium is there to see her, as a result of that’s additionally why I’m there.
It means a lot. She’s as spectacular an individual and good friend as she is an artist, author, director. She’s actually that nice. To have the ability to lean on her in any capability actually means lots. The chance is so outrageous – it’s a humorous factor to speak about, having not finished it but, as a result of I really feel like I don’t even actually consider it’s actual. I’m so stoked to observe her crush it each single night time. To see her up shut in that manner and be capable to research that’s the best reward.
Has she heard any of Good Riddance?
I do know Aaron’s performed her a bunch of it. I’ll let if I discover out [what she thinks of it].
Why did you wait till now to launch your official debut document? There have been actually sufficient songs on This Is What It Feels Like to represent a full album.
It didn’t really feel just like the time was proper earlier than. I needed to work on myself lots internally. This Is What It Feels Like got here collectively in a lot of fragments and items over completely different durations of time. It was scattered in a manner I believe I actually wanted on the time.
After I met Aaron, it was a pivotal level for me. Having a companion who I trusted so wholeheartedly felt like the suitable time. I used to be so curious to discover what we might do collectively. I additionally suppose I had lots to write down about.
What drew you to Aaron as a producer and co-writer?
I’ve been a fan of The Nationwide since I used to be 12 years previous. There’s a energy within the fragility of his work. I’ve all the time cherished house in music, when songs are allowed to breathe and aren’t muddied or weighed down by pointless manufacturing components. We each deliver one thing completely different to the desk, so to mix our particular person talent units was the most effective experiment ever.
I’m not somebody that’s had very a lot success within the pace courting of producers, attempting a day and seeing the way it goes. It’s seemingly due to how a lot I write alone. I must belief whoever it’s I’m working with, and I don’t suppose I can accomplish that in in the future, essentially. However the second I met Aaron, I used to be like, “I don’t really feel remotely filtered in any capability.” I felt supported and challenged by him in actually wholesome, optimistic, useful methods. Even once we had been writing about all of the heavy s–t, it was the most effective time.
The breakup that impressed plenty of the album occurs to contain somebody who did plenty of your manufacturing up to now. Do you are feeling such as you’ve needed to reinvent your self as an artist as a lot as an individual with out having that collaborator by your aspect anymore?
All I can or wish to say on that entrance is simply that it’s a fortunate factor to have the ability to evolve with somebody and with out somebody. It’s been a very beautiful and difficult factor to determine that out.
There’s one thing about making this album that felt so proper and pure your entire time, and so devastating, too. With Aaron, I felt secure to determine my sound alone. I don’t essentially suppose reinvent is the phrase I’d use, extra so simply get nearer to myself. Popping out of the connection that I did, to have met somebody who was so prepared to have these conversations with me and sit with these emotions was positively life-changing.
Why select Good Riddance because the title?
There’s a aspect of it that sounds type of harsh, however I additionally suppose there’s a satirical bit that I like: to be snug casually throwing sure issues away and strolling into the following chapter it doesn’t matter what that appears like.
The album’s not nearly one factor. There’s a lot of self-reflection and accountability within the phrases this time. I felt like there have been plenty of private shifts over the course of the 12 months that the album got here collectively, and strolling away from variations of myself that I didn’t acknowledge anymore and really a lot saying “good riddance” to these.
Lyrically, “Amelie” is so completely different from the remainder of the album, which primarily focuses in your breakup or self progress. Why make it a single?
I had this journal entry for a very long time that plenty of the lyrics got here from, in regards to the deep curiosity, ache and admiration of being struck so instantly by somebody. Aaron recorded the guitar similtaneously I sang, we did one take and that was the music. It’s very surprising as a single, as a result of it’s not this driving pop music – not that it is a pop album – which is one thing else I like about it.
Our complete vibe making this album, the spontaneity and mutual belief that I felt once we recorded, was mirrored within the music. Earlier than anybody heard it, he and I privately had been like, ‘This music is necessary to us. F–okay it.”
“The Blue” additionally stands out as a result of it’s the one conventional love music on the album. Is it about your present relationship?
I like songwriting a lot as a result of as an overthinker, it’s an area the place I can think about all of those prospects with an individual. I truly wrote that music about somebody I by no means even dated, however was so intrigued by. It was fleeting, and ended up being very not proper. I don’t suppose they might ever comprehend it was about them.
Which music on the album was most tough to write down?
“I Know It Gained’t Work” harm to write down. “Finest” harm to write down. And “Fault Line.”
The factor with all these songs is that all of them had been written so rapidly. The benefit at which plenty of the phrases got here out was the painful half, as a result of plenty of what was stated within the songs wasn’t stated on to the individual [they’re about].
I don’t know how anybody will obtain the songs, I additionally do fear about some folks pondering a music is about them when it isn’t. I don’t know tips on how to navigate my private life and – lucky-enough – job being intertwined so significantly but. How do you try this?