Gracie Abrams

Gracie Madigan Abrams (born September 7, 1999) is an American singer-songwriter. After being signed to Interscope Records, she released two extended plays: Minor (2020) and This Is What It Feels Like (2021). After performing as an opening act on Olivia Rodrigo's Sour Tour, Abrams released her debut album, Good Riddance, on February 24, 2023. Throughout 2023, she has supported Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour.

Early life and education[edit]
Born and raised in Los Angeles County, California, Abrams is the daughter of J. J. Abrams, a film director, and Katie McGrath, a film and television producer.[3][4] She has two brothers, an older brother Henry and younger brother August.[5][6] She became interested in music at a young age, and started songwriting when she was eight.[7] She attended The Archer School for Girls.[8] After graduating high school in 2018, Abrams studied international relations at Barnard College but took a break after her freshman year to focus on music.[8] Her father's family is Jewish, while her mother's background is Irish Catholic.[9]

Career[edit]
In October 2019, Abrams released her debut single, "Mean It", under Interscope Records.[10] On July 14, 2020, Abrams released her debut EP, Minor.[11] The EP was supported by several singles, including "I miss you, I'm sorry" and "21".[12] She collaborated with producers such as Joel Little and Blake Slatkin.[13] On March 24, 2021, Abrams released a new single with Benny Blanco titled "Unlearn". The single became part of Blanco's album Friends Keep Secrets 2.[14] On May 7, 2021, Abrams released the single "Mess It Up" along with its music video.[15]

In October 2021, Abrams released the single "Feels Like" and its music video.[16] It was followed by her release of a new song titled "Rockland", which was created with Aaron Dessner.[17][18] The next month, Abrams announced her second commercial project This Is What It Feels Like. It was released as an EP on November 12, 2021.[19] The project includes the preceding singles "Feels Like" and "Rockland".[20] In support of this EP, she embarked on the This Is What It Feels Like Tour, which started on February 2, 2022, in Salt Lake City and concluded on May 31, 2022, in Stockholm.[21] Along with her headlining tour, Abrams opened for Olivia Rodrigo as the supporting act for her Sour Tour, where she performed songs of her latest project.[22]

"Block Me Out" and "Difficult" were released in April and October 2022 respectively, with the latter being the lead single to her debut album.[23][24] On January 9, 2023, Abrams announced her debut album, Good Riddance, which was released on February 24, 2023.[25][26] The second single, titled "Where Do We Go Now?", was released on January 13. The third single, "Amelie", was released on February 10. She announced the deluxe edition on April 24, 2023. It features "Block me out", as well as 3 new songs, Unsteady, 405, and Two people.[27] Throughout 2023, Abrams performed as an opening act at selected shows of the US leg of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.[28] She also embarked on the Good Riddance Tour, her third headlining concert tour.[29] She is set to return as Swift's opening act for more US and Canadian shows in late 2024.[30]

Artistry and reception[edit]
Abrams has cited Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis Costello, Bon Iver, Elliott Smith, Kate Bush, The 1975, James Blake, Taylor Swift, Lorde, Metric, The Killers, and Phoebe Bridgers as her musical influences.[31][32][33][8]

Swift, Bridgers, Lorde, Post Malone, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo each expressed their admiration for Abrams. She has joined both Swift and Rodrigo on tours.[34][35][36][37]

Activism[edit]
After a leaked draft opinion showed that the U.S. Supreme Court was planning to overturn abortion rights established in Roe v. Wade, Abrams was among 160 musical artists including Clairo, Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Phoebe Bridgers that signed a full-page ad in The New York Times in May 2022 condemning the planned Supreme Court decision.[38][39] In July 2022, Abrams released a limited-edition t-shirt whose complete sale proceeds would go to the National Network of Abortion Funds. While this is "only a small part in a massively anti-democratic effort that is underway in this country" Abrams admits, she believes that she can "use [her] platform to amplify the experts in this moment".[40]

In a 2020 interview, Abrams supported expressing personal views through music, saying, "I can't separate my music from my opinions... it's a whole that reflects my way of thinking. You shouldn't be afraid to talk about what you believe in."[41]