2024 is proving to be the year of women in music, most notably women in pop music. Female pop stars like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo have had a huge impact on the music industry in recent years.
This summer though, the list of female pop stars dominating the charts is growing rapidly. From Sabrina Carpenter to Chappell Roan, talented female artists are taking over everyone’s top artist spots. If you’re looking for a new name to add to your list of favorite pop girlies, we have the perfect one. Meet Gracie Abrams, your new favorite pop artist.
Who is Gracie Abrams?
Gracie Abrams is a 24-year-old artist from California. She is the daughter of JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath, leading people to accredit her success to her “nepo baby” status, but her talent has a way of putting these accusations to rest. She began writing music at a very young age and has been influenced by many great artists like Joni Mitchell, Bon Iver, Taylor Swift, and Phoebe Bridgers. The influence of these artists is reflected in her music, especially through her lyricism.
Since her very first release, “Mean It“, Abrams’ music has explored the main themes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. Her stellar songwriting skills have been the focal point of most songs. Her lyrics overflow with raw emotions that increase the reliability of the songs for most fans. This talent has helped Abrams create very meaningful connections with fans as they have extended their love for her art to her as a person, establishing a very close-knit fan base.
Over the past couple of years, Abrams’ fanbase has grown, along with her discography. She has released many projects since her first debut song including singles like “21“, “Stay“, and “I Miss You I’m Sorry.” Minor and This Is What It Feels Like were EPs that preceded her debut album in 2023, Good Riddance. While these projects helped her gain recognition amongst fellow artists and grew her fan base greatly, none of them led to the breakthrough she has been working toward.
Thanks to her most recent release and busy last year, Abrams has finally proven to the world that she has what it takes to become a pop icon and your new favorite artist!
Gracie’s Evolved Sound On “The Secret of Us”
Abrams’ sophomore album, The Secret of Us was released one week ago and has already been met with great success. The album has become a chart-topper, debuting at #1 in the UK and Australia. This makes the album her first #1 release. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts in the US. The Secret of Us received over 75 million streams in its first week on Spotify. Her last album received less than 20 million streams in its first week.
It is obvious that Abrams has come a long way in the past year. What is it that makes this new album such a huge success compared to past projects? Abrams’ new sound.
The “whispered” tunes that occupied most of the space on her debut album were met with a ton of criticism. Fans loved the songs nonetheless, but this made it hard for Abrams to work her way into mainstream music. This album fights back. Abrams screams in the face of past critics and has the time of her life while doing it. The songs are dramatic and loud in all of the right ways.
Lead singles “Risk” and “Close to You” proved that she has what it takes to rival fellow chart-toppers when they were met with massive success and gave the perfect preview into what the album would be. Abrams’ sophomore album exceeded all expectations that the lead singles set, especially with standouts like “Blowing Smoke” and “Tough Love“
The album as a whole approaches the topic of embracing youth while growing up in a manner reminiscent of the beloved Lorde. The new upbeat production accompanied by choruses and bridges made to be screamed by listeners is allowing her to finally have that breakthrough into mainstream pop listening.
Collaborations and Connections
One of the most notable aspects of Gracie Abrams’ recent album is the collaborations on it. Abrams returned to the famous Long Pond Studio to work with the talented Aaron Dessner once again. He produced and worked on Good Riddance with Abrams. They even did a mini acoustic tour of the album last fall together. Jack Antonoff also has a producer credit on this new album, on a standout track featuring the one and only, Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift featured on the 5th track of The Secret of Us. Swift rarely features on other artists’ projects, so this was truly a testament to her belief in Abrams’ talent and art. This makes sense since she believed in her enough to ask her to open for her sold-out Eras Tour before she even released her debut album.
Other stars held the same belief in Abrams as Swift did. Abrams also opened for Olivia Rodrigo during her sold-out Sour World Tour in 2021. It seems as though the world is finally seeing the talent in Gracie Abrams that these two stars saw from her very first projects.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning for Gracie Abrams. She will reclaim her spot as Swift’s opener as she closes out the Eras Tour at the end of this year. Abrams also has a tour of her own she will be going on beginning early fall. She will return to intimate venues, her favorite places to perform.
She loves to feel connected with her fans and although she could easily upgrade to arenas and sell them out, the star refuses to skip any steps. Abrams has also teased during live shows the deluxe version of The Secret of Us. This deluxe version will include some unreleased fan favorites that are expected to be immediate hits.
It won’t be long until Gracie Abrams becomes one of the biggest names in pop music, so make sure you add her to your library and claim your fan status now! Abrams is definitely a young artist to keep an eye on.
