Since the release of her hit single “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” in 2020, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams has established herself as one to watch. Among the Best New Artist nominees at the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards and a recurring fan-favored Eras Tour opener, Abrams has garnered many high-profile accomplishments in the last year and a half. Her highly anticipated sophomore album The Secret of Us released this past June included an iconic duet with Taylor Swift, and paved the way for a career-defining world tour. The Secret of Us included standout tracks such as “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” a continuation of “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” as well as “Close To You,” which fans had been campaigning to be released on streaming platforms for more than five years. “Close To You” was notably Abrams’ first solo single to debut on the Billboard Hot 100. The deluxe iteration of the record, released this past Friday, included four additional songs and three VEVO live performances.
Abrams began releasing music of her own on streaming platforms in 2019, however, she’d been active on SoundCloud for years covering songs by artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Frank Ocean. She collected many listeners on the platform simply from these recordings. In 2016, Abrams captioned an Instagram post regarding a theoretical music career “only for a school project but a girl can dream right.” Little did she know her first EP, minor (2020), would quickly amass a loyal, dedicated fanbase eager for more. Her bedroom-pop style fit right in with other popular artists at the time including Lorde, Clairo, and Billie Eilish, and her audience continued to grow with the release of her debut album This Is What It Feels Like in 2021. Abrams set herself apart from her peers through her intensely vulnerable lyrics, strong relationships with fans, and unmistakable aesthetic and iconography. Abrams and her fans hold many traditions close, including baking cakes to commemorate releases and career milestones. Her “OG fans” remember fondly attending her first concerts on Zoom in 2020. Safe to say, Abrams and her fans are equally committed to her career.
A sea of bows and flowy skirts flooded the streets of Manhattan earlier this month to attend the first of three sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall. Abrams’ immediate family and closest friends appeared in the audience, including her parents JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath, as well as Brooke Shields. Abrams choked up many times during the show, barely able to get out the words to describe to the full house in front of her how much it meant to her to play three sold-out nights at a venue she’d dreamed of playing for years. Abrams delivered powerful live vocals and, despite the show being fully seated and technically complicated, interacted with fans throughout the show by taking their gifts and dedicating the surprise song of the night, “Rockland” from her first album, to an audience member she’d seen make a request on TikTok. To the crowd’s delight, Abrams added to the setlist a full-production performance of “That’s So True,” which she’d debuted with her best friend and collaborator Audrey Hobert at their intimate show at The Echo in Los Angeles months before. Bouncing around the stage in a tutu and rhinestone-studded floral top, Abrams did not stop smiling the entire evening.
Abrams first hinted at the release of The Secret of Us (Deluxe) at her show in Portland, Maine on October 10th. When the album dropped, it included “That’s So True” along with three new songs titled “Cool,” “I Told You Things,” and “Packing It Up.” “That’s So True” cemented itself as a fan favorite immediately after its debut performance in LA. The song means a lot to Abrams, as well, as she created it with her best friend. Abrams and Hobert have collaborated in the past on music videos including “Risk” and “I Love You I’m Sorry,” however “That’s So True” is the first release the two wrote together. The song is playful and silly, and equally self-deprecating. The live duetted performance of its second verse went viral on TikTok. Abrams and Hobert play off each other physically and vocally as they sing, “What’d she do to get you off? (Uh huh)/Taking down her hair like ‘Oh my god,’/Taking off your shirt, I did that once/Or twice, uh.” The bridge is hilariously chaotic and relatable, with lyrics like “Said that I was fine, said it from my coffin” and “You should spend the night, catch me on your ceiling.” “Cool” is a song of similar upbeat nature in its production and lyrical structure, however, its tone leans toward resentful. In the first verse, Abrams sings, “I’m not offended and I never was/I said I lied to your face, you can suck it up/I’m actin’ bored, it’s my right, after all the love/That you bombed.” Abrams’ anger grows throughout the chorus and post-chorus: “Now I’m so cool, I’ll be cool for the hell of it/You promised me that you’d call, but you never did./Fool, I’m a fool if the shoe fits.” “I Told You Things” exists as a slightly sadder version of the previous song. Its lyrics may as well be “I’m not mad, just disappointed.” In contrast, the final addition to the album “Packing It Up” is undeniably a love song. Fans have speculated the song to be about Abrams’ current boyfriend Paul Mescal, previous fianceé to Phoebe Bridgers, as they’ve appeared together publicly more and more in the last few months. The VEVO live performances are a solid addition to the deluxe as well, especially “I Love You I’m Sorry,” which fans begged to have on streaming platforms to immortalize a powerful note change in one of the song’s last lines. Abrams also included the live performances of “Free Now” and “I Knew It, I Know You.”
Abrams will continue supporting Taylor Swift until the end of the Eras Tour in Louisiana, Toronto, and Vancouver dates. In February, Abrams will continue The Secret of Us Tour in Europe and Australia. The young musician has already achieved so much, and will undoubtedly continue to grow in the years to come. Although it is unclear what is to come after her current tour ends, for right now, both Abrams and her fans are living in the moment.
