by kaylee pickens
photo courtesy of grā
If you’re looking for a new artist to obsess over, we’ve got just the one for you! With the release of new music on the horizon, this rising artist is diving into headfirst into his music. GRĀ, a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from a small town outside of San Antonio, TX, is raw and authentic in tracks like, “weather report,” “a funeral” and “Sold My Car.” Unclear had the pleasure to sit down with the newcomer to talk about the birth of his music, what new music will look like, and so much more. Like what you see? Be sure to give GRĀ a follow on Instagram (@musicbygra) for updates on new music! And don’t forget to stream GRĀ wherever you stream music.
What did the birth of your music look like?
GRĀ: “Manic and stressful, this music all came from a very difficult point of my life. I wasn’t planning on making music out of it at the moment, I had trapped myself in a cycle that I couldn’t seem to break. Around that time, I was leaving a lot behind in my life and felt like giving up writing music because it wasn’t fulfilling anymore. My wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, kept trying to inspire me to write myself. Don’t worry about it being music, just basically journal, so I did, and it helped me through all the panic. Over time I realized I did want to get back into making music and I already have these songs, so I got to work, and that’s what I’m releasing now, some songs I never thought I’d be sharing!”
How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?
GRĀ: “This is always such a hard question to answer for me because the blanket response is just pop, but it’s more than that, it has some subtle jazz inspiration, some brass and sax solos. With my latest release we have a string section, so I’m not sure. People always ask because it’s kind of a confusing sound. But jazzy-ish pop for now.”
What has been the biggest lesson in becoming a musician?
GRĀ: “That making music is just a quarter of what it means to be a musician. Being an independent artist I am my own PR, label, socials, street team, booking agent etc. Constantly having to learn and evolve to fit the needs of my next step!”
What’s been your favorite part of making music?
GRĀ: “It’s therapy, at least for this music I’ve been writing. These songs have helped me process so many different experiences I was having. Writing has always been a way for me to get things off my chest and out of my brain when I couldn’t in other ways. Also getting to collaborate with such amazing musicians like my brass, sax and string players! My wife Brooklyn is an amazing singer and has basically been a vocal coach for me as well as the backup vocalists on all the songs so far!”
How do you think you’ve grown as an artist in the last year?
GRĀ: “Well, last year I didn’t even have music out so quite a bit. I was still stressing about whether or not these songs are worth putting out there. Do I want to share these pieces of my life? Is this really the final mix I want? This past year has been the most growth I’ve ever experienced from my writing and recording process, trying to grasp all the other aspects it takes to be a solo independent artist. It’s also been the most fun I’ve had working on music.”
How would you describe your new music?
GRĀ: “My latest single is called ‘weekdays.’ It’s an emotional song. For me it’s just about realizing a year had passed in the blink of an eye since I said, ‘You know what? Maybe I will make music,’ and still hadn’t done anything. I was stagnating and trapped in a loop. The idea of the song is about what my younger self would think if he saw me giving up like this. He was so full of hope and dreams, I can’t let him down. It has some beautiful cinematic sounding strings that really take you to that place I was at.”
What music are you currently listening to?
GRĀ: “Well, it varies. I’ve been loving Charley Crockett’s new album $10 Cowboy, Childish Gambino’s new album and Sabrina Carpenter, but who isn’t listening to her right now? This is a topic I could talk about for hours. My number one hobby is just listening to albums constantly front to back. Some other notable albums I’ve been running up a lot lately is Idles’ latest, Twenty One Pilots’ latest (‘Midwest Indigo,’ specifically) and I consistently jam my 90’s hip-hop playlist!”
What does a typical day for you look like?
GRĀ: “Every morning, I wake up before the sun rises and get behind my recording set up. I’m just kidding, nothing special really. I wake up and spend the morning with my dog outside, try and relax and then about 3pm give or take, I randomly remember everything I was supposed to do that day and that I’m probably late for something and that’s my usual daily routine. Oh, and sometimes that stress of forgetting everything I should be doing triggers inspiration to write.”
What’s your favorite thing to do on your off days?
GRĀ: “Brooklyn and I are always on to some sort of adventure. Growing up in a small town that has nothing to do in it, you always gotta be creative at finding something to do or else you’ll go mad or get really old really fast. Right now, we have a summer bucket list we are knocking out!”
Anything new you’d like to share?
GRĀ: “My debut EP sold my car just dropped! I’m so excited to share more music, I’ve been working on so much lately!”