On the same Thursday of Primavera Sound, in which I meet with JADE in a hotel in Barcelona, I have the opportunity, a few hours before, to meet with Grace Ives in another hotel in the city to talk about her new album. Let’s say that, by the time it comes time to cover the festival, the rain and wind are not the best welcome. It will later turn out that several headliners, including Doja Cat, have to cancel for safety reasons.
The two aforementioned artists perform without any problem, luckily: Grace Ives, one of the current sensations of American alternative pop, is one of those in charge of opening the Saturday afternoon presenting her album ‘Girlfriend’ before what can finally be considered a good time. There is no rain anymore, but heat. Grace performs in black and, precisely during her performance, the surprise appearance of Olivia Rodrigo is announced, who assures that ‘Girlfriend’ “has changed her life”, and for whom Ives is going to open. In person she is somewhat shy, but then she lets loose; We talk about addiction, creative process or self-promotion.
I’ve noticed that new artists recently use the breakbeat pattern a lot; It has proliferated quite a bit in new music, like in your song ‘Fire 2’. Why do you think new artists use this type of drum pattern so much?
I think it has the energy of dance music built into it, like in jungle. It has its own energy, so you can leave it quite spaced on top. The beat of ‘Fire 2’ actually comes from a drum pack.
Your music has an off-kilter, noisy production vibe, even the piano chords on ‘My Man’ sound a little out of tune. How do you find the balance between making pop music that’s loud, but keeping the mix accessible and not too dirty?
I think it’s a preference of my taste in the studio. I like a little dirt, but still beautiful. Noise, of course, can be beautiful, but I’ve usually kept things pretty clean in the past. The music I listen to now is ambient and noise, so I’m at that point. When I made this album, the idea of noise and harshness in my own music was something new in my life, so I didn’t take it too far.
What ambient music are you listening to?
I love Laurel Halo! It’s inspiring to see an artist work like this, an artist who allows herself to change so much between albums.
What album by another artist would you introduce to people so they can get to know you better?
(thinks for a while) Maybe an early Mitski album. In her early work she sounded sweeter and more melodic, and in that sense we are a bit alike in how the melodies drive the music.
You say you wrote this album after hitting rock bottom due to substance abuse. What misconception about people suffering from addiction still exists?
I think people think we’re broken or tormented. When they mention it in interviews with me, I think, “I’m fine!” They look at me with a little pity, as if they felt sorry for me. Personally, I feel better than I have in a long time. There’s no reason to feel sorry for me.
How has your relationship with creativity changed since you’ve gotten sober?
I think it’s more fun. I feel like a girl playing, more true to myself. I can create something and the next day think “that wasn’t so good,” without blaming external circumstances like substance use. I feel more comfortable in the process and learning how I work. I am more present.
You moved from New York to California. How has that change of environment influenced the sound of the album?
In Brooklyn I was quite sheltered and isolated, I was comfortable and I loved being home. But in California I was out of my element, in a kind of big expanse of land where everything feels bigger. I felt more in control of my individual life, whereas in Brooklyn I was very tied to my house, my boyfriend, and my cats. In California I was alone, driving, looking at the mountains, and I felt very small, but okay.
What song of yours did you think wasn’t going to connect, but in the end it did?
The slower songs like ‘My Man’ and ‘Garden’ were hard for me to accept because I thought they lacked energy, but people were really moved by them. I was surprised that people accepted them while I was fighting them.
«Artists are greatly admired for their youth, it impacts you more when someone is 18 years old or something like that»
You say that trusting your producers is very important, especially John DeBold and Ariel Rechtshaid for this album. Do you feel more comfortable saying negative things than before?
Much more… At first I was worried about losing some control over the work and that things would no longer be mine. I was afraid that the process would get out of hand and I would miss the experience of making the album. But it wasn’t like that at all. Now I am more comfortable because I no longer have that fear. I’m learning what it’s like to work with other people.
Didn’t you mind disappearing for three years and then coming back? Not because you were forgotten, but because there is so much music and new artists get a lot of attention.
I was sometimes frustrated by how long it took to make this album. Yes, I was afraid of losing the opportunity to be a young artist. Artists are greatly admired for their youth, it impacts you more when someone is 18 years old or something like that. I felt like I had to put something out to show that I was a great young artist. I was worried about being forgotten, but not so much anymore.
What is a temporary job that you hated, but from which you learned the most?
Be a waitress. It was very hard. I learned that people are complicated, very different from each other, with different and intense needs. But I also felt part of the world. People in services are very rude to you, but you learn a lot. I remember once I made a mistake with an order and I felt terrible. I told my boss, “I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again.” And he told me, “It will happen again, and that’s okay.”
«I still feel somewhat dissociated from all the good things that are happening to me. “I don’t enjoy it because I feel like it’s not real.”
You’re opening for Gracie Abrams. What part of your music do you hope connects the most with your fans?
Gracie talks a lot about her mental health, about feeling different, dark and down. I identify with that and I also write in a similar way sometimes. I hope fans connect emotionally with my music. I also think their fans know how to recognize good pop songs, and I hope they like some of mine.
You have a song, ‘Neither You Nor I’, that reminded me a lot of Björk’s ‘Human Behavior’. Tell me the process.
People asked me if I had sampled anything! But no, it’s original. It’s a fun and weird song. It is one of the unusual pieces on the album, it does not follow a specific structure and its sound palette is strange. It didn’t have to be “pretty” at all, I love that it sounds cool and a little “dirty.” It’s about being in a fight with someone, about people trapped in their roles, in a kind of cold war waiting for violence. About realizing that words and fighting don’t work. It’s a frustrating fight.
You talked to Hunter Schafer about not feeling comfortable with self-promotion, like interviews or TikTok, and that you felt disassociated from the idea of people liking your music. Has that changed for you?
I’m more comfortable with the idea of putting myself out there, less scared to post and promote. But I still feel somewhat dissociated from all the good things that are happening to me. I feel like it’s not real. About opening for Gracie Abrams and Olivia Rodrigo, I’m not feeling it as much as I should because I feel somewhat distant. I feel separated from the artist and the person.
Any artists you would like to collaborate with?
I would love to sing with Lana Del Rey, and also work with Nourished by Time. I think it would work very well.
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