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Grae

Writer's picture: bizzarrebizzarre

Toronto alt-pop artist GRAE shares new single & video 'Room In The Desert', announces debut album WHIPLASH out April 15TH.

Today, Toronto-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist GRAE shares her new single and music video ‘Room In The Desert’, and announces her debut album Whiplash out April 15. Dissecting her past to envision her future, GRAE is crafting new-wave pop music with hazy, spacious vocals, buoyant production, and deeply personal lyrics.

With over 15 million streams to her name, GRAE is one of the fastest-rising names in alt-pop, with her music featured on TV shows including Nancy Drew, The Bold Type and Netflix’s Virgin River.


Stemming from a period of despondency and fluctuation, ‘Room In The Desert’ was inspired by Cocteau Twins’ 1990 track ‘Cherry-coloured Funk.’ The impact behind the band’s enigmatic lyrics led to GRAE crafting her own sonically trippy endeavor where people could find their own meaning behind her song’s ambiguous undertaking. In GRAE’s words;

'Room In The Desert' was written on a day when I was lacking inspiration. I came into the session with my producer Connor Seidel not knowing what to write about and instead of trying to fight

that feeling, I embraced it.

I decided to write a song about nothing, from nothing, using some random and interesting words we could find. At the time of writing, it had no real meaning, which was the intention, but now

I actually find meaning in it which is interesting. I hope those who listen are able to find their own unique meaning too.”

Directed by Gemma Warren, the ‘Room In The Desert’ visuals serve as a hallucinatory fantasy with real creatures such as a snake, tarantula and parrot appearing in the clip. GRAE shares,

the music video is everything I could’ve dreamed of. Gemma's creative vision from the start was really strong and I trusted her artistic direction a lot.

We wanted to create a trippy video that complimented the psychedelic production of the song, something that could bring the song itself to another level.

I think the video really captures that and helps create an experience for the listener.”

The Whiplash album release is set to follow GRAE’s debut 2020 EP Permanent Maniac, which has garnered over 5 million streams to date. Title track Permanent Maniac’ was named in Billboards ‘30 Best Pop Songs of 2020’. Meanwhile, she’s featured on Spotify’s “indie pop & chill” and “Outliers” and been named Apple Music Canada’s Artist of the Week.” Both ‘Permanent Maniac’ and ‘Soft’ reached the Top 40 of Canadian Alternative Radio while the latter reached #4 on CBC Top 20.

GRAE has been writing music since the age of 10. After her mother passed away when she was young, she and her father used music as a way to bond. He bought a record player and the pair would listen to a new vinyl every day, broadening her musical horizons. When the vinyl player was silent, ‘80s music channels often flickered in the background.

Her influences are deeply rooted in ‘80s new wave from The Cure to Joy Division. GRAE’s music sees her dig through the musical inspirations of her upbringing, and reimagine them through a new lens.

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B I Z Z A R R E  ©  2 0 2 5
Independent Music Digest

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