Audacy Check In: Grace VanderWaal
Grace VanderWaal is here for an #AudacyCheckIn to talk about her latest release “What’s Left Of Me” + more!
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MusicTranscript
00:00How would you describe your new sound for this album once we get it in 2025?
00:05I feel like it's very rich in writing.
00:11So I wanted to produce the songs around the writing.
00:17So some of them are more abstract in that way.
00:21I love Frank Ocean, his production style.
00:27Grace VanderWaal, so nice to meet you.
00:28Thanks for stopping by.
00:30My name is Brew.
00:31We haven't met yet, but it's so nice to
00:34meet you and hear about your life and everything you have going on.
00:37How is 2024 been?
00:39I know we just talked briefly about it, but...
00:41Right.
00:41You know, ups and downs.
00:44Yes.
00:45But yeah, I feel like I have some strong footing right now.
00:49Like I feel very confident.
00:51It's amazing.
00:52In what we're brewing up.
00:54Wow.
00:54The pun, the brew pun.
00:56Come on, this is great.
00:57We're off to a great start.
00:58And you mentioned that you're with Pulse Records now.
01:00Yeah.
01:01Tell me about that decision and how it's been so far.
01:04Oh my God.
01:05It's like the best thing that ever happened to me.
01:08I like think about it all.
01:09There were so many things that happened that was like so destined.
01:14And just me writing what's left of me and then Columbia dropping me.
01:23And I like got rid of everyone around me.
01:26And that wasn't planned.
01:28I was already getting rid of everyone around me.
01:31And then I got that call and they were like,
01:33oh, and you can't have any of the music that you've made in this long time.
01:37So I had like 40 songs, like I had so many songs.
01:42And I was just like, I'm going to fucking write an album.
01:47I'm going to write an album and I'm going to do this right.
01:52And the way that always, I knew it always should be.
01:56And like, have you ever been like in a bad relationship or like,
01:59or something and someone's like, oh, that's not pop.
02:02Like that doesn't exist.
02:03That's not real.
02:04Like you'll never get that.
02:07Yeah.
02:07Like certain treatment or like certain things like that's not real.
02:10Right.
02:10Like your standards are too high or something.
02:12I feel like every single day for like the past six months,
02:18like at least once a day, I'm like, I fucking knew it was real.
02:20Yeah.
02:21I knew it was real and I'm doing it right now.
02:24And I knew that people could work like that.
02:26Right.
02:27You had the vision.
02:27You almost like manifested it, which is cool to hear.
02:30And then so interesting.
02:31I mean, obviously it sucks to like lose everything you've worked on for how many years.
02:34It's trash.
02:35Let him have it.
02:36Yeah.
02:37Let him have it.
02:38Have a ball.
02:39Do you feel like almost, you kind of mentioned it with the album,
02:42but do you feel like a new invigoration of like, you know what,
02:44like that chapter's over and now I can, you know.
02:46Because I was, I was so afraid of change for a really, really long time
02:52because I've been doing this for so long that like a lot of the,
02:57a lot of the people that were around me, dude, like you, there's family,
03:02like I've known you since I was like 12 years old.
03:06Right.
03:07You know what I'm saying?
03:08And so you can feel so trapped and stuck.
03:12And it's just like, I can't even imagine,
03:15but I knew that a change needed to happen because things weren't really working.
03:20And, and also my personal life was weirdly exactly mirror,
03:25mirroring this as well.
03:26Like the similar parallel of like,
03:28things are going wrong because I can't let go of things.
03:31And I'm staying in places for the mere fact of staying there,
03:35but not for any other benefits.
03:37And then I was like, okay, I'm going to like pull the trigger.
03:41And then I like did one thing,
03:43one change and like five great things happened.
03:47And I was like, oh, okay.
03:49You got the taste for it.
03:50So good things are happening when I do that.
03:52And so I felt like that was the last block, the songs of everything.
04:00And I was fighting for them for a little bit and they were like, no,
04:03like you can't, or like pay us like a billion dollars.
04:06I can't, I was like, it's so much money.
04:08And then I was just like, yeah, I was like, you know what?
04:11I should not have one even last string attached to this.
04:18Because I feel like just the universe is telling me so explicitly,
04:22good things are happening when you're letting go.
04:24And I was like, I gotta let go of it.
04:26Wow.
04:27Yeah.
04:27That's inspiring.
04:28Get me fired up.
04:28I quit my job, actually.
04:30I'm done.
04:30Guys, change.
04:31I'm leaving.
04:32That's going to inspire a lot of people because that's so interesting.
04:34Because there is that fear of like leaving what's comfortable
04:36and what you've always known.
04:37And like when these people are family, like you mentioned,
04:39but I'm happy for you.
04:40That's amazing to hear.
04:41Last past question.
04:43And then we move on to everything you're doing right now.
04:44To the future.
04:45Does AGT feel like a million years ago?
04:49I have to say, I'm like, it's going to be a decade soon.
04:54I was on the Today Show and they like,
04:59they did the spiel, you know, and they showed the clip.
05:03And they were just like, eight years.
05:06And that like just rung in my mind.
05:08And I was just like, how long will it take?
05:10How long will it take?
05:13Will it ever?
05:13I don't know.
05:14God forbid.
05:16Yeah, it's just wild.
05:18If time feels like it's flying even faster now,
05:20like I'm sure it's post pandemic and everything.
05:23It's just like going crazy, crazy fast.
05:25But you're on to better things.
05:26And I'm so excited for you.
05:27Talk about the album.
05:28What can you tell us about it?
05:30Oh man.
05:33I mean, even like when I say I wanted to like do it right.
05:38It like just turned out better than I could have ever imagined.
05:42Wow.
05:42In what ways?
05:43Just like everything musically, experience wise?
05:45Just like it ended up being like way more of this like
05:51conceptual thing that I was like,
05:55oh fuck, this is way bigger than I was expecting.
06:02And then yeah.
06:05And then from there on,
06:06then I like started like tweaking it more and being like,
06:09OK, let me lean into what's naturally happening here
06:12because this is really like abstract and cool.
06:16I love that.
06:17That's what I will say.
06:18OK, we're waiting on it.
06:202024, 2025.
06:22What do we know?
06:22Early 2025, I believe.
06:24Beautiful.
06:24Can't wait for it.
06:25Coming up.
06:26So excited for it.
06:26I mean, you have so much fun stuff happening in the meantime.
06:28And we're doing things.
06:30I got a thing like around,
06:31I got a thing in my back pocket right now that people are going to love.
06:36What are you having the most fun doing right now?
06:39Um, fun.
06:43That sounds painful.
06:44Jeez.
06:45What's fun?
06:46Margaritas?
06:47I had those the other night.
06:49Um, I don't know.
06:51I, I don't, I, I like,
06:54I told you we're doing some music stuff here
06:56and that's always like a lot of fun.
06:58Yeah.
06:58So we're like doing live performance stuff.
07:01And we're going to like, I don't know,
07:03am I like leaking my own plant?
07:05Can I leak my own plants?
07:07I think I'm like the boss of my own plants.
07:08You are.
07:09Listen, the speech you gave me before this,
07:12you're free to do whatever you want.
07:13Um, yeah, we're going to do like little acoustic versions of the singles.
07:18I think that people are going to really like it.
07:20I'm sure they will.
07:22That's awesome.
07:24And obviously you're acting and everything.
07:25Megalopolis.
07:26That's intense.
07:27Megalopolis.
07:29Um, when it comes to writing a song for a movie,
07:31was it written for the movie?
07:33Oh yeah.
07:34I wrote that for the movie.
07:35How was that different?
07:36I didn't just write a celibacy anthem.
07:39I don't know.
07:40You're going through changes, like different phases of life.
07:43Um, how was it writing for a movie?
07:45Did you like it?
07:46Was it harder?
07:47So I had written actually for, uh,
07:50the Disney movies that I was in before.
07:53But the thing is from there,
07:54like if you tell me like,
07:56I want you to write a budding love,
07:59you know, innocent song,
08:02you can still kind of like,
08:03go into like your little bank of like personal experience
08:08and like stuff like that.
08:10And so the, this was,
08:11it was the most prompted thing I've ever,
08:13I've never done anything so, you know.
08:18Like you pulled a topic out of a hat
08:19and you wrote a song about it basically.
08:21Yeah.
08:21And they, they had the, like the title.
08:23They were like, we want it to be called pledge.
08:25And she is pledging her virginity.
08:30And I was like, okay, great.
08:32Okay.
08:33Um, cool, cool, cool.
08:35That sounds very corporate.
08:37And, but then we did it and it worked out.
08:39So what was the name though?
08:41Right.
08:42They come on as pledge.
08:44I delivered.
08:46They told me what they wanted.
08:47It is named pledge.
08:49Okay.
08:49Okay.
08:49Um, I, you know, I did what they told me to do.
08:52I love it.
08:54Hey, there's no, um,
08:57and how was it working with that cast?
08:58Cause you look up that, that list
08:59and it's some pretty crazy names.
09:01Yeah.
09:02Yeah.
09:02It was, it was really, really cool.
09:03It's really, really intimidating at times.
09:07Um, but I mean, it was a very, very kind environment.
09:12Like everyone is very, very nice and funny.
09:15Oh, that's very funny.
09:16Gotta have that.
09:17Gotta have it.
09:18That's part of it.
09:20Um, going back really quick to the new music coming out.
09:22Since you said like, obviously some people still bring up
09:24like things from 12 years ago, eight years ago.
09:26Um, how would you describe like your new sound
09:28for this album once we get it in 2025?
09:31Um, I feel like it's, it's very rich in writing.
09:38So like I, I wanted to produce the songs around the writing.
09:44So some of them are more like abstract in that way.
09:48Like I love like Frank Ocean, his production style.
09:51I would say that that's when I can listen to
09:53and I genuinely feel like he wrote it first
09:55and then put emphasis from the words with music.
10:00So, but then some of them are more like, you know,
10:04funsy, whatever, you know?
10:08So I would say an equal balance of that.
10:11Some are more like, um, artistic and weird.
10:15Yeah.
10:15Yeah.
10:16And then some are like, you can sing this in the car.
10:18Right.
10:19Gotta have a couple of those.
10:20Um, it's always interesting hearing how artists like
10:24start their songwriting process.
10:25Is it always the lyrics first?
10:26Like you start with the writing and then go into the production,
10:28like you mentioned, or do you start with like acoustically or?
10:32Um, yeah, pretty much always on, like, I'm,
10:36I'm like obsessed with the Mellotron.
10:38Oh yeah.
10:39I basically write everything on it.
10:42Like I always have.
10:44So yeah, normally starts there and then words.
10:47And then, and then we're like, oh, it should be like this.
10:50Yeah.
10:51You just take it from there.
10:52I can't wait to hear this.
10:52I'm so excited.
10:53Yeah.
10:54Um, cool.
10:55Well, what else are you doing?
11:00So many things.
11:00What else are you sparking your interest as you like, you know,
11:03enter a new era?
11:04Uh, I don't know.
11:06I want to read more.
11:08Amen.
11:08I want to be a reader.
11:09So freaking kindle person.
11:11Does that have to be a paper book?
11:13No, not a kindle.
11:14I don't know.
11:14They're efficient.
11:16Are you a kindle?
11:17I'm not a reader in general.
11:19No, no, not a kindle.
11:21Who uses a kindle in this room?
11:24Get out.
11:25No, I'm just kidding.
11:26Um, no, I don't know.
11:28I want to, I want to stay the hard thing about like an album and sort of like what I'm talking
11:33about is like, I'm a very fluctuating person.
11:37So you kind of have to do things like trigger yourself to stay.
11:42I'm forcing myself to stay in a phase, which is not natural to me at all.
11:46I'm basically like a reinvented person weekly.
11:51So I'm just trying to stay in the mentality of my album and not move on before it's even
11:57released.
11:58Okay.
11:59Yeah.
11:59No.
12:00So we have grace from like what?
12:01February or?
12:03Yeah, I don't even know.
12:04We have like grace from like last year.
12:05Wow.
12:06Yeah.
12:06Like, man, once that album's out, what's going to happen?
12:09Just a whole new identity.
12:10Yeah.
12:10I'm going to be like, finally.
12:12Yeah.
12:12You start speaking Spanish.
12:13Like, wait a minute.
12:14So a whole new you.
12:16We got a few months left in the year.
12:18Are you a resolution person?
12:19Do you want to start anything now?
12:20Reading?
12:21Obviously, we talked about that.
12:22Oh, yeah.
12:22That's a bit of a resolution.
12:24Oof.
12:25God, a few months left of the year.
12:26That's insane.
12:27Flying by.
12:27It's actually crazy.
12:29Maybe like have a sick bod.
12:32It'd be pretty awesome if I just did like 100 sit-ups and like 100 squats a day.
12:36And then like in five months, I'm just like.
12:39Hello.
12:40A god.
12:41Yeah.
12:41On stage.
12:42I'll never do that.
12:44Yeah, we're gonna.
12:45Be pretty cool, though.
12:46That would be sick.
12:47That would be pretty sick.
12:48I'm hoping for you.
12:49You know, if not, not that read.
12:53I got to read more, you know, it's reading.
12:55Got to keep the mind alive as you know, get into it.
12:58What else is there?
13:00I want to study more like art history.
13:02OK.
13:03Yeah, because that's actually been helpful for me, like in my career, I've noticed.
13:08Oh, and I like want to be more well versed on that.
13:11That's a good one.
13:12Yeah.
13:12I'm getting into that history phase and I'm scared.
13:14It's like a different.
13:15What type of history?
13:17Don't tell me.
13:18No wars.
13:20I'm like, oh, my God.
13:22If I hear another guy like just talk at me.
13:25But do you know how the War of 1812 started?
13:28It's insane.
13:28Oh, God, here we go.
13:29Yeah, I woke up with new balances on my feet.
13:32I don't know what's happening.
13:34Hitting that air.
13:35I like your tattoos, though.
13:36Those are cool.
13:37Any other new ones you're hoping to get?
13:39I, you know, I think I fell in that that classic trope of like 1819.
13:47Super excited.
13:49I hate this snake.
13:51So God damn.
13:53I want to cut it off my body.
13:55This was a walk in and I literally went to like an American traditional place.
14:00This huge biker.
14:03This was in Georgia.
14:05My Laura is like so weird.
14:07And I was just like, yeah, just cover my arm, dude.
14:12And he's just like going so deep.
14:14Like it sticks.
14:16It's not to the style of anything else anyway.
14:21No, I want to do something, but I want to take a break.
14:23I want to chill out.
14:24Make sure I'm all settled in my phases.
14:28Yeah.
14:28You know, let the dust settle and then maybe start working on it again.
14:33Perfect.
14:35Oh, yeah.
14:35Let the album come out, find a new personality and then go from there.
14:39I hope that I will be in a personality phase of like at least five years.
14:45And then I'm like, OK, maybe I can put something permanently on my body.
14:49Five years is a good stretch.
14:50That's pretty good run.
14:51That's a good run.
14:52I feel good about it.
14:53Yeah.
14:53Well, thanks so much for stopping by and letting us know what you're up to.
14:57Anything for your fans that are so excited to hear new music from you.
15:00Any last message to them?
15:02I love you.
15:04And you're a hottie with a body.
15:09100 sit ups, 100 push ups a day.
15:10100 sit ups, guys.
15:12Don't go to Georgia and get a tattoo.
15:14Happy New Year.
15:15Thank you, Grace Manuel.
15:16So nice to meet you.
15:17You too.