Diandra Interviews Grace Davies: Friends With The Tragic
Grace Davies is “Friends With The Tragic” or, at least, that is what her new EP title proclaims. Out June 26, Grace’s music has been called “sad girl pop;” light, aerial tracks that charm with their rhythms and sadden with their raw verses. Frankly, I don’t know what people love more: a sad song or a love song. For Grace, it is the combination of both’ the opportunity to vent about how screwed up loving someone, especially yourself, can be. In our interview, she gets frank about relationships, romance, and the “Bridget Jones” in-between many of us dating gals know.
Diandra: “Amsterdam” is about jealousy in a relationship. When was the last time you felt jealous, and how did music help you deal with it?
Grace Davies: I’m actually quite an insecure person; so I feel jealousy quite a lot. Not an unhealthy jealousy, but I think it’s natural to be jealous seeing what someone else has that you don’t. Whether it be a thriving career, a stable relationship, a great figure, a nice car – it could be anything… I think people feel jealousy every day, but it’s not necessarily negative.
Writing my song ‘Amsterdam’ helped me see the romantic side of jealousy and normalise it, because it’s actually quite a flattering feeling. It’s like when you’re in school and people make fun of you and your Mum goes ‘oh they’re just jealous’ and, at the time, you roll your eyes, but you grow up and realise that she was probably right. It should have been a compliment!
Grace Davies – Amsterdam (Visualiser)
Diandra: What does “sad girl pop” mean to you, and what sad girls have inspired you?
Grace Davies: I always describe my songs as ‘sad girl pop’ because no matter the tempo or the genre of the song I’ve written, it always come from a place of sadness (lol!) I’m a sucker for a sad ballad (or a salad as I like to call it), but I also love to dance cry: sounds like a jolly upbeat, “dancey” song but the lyrics are sad as hell. Artists like Sasha Sloan, Lauren Aquilina, Maisie Peters, Sody, Frances (I could go on) all inspire me in ‘sad girl pop’ land. Real honest lyrics no matter what production they’re hiding behind.
Diandra: What female, romance figure do you most admire from a movie or book? Why?
Grace Davies: Got to love Bridget Jones. The series of books and films, I think, made women feel a little less insecure about being a certain age and not having found ‘the one’ yet. The fact that she cries into Ben & Jerry’s and belts out ‘All By Myself’ whilst downing wine alone in her flat is entirely relatable. I’ve lived alone in my flat for 3 years and been tragically single whilst doing so. Her character makes me feel like I’m not alone!
Diandra: Depicting modern love, what is an attribute of modern love that you find distinct to younger generations and why?
Grace Davies: I recently wrote a song about online dating; about how you can talk to someone for hours on end, FaceTime them every day, and genuinely fall in love without ever meeting them. I’m part of a generation that grew up with the kind of technology that allows us to do that. Swiping right for someone on a dating app and then meeting them a week later – that’s actually such a scary thing to do and I think it takes more guts than going up to someone in a bar. The fact that the term ‘sliding into their DMs’ is a thing is so distinct to younger generations. I always feel embarrassed to tell people I met someone on a dating app, but it’s the way of the world now!
I also love that it’s becoming way more normal for women to make the first move. Apps like Bumble have helped shape this and women are becoming more confident to message first or ask a guy out.
Grace Davies – Addicted To Blue (Visualiser)
Diandra: With Adele 21 being one of your favorite albums, which song off the record do you feel most speaks to you? Why?
Grace Davies: ’Take It All’. Lyrically I relate so hard to that song. I’m such a giver, I love to love and I love to make people happy, and far too many times have I been under appreciated. Even when I know people are taking advantage, I still keep giving them everything I have. I won’t ever learn!
Diandra: From Billie Holiday to Ella Fitzgerald as influences, what did these women teach you about love? How do you hear them in your voice?
Grace Davies: They taught me that the music really matters and everything else is background noise. I’m not a size 8 and neither were these women, but I’m passionate about the music I create. I let my songs & my voice speak for themselves and these incredible women taught me just that.
Diandra: What rap song is your hype song?
Grace Davies: ’Mercy’ by Kanye / Jay / Kendrick. Nothing gets me gassed like Kanye’s verse.
Diandra: What do you feel your music embodies or says about your personality?
Grace Davies: I’m incredibly honest in my music, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I don’t hide anything. Even the worst parts of me, that are scary to admit, I put into my music. It’s vulnerable and real and, I hope, relatable.
Grace Davies – Invisible (Official Video)
Diandra: You have said you have a tendency to “bottle up.” What emotion has music helped you clear about or away from yourself?
Grace Davies: I don’t like talking to people about my feelings, or what I’m going through, so writing music, to me, is like writing a diary or going to a therapy session. I’m telling complete strangers all across the world about the darkest parts of my life. My music definitely helped, not necessarily overcome but, manage my struggle with being depressed & overweight. My song ‘Invisible’ really helped a lot of family members and friends understand what I was going through. Somehow, I could say it better in a song than I could in a conversation, and I think that’s pretty powerful.
Diandra: What can we expect from your upcoming EP in style and message? What is the inspiration behind its title Friends With The Tragic?
Grace Davies: Every song on the EP is super different sonically. I wanted to show people what it’s like to be in my world Some days I’m heartbroken, some days I’m a boss ass bitch – but no day is the same and no song is the same. ‘Friends With The Tragic’ is a line taken from my song ‘Addicted To Blue’. I felt this fit the EP because, really, each song documents how bloody tragic my life is! Whether I’m singing about anxiety & depression, a relationship falling apart – whatever it may be – there always seems to be something dramatic going on in my life and it’s a tongue and cheek title to depict it!
For More Information On Grace Davies And To Buy Friends With The Tragic Click Here.
