Gracie Abrams may be a top-10 charting pop star who was raised by a blockbuster movie director, but she said her fame feels slight in the shadow of her mentor and friend, Taylor Swift.
In her ascent to mainstream renown, Abrams, 25, has been subjected to plenty of scrutiny about her love life (she’s reportedly dating “Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal) and her family (she’s faced “nepo baby” accusations thanks to her father, J.J. Abrams, whose credits include hit TV shows like “Lost” and major film franchises like “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”).
However, in Billboard’s new cover story, Abrams said spending time with Swift puts her own experience in the public eye into perspective.
“It’s like, I really don’t have it that bad in terms of invasion of privacy, you know what I mean?” Abrams said. “I feel like I learned a lot from her, obviously, but one of the things that I’ve felt lucky to observe is how extreme it can be [for her]. It helps right-size my own shit.”
Still, that doesn’t mean Abrams isn’t harboring Swift-sized ambitions.
The two musicians became close when Swift enlisted Abrams as one of her opening acts on the Eras Tour; they ended up collaborating on a Grammy-nominated duet (“Us.”) and sharing the stage multiple times during Swift’s record-breaking stadium trek.
Asked if she hopes to headline her own stadium tour in the future, Abrams replied, “Hell yeah.”
“I could have never imagined myself admitting to that,” Abrams continued. “I think having had the privilege of opening for Taylor in the stadiums that we played, to now have a visual reference and a real sense of what it feels like to be on a stage in that environment… It’s something that I miss and desperately hope to earn over time.”
Abrams also said that, much like Swift, the scrutiny she’s faced hasn’t changed her approach to dating or diaristic songwriting. “That would be so unfortunate,” she told Billboard.
Abrams released her debut EP, “Minor,” in 2020, which served as an early lyrical inspiration for Olivia Rodrigo (who became another close friend after Abrams opened for Rodrigo’s Sour Tour).
In addition to praise from her peers, Abrams also drew critical acclaim for songs like “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” in 2020 and “Rockland” in 2021 — but she didn’t crack the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 until last year with “That’s So True.” The surprise hit was released as a deluxe track from her sophomore album, “The Secret of Us,” which also yielded fan favorites like “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and “Risk.”
In March, Abrams was honored as songwriter of the year at Billboard’s annual Women in Music event, where Abrams thanked “the incomparable Miss Taylor Swift.”
“I will never stop thanking her for the gift of her pen,” Abrams said, “which very much raised me.”
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