Rachel Grae (born Rachel Brooke Gorman; July 5, 2002) is an American
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
singer and songwriter.
Early life and education
Rachel Brooke Gorman was born on July 12, 2002, in
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the 27,391 counted in the 2000 Census. In 2019, the Population Estimates Progr ...
, to Kenneth and Marci Gorman; she has an older sister, Jessica. She grew up in Livingston, on the outskirts of New York, attended
Livingston High School, and became interested in music at a young age.
In high school, she decided to focus on music as a career.
Career
In late 2020, Rachel Grae started posting performance videos anonymously
on TikTok. When writing music, she embraces the imperfections in life and vulnerability in all its forms, naming other young pop artists like
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with who ...
,
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs '' Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Musi ...
, and
Tate McRae
Tate Rosner McRae (; born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. At the age of thirteen, she gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality TV show '' So You Think You Can Dance''. McRae ca ...
as inspiration in her songwriting, and drawing vocal comparisons to artists like
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
,
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...
, and
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
. She likes to write about topics that she normally wouldn't speak about because it allows her to heal throughout the process. Her favorite part of writing is turning an ugly situation into something beautiful. When a topic feels heavy, that's an indication that her emotions will shine through as more real and genuine feelings, which she hopes can help listeners process similar emotions.
She has been described as “raw and honest,” in her "confessional heart songs...that go right for the emotional core".
She is also known for engaging her fanbase, which she calls her “friendbase,”
via TikTok and Instagram LIVE when writing and creating music.
Music
Grae debuted with her single, Bad Timing, in mid 2021 on Groundwork Records, which landed on the largest billboard in Times Square in partnership with Spotify and Little Kids Rock (now
Music Will).
In March 2022, Grae was one of eight participants in the inaugural season of the TikTok,
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
, and
ViacomCBS
Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It w ...
television show ''
Becoming A Popstar
''Becoming A Popstar'' is an American music competition television series produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment and Velocity, it premiered on MTV on March 24, 2022. Joe Jonas, Becky G, and Sean Bankhead serves as judges for the series.
The f ...
''. She was named the series’ first fan-favorite pick of the week for her video Jersey by judges
Joe Jonas
Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin and Nick. The group released their debut studio album '' ...
,
Becky G
Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition in 2011 when she began posting videos of herself covering popular songs online. One of her videos caught t ...
, and
Sean Bankhead
Sean Bankhead is an American dancer and choreographer. He served as a judge on the American music competition series ''Becoming A Popstar''.
Bankhead has created the choreography for many music videos, including Lil Nas X's " Industry Baby"(fe ...
.
In May 2022, Grae released her viral hit It'll Be Okay, which was featured prominently in an episode of
Love Island UK. She quickly followed up the release with Friend Like Me, after another viral moment in June of her improvising a melody while cooking eggs in her kitchen. The back-to-back notable tracks caught the eye of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'', who then released a feature focusing on her 2021 release, Outsider.
She subsequently appeared live on
KTLA
KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...
5 News, where she discussed her music career and the process behind promoting her music on TikTok; she also performed Colorblind on the show. A short time later, she was featured on a handful of tracks with cover group
Boyce Avenue
Boyce Avenue is an American cover band formed in Sarasota, Florida, by brothers Alejandro Luis Manzano, Daniel Enrique Manzano, and Fabian Rafael Manzano. The brothers attended Pine View School in Osprey, Florida. The band is named after a ...
.
In early 2023, a live performance of her song “How Dare You” was featured by
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ite ...
. The song was also featured in the closing sequence of an episode of the 2023 winter series of
Love Island UK. March and April 2023 saw Grae embark on her first extended tour as an artist, starting in Los Angeles, covering both coasts, and ending in Minneapolis.
On Mother's Day weekend 2023, Grae released “the most vulnerable song” about her relationship with her mom titled “Daughter,” which was covered by
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the l ...
.
Later in 2023, on Stand Up to Cancer Day, Grae released “Hope You’re Proud,” an emotional ode to loss.
Discography
Singles
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grae, Rachel
2002 births
Living people
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
American pop singers
American women pop singers
Livingston High School (New Jersey) alumni
People from Livingston, New Jersey
Singers from New Jersey
Singers from New York City