Molly Grace
Places, everyone: Molly Grace is taking the stage, and if she has anything to say about it, she’s pop music’s next big star. The Belmont alum puts on a show you don’t want to miss, and in just the past two years, she has played major festivals like Bonnaroo and All Things Go, signed a deal with Nettwerk Music Group and opened for artists like Betty Who, and to top it all off, she’s just released her debut album Blush. Her career has taken off at a meteoric pace, and she’s ready to take the world along for the ride.Â
The Nashville-based songwriter and R&B-infused pop singer has channeled her glitzy, hyper-feminine stage persona into a flirty, funky album full of radio-ready pop. Blush displays a mastery of the pop format well beyond Grace’s 20-something years. But writing her first full-length record posed a new challenge: learning to wait.Â
“I knew I wanted to make an album, because I’ve made a couple of EPs and done the singles thing, and I’m an album girl,” says Grace. “I figured out my sound enough to the point that I was ready to make an album. In the past, I had always, like, written a song I like, and then just released it. … Write, record, release. And I really wanted to challenge myself to write more songs than I needed — to write way more than just the 12 songs that would end up on the album — and really forced myself to be picky with what songs I put on the album.”
The deliberation paid off. Blush’s track list is tight and polished. Fans of major pop acts like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan or ReneĂ© Rapp will find a shoo-in for their next favorite artist in Molly Grace. She playfully describes herself as the “lesbian Bruno Mars,” and it’s an apt comparison. She’s got the energy of a young starlet with the intentionality of a seasoned performer, cheeky lyrics sung with heart and an undeniable talent for winning over a crowd.Â
Grace describes Blush as the thesis statement for her artistry — an introduction to her pop-star persona. “Lemme” opens the record with a groove primed for a shameless windows-down sing-along. “Do Me (Feels So Good)” is an infectious breakup earworm that would serve as the perfect soundtrack for a girls’ night out. “Heaven Sent” sparkles through flirtation and soulful vocals, while “Lemonade” slows it down and packs up a bygone relationship, ready to move onto bigger and brighter things. Front to back, it’s a bubblegum-flavored treat for listeners with a pop-loving sweet tooth.Â
Grace calls it “the perfect curtain coming up on my artist project.” But she notes that listeners who jam along only from the comfort of their homes (or wherever they bring their earbuds) are missing out on the fullest experience of her music. Good thing her national headlining club tour has a hometown stop on deck Thursday at The Basement East, with her fellow pop queen in the making Meg Smith supporting. As the lights dim and instruments begin to swell, prepare yourself for the glow of a rising star perfectly in her element.
“Touring is definitely my bread and butter. I feel like it’s where my artistry and my music shines the most. So it’s just been really fun to get to play this album live. And also there’s something so nice about seeing, like, real bodies in space and seeing fans face to face instead of online.”
