Upside Down with Grace Pelle

This past week we got the opportunity to exchange a few words with artist Grace Pelle. She release a new single today called “Upside Down,” which “is about this "fever dream" our world is living in right now, so it is something everyone can relate to.” You can check it out as well as her other music on any streaming platform!

Pelle describes her music as “ thought provoking and distinct.” She goes on to say,

“I try to merge modern folk and electronic styles. My music is expressed through catchy melodies and the fluidity of vocals, and my somewhat unique vocal timbre reflects the emotion I convey in my songs. I hope to present universal truths in ways listeners have never heard before so that my music will stay with audiences long after they end. "Upside Down", for example, is about this "fever dream" our world is living in right now, so it is something everyone can relate to.”

Like many artists recently, Grace has taken a large role in the production of her music, which is so fascinating!

“I produce all of my own music! I have been producing my own music ever since I figured out what GarageBand was on my moms computer in 5th grade. My junior year of high school I got Logic, and then I started teaching myself from there. I make my own sounds and experiment with beats and vocals. I spend countless hours mixing and coming up with ideas, and recently I have been learning how to master my songs as well.”

As far as the inspiration for her music, Pelle says that every aspect of life has some sort of role when it comes to her music.

“Every aspect of life inspires my music. From pain and sorrow, to happiness and joy - from memories and longing, to new beginnings and excitement. I take the people in my life that matter most and create stories around them, and I draw from heartbreak, aspirations, and passions to tell a story. As well as my own life, I also look at others lives and create stories. Sometimes I will write a song that has nothing to do with me, but about someone else or something else. I try to write music to mimic other styles from popular artists to expand my musical horizons. I recently created a ragtime piano song with a lot of odd chords and created it into a weird, haunting pop song with layers of vocals.”

Aside from the creation of her own music, we wanted to learn more about the kind of music that Pelle listens to in her free time. So, we asked her to give us an overview of her music timeline throughout her life so far!

“I have always been obsessed with music and how powerful it is ever since a young age. Growing up, the first artist role model I had was Adele. I remembered listening to “Someone Like You” and crying when it first came out. I began to teach myself piano more and I loved how Adele's voice exactly captured the emotion the song presented. Around 7th grade I became obsessed with John Legend's song “All of Me” and played it at my talent show. I kept finding artists and songs that struck me in different ways, and ever since a young age I was starting to perceive life as a song. Since then, I became interested in how other artists accomplished this in their own ways. I started listening more to artists that were creating unique styles in their music. My dad always loved Coldplay, so I grew up listening to all of their albums, which became kind of a listening standard in my family. In middle school and high school I started to follow AJR and Twenty One Pilots, as well as Milky Chance and BORNS. In college I have discovered a lot of local Nashville bands and became exposed to a whole other variety of music. I started to listen to more alternative music, such as Bad Suns, The Band Camino, and Hippo Campus. I am also listening to the music of a lot of my friends and people in my school, which is such a gift because I am able to learn and grow from them.”

If she could listen to one album for the rest of her life, it would be “Everyday Life” by Coldplay, which is a wonderfully diverse album that contains a mixture of elements from many different genres.

We wanted to know if Pelle had any advice to share with aspiring artists who want to get their music out, or bad advice that she has been given while trying to build her career over the past couple years.

“The worst advice I have ever been given was to “pick something different” or “easier”, or to focus on singing rather than songwriting. I have been criticized a lot by those within the industry giving advice, and although it seems discouraging, it makes me eager to prove them wrong. Most people think going into the music industry is like career suicide, but I am going all in and there’s no turning back! The best advice I have been given from my dad. He knows me the best, and has told me from day 1 to be a “grinder” and to keep my head up. I feel that if you work towards a dream you believe could come true, it can really become a reality. The best way to get your music out there is to start posting a lot on your socials, and perform live! Right now, it is a little hard to be performing at venues, but Instagram Livestreams are a great way for people to get to know you both as a musician and person. You can build a following on social media and collaborate with artists and producers. If you are looking to actually release a song on all music platforms, that part is actually easy. Once you have your final master of a song you want to release, you can use digital distribution companies, such as Distro

Kid, CD Baby, TuneCore, etc… I use Distro Kid personally, but it is really up to you which one you decide to use.”

Speaking of live shows being a great way to promote your music, we wanted to know if Pelle has any plans for live shows after quarantine. So, is she?

“Yes! I would absolutely love to play live shows after quarantine. Once I get back to Belmont University, I will be booking shows in Nashville. I would like to try playing live with a band that can accompany me as well as produce electronic sounds found in my songs. I usually play writer's rounds at local venues in Nashville, but I would like to try new things this upcoming semester.”

We are so excited to get back to Nashville and keep and eye out for shows from Grace Pelle in the future. But, until then go stream “Upside Down” everywhere you listen to music!