INTERVIEW: Kayla Grace on her debut EP 'glass child': "I always want to prioritise telling my truth, that's the only reason I do music."
Image: Will Kenny
The UK’s Kayla Grace first burst onto the music scene in 2021 with her debut single ‘Bird in a Cage’. Her music is a mesmerising combination of indie, pop, punk and rock teamed with at times painfully honest lyrics and has attracted praise from BBC Radio 1 and Matt Healy (The 1975).
At the beginning of this month she released her debut EP glass child. Featuring five previously released singles and one brand new song, the title track, the collection is inspired by growing up and the pain of coming-of-age.
‘glass child’ is a melancholy, indie track that explores Grace’s upbringing as a ‘glass child’ - someone who grew up with a sibling who needed all their parents’ attention, leaving them feeling neglected. For Grace, this was through growing up with a disabled sister. It’s gentle, indie sound shot through with the occasional synth shimmer is paired with a vocal that switches between soft, almost resigned vocals to shouty anger - ‘You can’t see me / Am I nothing?’
“‘glass child’ is a song of self-discovery. The day I learnt the term was the first day I’d felt seen on a wider level,” Grace says. “I had a really rough upbringing in a way it felt like no one else could understand. I was neglected in so many ways but had no one to blame. Writing this song was so cathartic, it’s almost like I know who I am and why I am the way I am now. It’s not a thing to celebrate be a glass child, but it’s just like a self-acceptance anthem”.
‘realign’ explores the same theme. With a faster, more traditional pop sound, it has the same fuzzy warmness as ‘glass child’ but with lyrics that verge on heartbreaking as Grace sings of her hopes of ‘realigning’ with her sister. ‘We’re cut from the same cloth / It’s my fault I’m so cut off…god I’m so selfish.”
‘nobody loves me’ has a more guitar pop feel and looks at the jarring period progressing from teenager and young adult and the confusion and self-hate that can constantly run through your head. “I got emotional baggage / And it’s too much for me to carry along / But if I tried to unpack it / I know that I would never get it to close”
‘pork pies’ with its punky, thumping beat is a highlight on the EP, showcasing Grace talent for lyricism as she tears apart self-absorbed men who constantly boast (untruthfully) to make them look better than they are. ‘You live a lie but you’re so fucking proud of it.” Paired with some delicious melodies and Grace’s droll, pointed delivery it is a blast of a song.
‘dumped’ moves between a quiet, pared back soundscape and a clashing, guitar heavy chorus as Grace sings of realising her crush is an absolute waste of time. “I feel sick when I look at you now” she sings at the beginning of the song.
The EP ends with the stripped back ‘fifteen again - Bedroom Demo’, which explores the emotional tumult when you are unexpectedly transformed back to the emotions and feelings of your teenage years. “I feel fifteen again…sobbing while you’re laughing with your friends.”
With glass child Grace has created a collection of music with real depth, authenticity and heart. Lyrically it is confessional and at times confronting, but Grace always wins you over with her warmth and soul. A new talent to watch closely. We recently caught up with her to chat all about her career to date and the creation of glass child.
Hey Kayla! Such a delight to chat to you today How is life in your world right now?
Hi! It’s great thank you! I’m currently writing out the setlist for my EP release show! So excited.
Congratulations on the release of your debut EP glass child, it is a really beautiful collection of music. How does it feel to have it out in the world?
Thank you so much! It feels so sick honestly, I’ve been working on these songs for so long and the progression has felt really healing for my inner child. They all explore issues that have been so complex for me thus far in my life and it makes me feel like I've processed them a little and turned them into something fun that can help others.
A ‘glass child’ is a child who feels unseen due to a sibling that needs or demands more attention from their parents, in your case your disabled sister. This theme winds through the EP and it must be an incredibly complex, vulnerable and difficult message to get out there. How do you balance telling your truth without creating tension with those you love?
The term Glass Child is very controversial for some and has even been called ableist in the past. For me it’s just about telling my own story. It doesn't take away from how much I love my sister, and I would never ever blame her. We’ve had a lot of tough conversations in the family since the EP was made but I think that's a good thing long term. I was able to address and heal wounds that I never thought anyone cared about. I always wanna prioritise telling my truth, that's the only reason I do music anyway.
The EP is a mix of indiepop, pop with hints of punk and rock. What is the sonic soundscape, or the ‘feels’, you were aiming for when you were creating these songs?
The track ‘glass child’ was pretty Nirvana inspired. I grew up listening to a lot of other Seattle bands from the 90s and that grunge vibe is the only thing that felt like it matched the struggles I was going through as a kid. Feels wise I always just wanted to create comfort in relatability but I equally never veered from authenticity either. These songs are very personal but I think people see themselves in them and that makes the warm feeling.
‘pork pies’ your single from earlier this year is such a highlight on the EP, the lyrics are just so well written - wry, hilarious, venomous and just brilliant. Tell me about the inspiration and creation of this song, because it’s just wonderful
’pork pies’ was written about someone I once knew who was a compulsive liar. He was actually a great friend and everything, but he just came out with the most random lies which genuinely made me laugh so hard. One time he started saying I had a main character complex and I was just so perplexed by the irony of it all that I went and wrote this song. It was such a hilarious day with Mack and Martin we just wrote down all the lies we’d ever heard and the song came out very quick.
You’ve also just released a visualiser for ‘glass child’. What was it like to create?
We had the nicest actors around to be my family for the visualiser and just played the song over and over whilst filming and it was actually really fun. It made me wanna be an actress too ha ha!
You released your first single in 2021, what was your musical journey that led up to the release of ‘Bird In A Cage’?
I started singing for fun really young and then picked up a guitar and wrote some stuff for school shows but that was it until ‘Bird in a Cage’ really. I’d written hundreds of songs in my bedroom up until this point and never really knew what to do with them. ‘Bird in a Cage’ felt like a marker of a strange covid ruled time and it gave me reason to share a song.
Who are the artists that inspired you on that journey, from those you loved as a child to the artists you listen to today?
My favourite bands when i was little were like Paramore, Nirvana, Hole and The Distillers and I also had a little pop phase where I found love for Lily Allen and early Ed Sheeran, just a lot of fun British pop music really. Then more recently i’m into gut wrenchingly sad music really, Phoebe Bridgers is the best example of this. I think my style mashes all of those bits together.
The music industry has never been a particularly welcoming or safe space for female artists, mainly because it has been run by older, straight, white men for decades. What are your experiences and/or thoughts on gender (in)equality and sexism in music?
I actually have dealt with a lot of straight white, older men telling me what to do with my own songs, suggesting lyric changes with no will to compromise (when writing songs about my own personal experiences), disregarding the messages I want to send through music and so on. I’m still fairly new to the industry so I’ve only just learned how to put my foot down. It’s really painful to open up about my most traumatic experiences to strangers to write something beautiful and to then be shut down and moulded into whatever shape they see fit. Kills the art for me.
glass child is out now, what else is coming up for you for the rest of this year?
I’ve got my EP release party next week which is super exciting! Got a couple little secret bits coming up that I can’t talk about but also writing lots of new music so eyes peeled really!
glass child is out now via Good Taste Recordings. You can buy and stream here.
To keep up with Kayla Grace you can follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
