Published: 9 September 2024

Young Australian talent Meali Grace creates warm, soulful music that connects deeply. Evocative, emotive and delivered with complete conviction Grace’s songs will linger with you long after the last note finishes.

Tomorrow she releases her debut EP Under My Mess but today you can listen to it exclusively on Women In Pop.

The five tracks are acoustic indie-folk-pop gems that team introspective, relatable lyrics on love, life and moving into adulthood with Grace’s crystal clear, expressive vocal.

“Under My Mess is a culmination of my musical thoughts and explorations as an artist so far. I’ve poured my heart into creating this immersive EP,” Grace says. “I wanted to create songs that were melodically and lyrically driven, so I could tell these common yet prominent stories of love, loss and relationships. Stories of the human experience. I fell in love with music the moment I discovered its power to allow people to escape, heal, connect and understand things in ways where words are just not enough. It’s my hope that as people listen to these five tracks they can get lost in the songs, melodies, stories and find space for themselves to heal, grieve, find hope and maybe even cry a little. Almost like therapy for the soul but without the price tag.”

The EP opens with her debut single ‘Upstream’, a guitar and piano based track that looks at feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of life and broken relationships: ‘It feels like I’m always swimming upstream / With no sign of any relief’ she sings. Second single ‘Easy To Remember’, has a more pared back, acoustic sound with Grace singing of forgiving someone only to be hurt just as badly by them again: ‘After all your empty apologies / You go right back to hurting me.’

‘Stay A While’ is a gorgeous, vulnerable guitar ballad that speaks of unconditional love from which the title of the EP is lifted from. ‘I only ask you to stay cause I’m desperate for your help / And I don’t know what else to do / And I trust you / Cause you are the only person I let see under all my mess’.

‘Eyes 4 U’, with its angelic backing vocals and ethereal, dreamy soundscape that builds throughout the song, tells of the universal experience of unrequited love. The EP ends with ‘Heartbreak At 19’ which has an urgent feeling to both its beat and vocals as Grace sings of the trauma of heartbreak after the one you love leaves you: ‘Is this how it feels with your heart breaks?’ Production wise it has an almost raw feel, like you are witnessing Grace performing live just for you. It ends the EP on a note of hope and perseverance with the repeated line ‘I’m going to be okay’, with Grace singing the words in a voice that gradually changes from anger and exasperation to gentle and calm.

Under My Mess is a collection of music that is almost guaranteed to move you. Grace has a beautiful way of telling her stories that feels both confessional and also reflecting your own experience. It is music that really does represent her own words that music can help people ‘escape, heal, connect and understand’ and the future looks bright for this young artist.

Listen to Under My Mess exclusively below now before its general release on 10 September.

Meali Grace will perform an EP launch show on 14 September at Under The Stars, Copacabana, NSW. Tickets on sale now
Follow Meali Grace on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.