How much of ourselves are we willing to change to become the person someone else wants us to be? It's a question that sits at the heart of FALL FROM GRACE, the sophomore album from Los Angeles-based artist Grace Kay, out today via Trailing Twelve Records. Written over five years, the nine-track project explores the complicated relationship between identity and romantic expectations, as well as the pressure women face to meet certain standards, even when those expectations begin to feel impossible.
A little over a year ago, we spoke with Kay about these same issues when she released What You Wanted, a song about changing herself to fit someone else's ideal. Now included on the new album, that single feels like part of a much bigger conversation. For Kay, who studied acting at the University of Southern California, stepping into different roles has always felt familiar. The problem came when that ability to adapt began influencing her personal relationships and professional life.
“I wanted to be professional, but pretty enough to sell a product; knowledgeable, but kind; confident, but never intimidating,” she explains. “Essentially, I was trying to become the ‘perfect woman.’” This tension runs throughout the record, which also offers an interesting contrast to her debut, Grace's Gospel. While that album focused on the women who helped shape her identity, this one examines how her relationships with men affected that same sense of self, without overlooking her own responsibility in the process.
Songs like Actress and Puppet explore the consequences of constantly playing a role, while WHY AM I LIKE THIS approaches self-criticism with a darker sense of humour. That combination of vulnerability and irony becomes particularly evident in Tired, whose music video, directed by Nyiko Beguin, is released alongside the album.
And the celebrations won't stop with today's release. As Kay announced a few weeks ago, she'll be bringing FALL FROM GRACE to the stage this Friday, October 23, at Permanent Records Roadhouse in Los Angeles, with support from Kirsten Izer, ASTRINA, and NEPTVNE. It's an opportunity to hear the new material live and see how these deeply personal songs translate into a shared experience.
