WHAT IT IS: 18-year-old GRACE is one of the hottest pop/soul prospects this year. Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, with U.K. roots, she grew up with the sounds of Smokey Robinson, Janis Joplin, Shirley Bassey and Amy Winehouse. The songstress has a raw, throaty, soulful sound, whose emotional timbre belies her tender years. Already a #1 hit in the U.K. and Australia, her debut single “You Don’t Own Me” is a cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 anthem, but features new verses rapped by G-Eazy and was helmed by its original producer, the legendary Quincy Jones, along with Parker Ighile (Nicki Minaj).
ALBUM: Memo (EP)
RELEASE DATE: 5/25/15
SINGLE: “You Don’t Own Me” f/G-Eazy
TV: Recent stops at Today, Colbert, Kelly & Michael; 2015 House of Fraser Christmas ad
LIVE: Opened for Leon Bridges on Euro tour last summer
INTERNET: 35m+ single streams, 22m official video views
RADIO: Spins from Top 40, Rhythmic and Urban radio; early support from SiriusXM’s Hits 1 and Venus; hit #1 on U.K. and Australian charts
PRESS: WWD, Fader (“she’s in possession of the voice and swagger of someone much older”), Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Spin, ARTISTdirect (“Grace is one of the year’s most important new voices”)
BOOKING: Mark Cheatham/CAA
PUBLISHING: Sony/ATV
MANAGEMENT: Efe Ogbeni/ Regime Music Societe