Gracey (singer)

Gracey
Born
Grace Barker

(1998-02-20) 20 February 1998 (age 26)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
AgentParadigm Talent Agency
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Years active2014–present
LabelsIndependent
Websitegracey.world

Grace Barker[3] (born 20 February 1998, Brighton), known professionally as Gracey (stylised in all caps),[4] is an English singer who made her breakthrough in 2020 when she collaborated with 220 KID on the BRIT nominated[5] single "Don't Need Love".[6] The song reached a peak of number 9 for two weeks on the UK Singles Chart.[7][8]

Gracey's family consists of her mother who worked in production at the BBC, her father in the advertising industry, and two older brothers.[1] Her family moved to Haywards Heath during her early childhood. She credits her dyslexia with helping her become more creative, and she went on to study musical theatre at the BRIT School in London from 2012 to 2016.[3][1] Through writing demos of pop songs and uploading them to SoundCloud, she was invited by Brian Higgins to join production team Xenomania at the age of sixteen.[3] Her first professionally-recorded song was "By Your Side" by Jonas Blue featuring Raye, which went on to be certified platinum in the UK.[3] Gracey's first single, "Different Things", was released in March 2019 and written as a demo for Little Mix.[3] She has also written songs for Sub Focus, Rita Ora, Olly Murs, and Kylie Minogue.[3][4] Following "Don't Need Love", she released "Empty Love", a collaboration with Australian singer Ruel.[4] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic she was forced to postpone her first headline tour, which was due to take place in May 2020.[4]

In an interview with MTV, Gracey lists her biggest music influences as Sia, The 1975, Lorde, Joni Mitchell, and Robyn.[4] In 2019, she underwent surgery for vocal cord nodules.[3] In January 2023, she revealed she had parted ways with her former label, Polydor and is now an independent artist.

  1. ^ a b c Krol, Charlotte (20 September 2019). "On the Rise: GRACEY". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ Swash, Olivia (21 May 2019). "Rising alt-pop sensation GRACEY releases second single "If You Loved Me"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Savage, Mark (6 June 2020). "Meet Gracey: The pop star who lost her voice as her career took off". BBC. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Get to Know: Gracey". MTV. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. ^ "2021 British Single announced!". Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  6. ^ Cantor, Brian (24 May 2020). "220 Kid & GRACEY's 'Don't Need Love' Officially Earns #1 At US Dance Radio". Headline Planet. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. ^ "220 KID & GRACEY | full Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  8. ^ "don't need love | full Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.