Gracie Abrams has said that opening for Taylor Swift on the US leg of the ‘Eras’ tour “completely altered” her approach for her next album.
Abrams is due to release her second album ‘The Secret Of Us’ on June 21, which features a collaboration with Swift on the song ‘Us’.
She will be rejoining ‘Eras’ tour later this fall when the tour returns to North America for 18 shows over nearly two months, starting October 18 in Miami and running through December 8 in Vancouver.
In a new interview with Elle, Abrams spoke about what she learned from touring with Swift.
“Being in Taylor’s orbit for the summer completely altered every single thing for me,” Gracie said [via MusicNews]. “It informed so much about how I went about writing this next album. She makes everyone feel seen and heard, and she also at different points in the shows makes it feel like an intimate venue despite the fact that there are 80,000 or 100,000 people sharing the space.
“That’s what I want so badly, because the joy is infectious,” she said. “It taught me so much, being able to watch the way that she shows up for everyone that she loves and has a beautiful life and is as generous and giving as she is and kills it every single time.”
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Abrams also praised Swift for creating a “community” backstage. “She was building community not only in the crowd but also backstage. It felt like a full city of people every weekend at these stadiums behind the scenes, making it all come to life,” the singer shared. “And obviously that all comes from the top, and Taylor is the most excellent person and the most excellent boss.”
For her debut album, ‘Good Riddance’, Gracie Abrams worked with The National‘s Aaron Dessner. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “Gracie Abrams has always been an artist to wear her feelings on her sleeve. In her music, tiny, heart-breaking details are put front and centre, with specific minutiae shining through her lyrics. It’s the songwriting that really makes Abrams’ music shine [on ‘Good Riddance’].”