Ears Wide Open: Grayson

Kevin Bronson on May 13th, 2019

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“Head to Head,” the new EP from pop chameleon Grayson, tackles a lot of empowerment issues, not the least of which is having the fortitude to check oneself. Because it’s often poison to think of everything as a competition.

Grayson, born Claire Grayson, is a singer-songwriter who grew up in the Mormon church, played in the Seattle synth-pop band Neu Youth and identifies as non-binary. Also a model, makeup artist and fashion stylist, Grayson worked with 17-year-old whiz kid Aidan James producing the EP, the artist’s second release on One / Half Records, the label founded by L.A. electronic musician Kauf.

At the center of the six-track (plus interludes) EP is the single “Cherry Pits,” which is “about the need to take ownership of myself. This desire brought up many questions: What are my needs? What are our needs? People often say, ‘You can’t have everything.’ You definitely can’t have it by stepping on someone else in order to get there. It warps the success of whatever that thing may be,” the 21-year-old says. “Misery loves company, as the cliché goes. Confrontation has never been my strong suit, but ‘Cherry Pits’ is a firm voice giving me permission to no longer stay in a damaging cycle. Toxic behaviors often repeat, but when you can finally turn the corner of letting go, the energy around you feels super-charged.”

The tasty production on the track is typical of all of “Head to Head” — warm and uncluttered, with ample space for Grayson to sail in and score the win. If there is winning, of course.

“This EP tackles the strange craving to succeed over someone who may have wronged you in the past so that you can prove your own value in the universe,” Grayson says. “Why does someone have to be on top? Isn’t there room for everyone? I’m learning we all serve a purpose in a bigger picture. … It is the complex line of understanding toxic behaviors and patterns and taking the initiative after that realization to cultivate something healthy, stronger, better and how you show up for yourself instead of seeking approval of others to validate your existence.”

||| Stream: “Cherry Pits”