Get to Know 'Whiplash' Canadian Singer-Songwriter GRAE With These 10 Fun Facts! (Exclusive)

GRAE is one of the rising acts we’re most excited about at Just Jared, and we want to give our readers an exclusive chance to get to know more about her.

The Toronto-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist just dropped her new album Whiplash, featuring her recent singles “Boxes,” “Forget You” and “A Room In The Desert.”

Not only has she quickly racked up well over 20 million streams across streaming services, but her music has been featured in some big shows recently, including Nancy Drew, The Bold Type and Netflix’s Virgin River.

“Whiplash was born during a time of confusion and indecisiveness. Falling in and out of love with people I thought would be in my life forever but found myself desperately trying to forget. Did I love them, hate them, want to remember them or forget them?” she explains of her new record.

“I was drowning in the nostalgia of a past I romanticized, while coming to terms with the truth of it all. The album is so back and forth in emotion, but so am I. That’s how the title Whiplash came to be.”

“When you think you understand where I’m going with something, the mood changes and everything is back at square one. It’s an album filled with so much self reflection, love, heartbreak, and discovery. Just like anything I write, it was really therapeutic for me to get these feelings out. I’m looking forward to the release, as creating an album has always been a goal of mine and finally putting one out there is really exciting,” GRAE adds.

GRAE counts an array of influences on her work – from ’80s new wave and The Cure to Joy Division to singer-songwriter Rodriguez to Elton John – which she says comes from her dad.

“It all just stems from my Dad. He was always playing music, he was always listening to music,” she explains.

Check out the music video for “Boxes” and learn 10 Fun Facts about GRAE inside…

1. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation was the first album I ever listened to as a kid.
2. I have a family dog named Missy who is 12 years old and I love her a lot.
3. My sister lives in Australia and has 4 gorgeous kids who are my nieces and nephew.
4. Australia is where I played my first ever gig at 18.
5. I saw Prince live in concert 27 days before he passed away.
6. My best friend Diana and I met on Twitter because Prince replied to both of our tweets, we saw we lived in the same country and started talking.
7. I’ve never drank alcohol.
8. I got my stage name GRAE because my Dad’s friend randomly told me at 16 I look like a GRAE, and it stuck with me.
9. I grew up in Elora, Ontario.
10. I’m vegan.