Who Is Harper Grae? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

Today we shine our light on another singer-songwriter and badass female country artist in the industry. Harper Grae is an incredible entertainer, who has spent years honing her craft and finding her voice. We chatted with her about her upbringing, her journey to country music, and where she is now.

Hailing from a small town in Alabama, Grae was raised by her grandparents. “They were so full of music and love,” shared the singer as she reminisced about her childhood. According to Grae, both of her grandparents were musical. Her grandfather played guitar and her grandmother sang in church. Similarly, the songstress got her start in church.

“The first song I ever learned was ‘Amazing Grace’ and I sang that in church before I even went to Kindergarten,” she shared. Grae was that little girl who was constantly singing and putting on shows for her family members. Despite her love of music, she never dreamed that she could do this as a career, until she headed to college.

“When you’re from such a small town you really don’t know that there’s so much more out there, unless you’re influenced by it or you get the opportunity to go somewhere,” she began. “So when I was in college, I really had a ton of opportunities to really just culture myself and understand that I can do music for a living.”

During her time at Auburn University, Grae studied musical theatre. As fate would have it, the singer got cast on a show called “The Glee Project” her senior year of college, marking her first ‘big break’ and the first time she had been West of the Mississippi River. The journey led her to Hollywood, where she learned important lessons that she would not have learned otherwise.

The Turning Point:

Despite how incredible the show was, Grae knew she wanted something different. Deciding against going to New York City to try out for Broadway, Grae hightailed it to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her heart’s desire. Growing up, she recalls country music being a staple of her youth. Artists like Martina McBride and Reba were her inspirations.

“I actually wanted to go back to my roots in country music and move to Nashville,” she recalled, when discussing this time in her life,” adding later, “I moved to Nashville right after that show. I’ve been here now writing and releasing music, touring, just really doing it from grassroots.”

Now a Nashville transplant for over a decade, Grae realizes how influential country music has been throughout her whole life. “I was listening to a lot of country music and realized I was that little girl singing ‘Concrete Angel’ in Kindergarten. […] I related so deeply to the lyrics.”

Grae continued to find her people and hone her craft through her years in Nashville. She has become a positive role model and a light for many, who are fans of her music. “I feel honored to walk the walk that I am in country music, being a lesbian country music singer. There’s still a lot of work to be done. […] For me personally, I just want to be that encouraging voice to anyone who is in a small town, who is in a conservative time […] if I could help a child not have to undo something because of my music, then it’s priceless.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Grae is at the point in her career where she is confident and truly herself. “There’s so many supportive voices and there’s so many minorities being lifted up right now by the industry,” she shared. Adding, “I’m not chasing anything anymore other than writing great music and making art.”

That sentiment describes Grae’s music beautifully. We chatted with the songstress about two of her poignant songs, including “Still Your Mother.” The track resonated with people everywhere for its vulnerable lyrics and somber honesty about miscarrying before giving birth to her rainbow baby girl. “I had never put pen to paper about the experience of my miscarriage before,” she began, “I finally felt like I was ready to talk about this and sing about this.” She went on to add, “When I wrote “Still Your Mother” I just wanted to honor the life that was lost and for that little boy to have his own legacy and song.”

On the flip side, Grae has the ability to showcase multiple facets of her personality through her music. Most recently, the singer-songwriter released “I Think About You.” The song was inspired by all the exes that came out of the woodwork, once Grae went public with her now, wife. “There was this thru-line of like ‘I don’t understand how you don’t think about me,'” shared the singer, when thinking about what all her exes would say when they reached out to her.

Grae even let Country Swag followers in on a little secret about the song and its lyrics. “When you’re listening to “I Think About You” you’re probably going to think it’s about one person. […] But really, what this song is about, every single lyric is about a different ex of mine.”

It is safe to say that this is only just the start for the songstress. She has more music in the works for the top of next year, as well as, tour dates on the books. Hopefully, Grae will even get to go out on tour with her fellow class of 2021 CMT Next Women of Country comrades too!

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