ON THE RISE
“I live my life in sounds;” Bailey Grey, indie-pop, singer-songwriter shares. New Jersey-based, globally trained musical theater and performance artist unpacks the creative channeling of her life’s chapters into her newly released LP, Love it All.
Bailey rewinds us back to a young age, where she grew up immersed in music. Her dad was a music teacher and band instructor, and having been regularly exposed to a diverse range of eras and genres, Bailey knew she was immediately drawn to the language of music. Much of her early artistic foundation came from theater, growing up as a Broadway child actor in NYC and then eventually earning her master’s at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
While she admits that she has enjoyed the imagination and discipline of it all, she also found herself living in other characters’ storylines, or within the realm of auditioning spending a lot of her time trying to fit into certain boxes, which understandably kept her from knowing parts of herself. She strove for an art form that would help her discover and process her truth, her authenticity, and the world around her. And voilà! An album was born.
Bailey Grey’s debut LP, Love it All, explores her journey of self-discovery in the midst of a chaotic yet beautiful world. Writing in a range of genres, from indie-pop and jazz to alternative rock and blues, Bailey reflects on what it means in her life to “love it all”: the adversity, the triumphs, the process, and the lessons. Both playful and introspective, the album reveals how embracing her music has helped her validate the lows, ride the highs, uncover her strength, and celebrate her resilience and humanity.
The EP’s Title track “Love It All,” helps us understand the intertwined nature of her creative process and her life story.
I want to think that I could love it all,
I wanna reach into the sky and let the stars fall
Create a spark, a wave,
Embark on something beautiful
Bigger than you
Bigger than I could ever be
I fall in love with every song that I hear,
Polyrhythmic harmonies reflect my atmosphere,
The intervals, my neighbors
The chords my fresh air
When I misplace my key the rhythm still lingers here
Another integration of her identity and creative process is how she embraces imperfection, and what makes us human. While there’s so much beauty in what humans can be, there are also reminders of the darkness we create when we’re at war with and within ourselves. In those moments, it can be hard to find love. Bailey shares the power of music as both an outlet to cope with the senseless imbalance, and a way to unite and connect with others despite the growing divides.
The world can be overwhelming at times, and finding a platform to make a positive impact and share love can be challenging, but it’s part of her spirit. It’s a loaded and overarching theme behind the album and the title track, “Love It All,” sets the stage for unraveling what that means.
Bailey points out the intentionality behind the order of the LP’s songs and takes listeners on a roller coaster of these interconnected experiences. The music genres and corresponding energies both reflect the emotional turmoil and the appreciation of it all.
She explains that each song comes to her differently…sometimes it starts with lyrics, other times with a full-blown orchestra in her head, or even a simple guitar riff and chord progression. The process is different every time. She especially loves the collaborative aspect of bringing each vision to life with her counterpart and producer, Sam Cook-Stuntz.
From the jazzy pop-twist in “Out in Under” to the vulnerability of “Battle Cry”, complemented with an emotive harmonica, Bailey Grey sings:
It's what I need to make the truth seem loud
Sometimes farthest away from the crowd.
She elaborates on growing up with the pressure to conform to certain standards, and how, in the noise and chaos of trying to fit in, you can end up feeling totally isolated or buried. In those moments, she’s learned the importance of creating space to find clarity and reconnect with herself. For her, that solace “away from the crowd,” often comes through journaling and poetry, which serve in pulling pieces from within or seeding new songs.
Then there’s “Use Me,” with its playful piano groove and delightful imagery that explores a healthy take on death.
Since its release as a single a few months ago, “Use Me” has struck a chord with listeners and fans resonating with the many ways of recycling your body after death. One particularly moving moment came when a mother reached out to Bailey on TikTok, and asked to use the song for her son's end-of-life ceremony. He had passed away at a young age, and the message gave her a sense of connection through a really difficult grieving period.
From the power of those messages, to the blue-eyed soul of “Get Lost,” with its expressive and cinematic vocals...
To the alt-rock vibes of “Nothing”...
To the springy, sweet ukulele in “When I Fall”, a song Bailey shares was one of the first she ever wrote and then reimagined recently during a new chapter of falling in love...
And finally, to the intimate, acoustic, and perfectly imperfect live rendition of “Easy,” which closes out the LP.
The twists and turns of Bailey’s creativity in this album are endless, so take the listening ride and enjoy the spontaneity of Love it All.
Love It All is available now on all streaming platforms.
Bailey closes with a few reminders to listeners and readers alike,
“Make more stuff. Make more art. You can find yourself through your creativity and really uncover who you are. Too many people stray away or give up because it's a hard industry to break into, but even if you do a little bit each day, it’s worth it because it’s what you love.”
To stay connected with Bailey Grey follow her on social media:
Katherine Li recently released her debut EP Crush(ed). Self-proclaimed sad girl, Katherine Li takes listeners through the shattering experience of a “crush that stayed a crush.” From the first encounter to the last stage of acceptance, the EP explores polarizing sounds to either “sob uncontrollably to, or have a dance party to.” Being a bit of a Tik Tok sensation, Li turned to her digital community of hopeless romantics during the creation of Crush(ed). Her followers not only heard the original snippets of songs which would turn into the EP, but also helped her decide which tracks were best to tell the story of Crush(ed). Read more about Katherine Li and Crush(ed) below!
Can you tell us what your debut EP Crush(ed) is about? Are you telling a story through the EP?
Katherine: “Crush(ed) takes listeners on a journey of unrequited love. The crush that stayed a crush. The EP outlines the 5 stages of having a crush: 1.) The Encounter 2.) Realization 3.) Denial 4.) Hate 5.) Acceptance. In other words, my love life [laughs].”
What’s the meaning behind the EP title, Crush(ed)?
Katherine: “The EP title is suggesting the ‘double-meaning’ behind having a crush. A crush can be seen as exciting, fun, but more often than not (in least in my experiences), you learn that it’s called a ‘crush’ because you get crushed by them.”
What was the creative process behind the EP?
Katherine: “This EP consists of the very first songs I’ve ever made, so finding ‘my sound’ was a huge part of the creative process. I was lucky enough to work with (the very very very talented) Joe Avio, who produced all the songs on Crush(ed). I feel like him and I were on the same wavelength while making these songs [laughs], I think they all turned out amazing and I’m in love with every single track.”
How would you describe your sound? Since this is your debut EP, how important was it for you to develop a sound that represented who you are as an artist?
Katherine: “My sound definitely lives in the ‘sad girl’ space, BUT it’s also spiced up a bit with very cool instrumentals and other elements (thanks Joe!!!). I think most of my songs are ones that you can either sob uncontrollably to, or have a dance party to [laughs]. With Crush(ed) being my debut EP, it was super important for me to find the perfect sound. After the process of finding the sonic space of my first single, ‘We Didn’t Even Date,’ the sound for the rest of the EP quickly followed!”
The EP takes listeners through the stages of having a crush. Was there a specific stage in this journey which was most difficult to articulate? One which was the easiest?
Katherine: “The most difficult stage to articulate was ‘Hate.’ For me, the ‘Hate’ stage of a crush happens very quick, so I had to dig up ALL the negativity I had in me and spill it into three minutes worth of song. The easiest stage to write about was ‘Realization.’ This is when you realize you never had a chance with your crush. Most of my time is spent in this stage so there’s A LOT for me to talk about, maybe even an ENTIRE EP’s worth of songs…”
Is there a song off Crush(ed) you are most proud of? One that was the most challenging to create? One that was the most fun to create?
Katherine: “I’m proud of the entire EP, I don’t think I could choose just one song! Every track means so much to me. The most challenging song to create was ‘I Don’t Care,’ more specifically writing it. It was a bit more difficult for me to write openly about how I felt about watching everyone around me fall in love. The most fun song to create was ‘Happening Again.’ This was the first track that Joe and I made together in the same room! I loved watching the whole song come together piece-by-piece, it makes the final product super interesting to listen to.”
How have you grown as an artist through the release of Crush(ed)?
Katherine: “I always thought that the songs I wrote would mainly be slow piano ballads, but the release of Crush(ed) has pushed me outside the usual ‘sad girl Katherine’ comfort zone. There are some tracks that are more on the upbeat vibe which is different from the sound I usually fall back on. But I’ve fallen in love with trying new things and I’ve been keeping that in my back pocket for the new songs that I make!”
What role did TikTok play in the creation and release of Crush(ed)? Did any of the EP tracks originate as a simple TikTok video?
Katherine: “TikTok played a huge role in the creation and release of Crush(ed). I’m quite the indecisive person [laughs], so I turned to TikTok to figure out which songs would make the EP. Four of the six songs from Crush(ed) started out as short clips from TikTok videos. It’s crazy how 15-second snippets of songs can eventually turn into a fully produced project!”
What are you most proud of upon the release of Crush(ed)?
Katherine: “I’m most proud and thankful to have started to build a little community of fellow people going through unrequited love, and get heartbroken over crushes. It’s been surreal and comforting reading messages from everyone who can relate to the songs on Crush(ed) and going through the same thing as me. HOPELESS ROMANTICS UNITE!!”
