The Unrivaled World of Grace Inspace
Grace Inspace. Photo credit: Iris Kim.
For Grace Inspace, music is journalism. The London-bred, Los-Angeles based artist approaches her craft as if she is an archivist, transforming the raw chapters of her life into lyrical exposés. “The aesthetic of Grace Inspace is journalism mixed with fantasy and lush soundscapes,” Grace explains. “I write lyrics as if I am writing an essay or an article, but there is always some element of fantasy worked into what I’m writing about.” This unique fusion of intimate confession and expansive production defines her work, creating a world where heartbreak orbits distant stars, where friendship forms constellations in the dark, and every raw truth is a signal beamed back to Earth.
Her recent single, “Unrivaled” is described as marrying a dark, pulsing bass with intimate vocals and a crescendoing guitar, creating something "haunting but hopeful." After experiencing feelings of heartbreak, Grace partnered up with Josh Mehling and Mulherin to bring her emotions to life. “I started the song on my vocal loop pedal, which is this Ditto foot pedal that I layer harmonies with live,” Grace recalls. “ I honestly felt like it was one of those Johnny Cash things where I was inspired by my limitations. All I had was this kind of building, eerie vocal harmony that was lush, but empty” This sparse, yet harmonic foundation was handed to Josh Mehling, whose bass lines instilled the track with palpable tension. That tension became the catalyst for Mulherin’s final touch. “They just completely exploded it with this emotive guitar part!” Grace says, a process that completely transformed the track. “I love the juxtaposition of something simple and moody building tension into a crescendo like that, it mimics the feeling of heartbreak to me, trying to keep it together until finally you just surrender to the pain and let yourself grieve.”
Grace Inspace.
Photo credit: Kate Garner.
Lyrically, “Unrivaled” was born from “a snippet of a conversation” where Grace told someone they were “completely unrivaled.” “I left that conversation like, well that hurt,” she confesses, articulating the painful catch-22 of unrequited love. “I wish someone could compare to them because they treated me so terribly… I wish I could get out of this.”
This deeply personal and nuanced sound marks a distinct musical evolution from her 2023 EP Sunshine Kid, where that project was a collection of “worlds on their own,” often explored through characters. Graces shares that her new work is a cohesive, unfolding narrative. “I’ve been more intentional with how each song relates to each other,” she notes. “They’re not just worlds on their own, they tell a story and as I release more music, that story unfolds.” This artistic intention is woven into her collaborative method, which is an extension of her daily life rather than a business transaction. “I’m also working with the same people for everything. People that are in my daily life and already know what’s going on with me, so that vulnerability hurdle has already been jumped. There is so much freedom to writing with your friends. “ In contrast to Sunshine Kid, Grace shares that her music is a raw reflection of her immediate life, rather than hiding behind characters.
Collaboration is central to Grace Inspace’s artistry. In her collaboration with Luna Li on the track “Meteor,” the creative process unfolded organically on Luna Li’s bed with two guitars, not in a formal studio. “Luna Li is my neighbour!” Grace beams, demystifying the process. “The back and forth is just the back and forth of our friendship, “I had the lyrics and she expanded the melody and the chords.” Her friendship with Luna Li is a touchstone, “I’ll tell her I hear a flute section I hear and she’ll just pick up and play it, it’s very inspiring to be around.”
Working with Luna Li solidified her belief that collaboration is fundamental to her artistry, serving as a “vital touchstone in an isolating industry.” Grace actively champions creating art rooted in community, rather than creating art out of competition. “Creatives form the most incredible communities and I wouldn’t be doing this without my friends,” she states. “They’re the people I ask what cover I should use for an EP, and whether this contract is okay to sign… Community is the source of happiness.” Her dream collaborators, Dora Jar, Okay Kaya, and HAIM, reflect her desire to work with powerful women, but she never wants to stop working with people in her immediate community and world building with her friends.
This supporting network has helped her navigate the industry’s less savoury sides. She recalls a manager who believed she was 19 years-old and suggested they “change” her actual age of 25. This experience inspired her song off of Sunshine Kid, “25.” “I feel like there is this lie that we’ve been told that creativity only belongs to the youth or a certain kind of person when it really belongs to everyone, at any time of life,” she asserts, pushing back against the confining boxes of age, gender, and genre.
Looking ahead, Grace Inspace is embarking on her most vulnerable musical chapter yet. The music on the horizon is about the “process of trying to connect to yourself and befriend yourself.” Veering away from the journey of hiding behind characters, culminating into what she calls, “the most true to myself that I’ve ever been. ” This includes the first love song she ever wrote, a testament to her ongoing commitment to journalistic honesty. For an artist building such lush soundscapes from the raw material of her own life, the next page in her story promises to be her most compelling yet.
Watch the music video for her latest track, Emergency Contact below.