Pale Waves frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie thought it was time to defend her own and others’ individuality.
She lets it shine on the forthcoming album, “Who Am I?” which will be released on February 12.
“I think it’s going to help a lot of people,” Baron-Gracie says via Zoom. “‘She’s My Religion’ has already done so much for the fans, in terms of their own sexuality.”
“She’s My Religion” shows Baron-Gracie embracing her sexuality to represent her relationship. She says she didn’t think twice about it being difficult or awkward to share her feelings through Pale Waves’ music.
“I was just going in and writing these songs,” she says. “I didn’t really think about the aftermath or knowing people would eventually listen to them. I was just enjoying the moment of expression.
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, everyone can basically hear this.’ I was writing it in the moment.”
“Who Am I” is a telling title in its own right. It didn’t sit right with me. I wrote, ‘Who Am I?’ when I was on tour. I had this gut feeling and new instantly that that was the appropriate title for this album and really sort of summarized it.”
“Who Am I?” is the follow up to the band’s 2018 debut, “My Mind Makes Noises,” which amassed over 70 million streams worldwide. The press frequently covered Pale Waves and Baron-Gracie loved it.
“It was incredible that people were paying attention to our songs,” she says. “That includes the newspapers that my parents read and radio stations that I grew up listening to are playing us now. That’s really strange for me and really strange for my family.
“It was amazing that people connected to and paid attention to our work. This album means even more to me. I’m very thankful that people are validating my expression of my feelings and my view on life, and people want to spend their own individual time on it.”
Pale Waves’ music is definitely relatable. Through her lyrics, Baron-Gracie also reflects on her own mental health. As for the pandemic — which has been a dark time for many — she’s handled it pretty well.
“I know other people are really struggling because they don’t have anything to do,” she says. “I think that’s creating a lot of issues and loneliness within a lot of people.
“Because of this album and this campaign, I feel like I’ve had so much to do on the daily. So, if anything, I don’t have enough time during the day to get everything done. I’ve been so busy that I’ve not had time to really think about everything that much.”
Her parents are Pale Waves’ biggest fans, but she still finds time to visit them. She says they enjoy receiving merchandise, albums and other goodies. However, Baron-Gracie gets a kick out of her mom’s coworkers asking for autographs.
“My mom works at a hospital and people at her hospital stop her all the time and ask if their kids can get something signed,” she says with a smile. “It’s really sweet. Every time I go back home, my mom says, ‘I have this and that for you to sign.’ It’s really amazing.”
Pale Waves
palewaves.co.uk
