Today’s guest is a 17-year-old singer/songwriter who creates the kind of self-possessed pop music that’s empowering for both artist and audience. Since making her debut with the boldly confessional “dumbass”—a heavily playlisted track that premiered in early 2020—the Nashville-based musician has independently released a series of singles built on her unfiltered yet beautifully nuanced brand of songwriting. Her debut single for Atlantic Records, “abcdefu” has quickly proved a breakout hit for our guest, topping charts left and right with a viral stint that’s been fueled by the creation of over 1.5 million TikToks using the track. Along with propelling her to #1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, “abcdefu” debuted at #51 on Billboard’s Hot 100 before reaching #15. The infectiously honest track peaked at #1 on both iTunes’ Pop and overall US charts, along with reaching the #1 most-Shazamed song in the US on November 30, 2021. Along with reaching #1 on Spotify’s Viral Songs Global and being featured on the cover of Spotify’s “Today's Top Hits,” “Fierce Femme,” “Pop Rising,” and “Teen Beats” playlists,“abcdefu” has also been added to Spotify’s “New Music Friday” and “The New Alt,” and many more. Now at work on her debut project, our guest is intent on making music that offers her listeners a certain emotional freedom. And The Writer Is… GAYLE!

Watercolor by: Michael Richey White 

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