Kayla Grace releases her debut EP ‘glass child’, alongside a visualiser for its title track and new single.
Blending confessional lyrics within a sonic tapestry of indie, DIY pop and punk, she has already earned high profile supporters in the shape of Matt Healy, Hugo Silvani (Pale Waves) and Radio 1’s Mollie King and Maia Beth, as well as excited comparisons to Olivia Rodrigo, Holly Humberstone, beabadoobee and Gracie Abrams.
The ‘glass child’ EP opens with a brand-new song in the shape of its title track. Finding the missing link between her alt-pop roots and the spacey vibe of Wolf Alice, it’s a track which levels up its power and angst with every repetition of its hook, leading to a climactic, cathartic chant of ‘You can’t see me, am I nothing?’ which will surely inspire an electrifying moment of audience participation at future live shows.
Lyrically, ‘glass child’ is symbolic of Kayla’s hold-nothing-back approach to lyricism. A glass child is someone who grew up with a sibling whose needs demand far more attention from their family than they themselves receive. It could be a sibling who suffers from behavioural issues or struggles with addiction, but in Kayla’s case it’s about growing up with her disabled sister - a situation she explores further in ‘realign’. It’s a situation of complex emotions: glass children can understand why their sibling receives so much more attention, but that understanding doesn’t stop them feeling like the odd one out. It’s a phrase which has been trending on TikTok recently.
Kayla says: “Glass child is a song of self-discovery. The day I learnt the term was the first day I’d felt seen on a wider level. I had a really rough upbringing in a way it felt like no one else could understand.
“I was neglected in so many ways but had no one to blame. Writing this song was so cathartic, it’s almost like I know who I am and why I am the way I am now.
“It’s not a thing to celebrate be a glass child, but it’s just like a self-acceptance anthem”. The remainder of the EP collates all of the singles that Kayla has released in recent months.
The other experiences she shares include childhood scars that fade in adult but never quite disappear (‘nobody loves me’), boastful boys whose sex stories are all talk and no action (‘pork pies’), realising that your love interest is a waste of space (‘dumped’) and being unexpectedly transported back to the emotions that troubled you in your teens (the bedroom demo of ‘fifteen again’). In short, they’re all brutally honest and immensely real tales of coming-of-age tribulations that most young people experience.
All six tracks on the EP were either written or co-written by Kayla Grace. Her collaborators include Tommy Baxter (Dua Lipa), Gez O’Connell (Zara Larsson), Joseph Wander (Oh Wonder), Mikey Gormley (Nina Nesbitt), Mack Jamieson (Mahalia), Ed Thomas (Jorja Smith), Stefan Abingdon (Selena Gomez) and James Goodwin.
Kayla Grace will play an EP launch party on the 26th September in London at The Slaughtered Lamb. She then plays two Sofar Sound shows this month ahead of Glasgow’s Tenement Trails festival (October 7th) and Live At Leeds (October 14th). Her previous shows include supports to Baby Queen and Michael Aldag, a set at Abbie McCarthy’s Good Karma Club, and festivals such as Victorious and Dot To Dot.
