Caroline Grace is a few singles deep into her music career — notably last year’s “Show Me.” But after her spring graduation from the University of Southern California, where she majored in narrative studies, the singer and songwriter (and daughter of an off-road racing champion) is ready to go full speed ahead, as evidenced by her new single “Move Alone,” which is premiering exclusively below.
“This is the start of my career,” Grace tells Billboard. “School was amazing, but I’ve been counting down the hours until I was able to put all my efforts into music. In school I was spending such a large amount of time studying when I could be making music. Now I can do it full-time, so I’m excited to see what I can do creatively not only with the music but also what I can do on the other side, the business side, and see how much more I can grow my career.”
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“Move Alone” is that first step. Co-written and produced by Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd (Justin Bieber, Usher, Chris Brown), it’s an uptempo pop track that takes Grace into different but welcome territory. “I definitely identify with slower ballads, and that’s where I tend to write, but I like making more upbeat music, too,” she says. “This song was easy to make. It was so much fun working with Poo Bear, just a really awesome time.” And Grace — who’s currently managing her career independently — feels that in the context of the #MeToo movement “Move Alone” packs a lyrical punch as well.
“It’s very female empowering,” she explains. “It’s about being able to stand up for yourself and say, ‘I can do this,’ whether it’s in a relationship or in (business). At the time I wrote it I was in a relationship and felt I needed to step back and have some time on my own to focus on myself. But in the wake of everything that’s happened with female empowerment, it feels more like it’s about being able to be a young woman moving alone in the music industry.”
Grace will be releasing her first EP, Tell Me How You Feel, this fall and has plenty of other songs piled up. “I’ve been collecting a wide variety of music and kind of just narrowing down what the story is I want to tell,” she says. She’ll continue to release material on her own, but Grace isn’t ruling out any opportunities that may present themselves to her.
“I’m hoping to do what’s best for me in the long run,” she says. “If I find a label that comes to me and I think is a great partnership, I’m more than happy to sign with them. I’m always looking out to see what my options are. But until I find that really great partnership I want to remain independent.”