Artist and actor Grace VanderWaal talks her role in Megalopolis, her upcoming album, and the importance of staying true to herself in a challenging industry.

In a profit-driven world obsessed with materialism and fleeting trends, it’s difficult for any young artist to find their footing in the unstable terrain of the creative industry. Yet, Grace VanderWaal has managed to do just that. Propelled into the limelight at 12 years old after her win on America’s Got Talent in 2016, Grace was thrust into the disorienting world of fame, with no real idea of what would come. Now 20, she has evolved into a multi-dimensional artist, self-aware, complex, and steadfast in her commitment to authenticity within herself and her work.

 

Growing up, music was always close to Grace’s heart; so much so, in fact, that she saved up as a child to buy the very ukulele that first catapulted her into fame. Though much of her musical journey has been played out in the public eye, her relationship with music has always been deeply personal. “Music was a way for me to take things out of my body and make them a physical thing”, she reflects on her early work, “and now that physical thing is something that I’m proud of, I’m kind of soothed by listening to it and allowing it to be alive.” Turning her thoughts and feelings into melodies and lyrics became a therapeutic process. Over the years, this cathartic connection to her music and songwriting has only grown stronger. In many ways, her music became the vessel through which she navigated her life.

Today, Grace is utterly intentional in her craft, using it to explore more complex themes like identity, relationships, and womanhood. Since releasing her debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect, fresh off her 2016 win, her music has undergone a significant transformation. “I’ve studied songwriting a lot”, she reveals, highlighting how she’s become more deliberate in dissecting lyrics and understanding what makes them resonate so deeply with her, “One of my new songs is actually a collection of poems”. Offering a glimpse into her upcoming project, Grace shares one of her favourite lyrics, “I don’t want to be nothing. What’s my voice without your words? So I’ll speak the language, but it’s a one-sided design. It cuts my tongue when I speak it because it’s yours, it’s not mine.”

 

Along with candidly sharing insights into her music, Grace VanderWaal is keen to be refreshingly open about the darker sides of fame, especially the challenges she has faced as a woman in the entertainment industry. Celebrity, compounded by the pressures of social media, has been a difficult path for her to navigate. “There’s no real way to manage hate,” she admits, reflecting on how constant scrutiny and negativity have seeped into her personal relationships, causing her to second-guess people’s true intentions with her. Despite these challenges, Grace is learning to navigate her complex relationships with social media and the dizzying dynamics of fame, finding a way to protect her mental health and her personal relationships.

Amidst these challenges, Grace remains committed to her authenticity. “I have a lot of pride in the fact that I will never hash, grab, or water down anything.” she shares, reinforcing one of her core values as an artist. In an industry where musicians are often pressured to chase trends or create content for the sake of virality, Grace stands firm in her artistic integrity: “I want my fans to know that whatever they’re hearing or seeing is coming directly from me.”

 

This refusal to compromise is evident in the way she approaches her social media presence, using it not for the careful curation of a staged viral moment but for creating a personal platform to connect with her listeners on a real level. “I think that people just care about being popular now, and they are so scared of being disliked or having a project be disliked that it’s just all gotten very, very boring. Even if I don’t like something, I can commend it for its bravery.” Her disdain for the “watered-down” approach that prioritises clicks over creativity is what drives her. For Grace VanderWaal, each project must come from a genuine place, not a commercial formula.

As well as being drive by a love of music, Grace has branched out into acting, most recently appearing in Francis Ford Coppola’s highly anticipated film, Megalopolis, as Vesta Streetwater. “Movies are easy,” she says almost nonchalantly, contrasting the structured nature of acting with the emotional vulnerability required in her music. Still, her foray into acting has been anything but ordinary, particularly given the director’s legendary status and surprisingly unconventional approach to filmmaking. “Coppola was free,” Grace recalls, marvelling at his willingness, “He would literally rewrite an entire script, in that very moment” she shared “he really worked without an ounce of ego if you thought something or you felt something, he would always hear anyone out. And I thought that was really, really cool.”

 

Amongst the current state of both the music and film industries, Grace shared her disdain that much of it has become driven by profit rather than passion. “Money making has just taken over, and to me, in such a painfully obvious way,” she says. Her criticism of the rise of commercialised art that lacks depth is refreshing, “Movies are just made without any intent at all, no art form.” she argues. This is exactly what drew her to working with Coppola on Megalopolis. “Bravery and art go hand in hand,” she says, even if it risks being unpopular. For her, the ultimate measure of success isn’t how many people like something, but whether the artist was brave enough to create it authentically. “Working on Megalopolis definitely made me feel like I could do movies again, which I kind of swore off for a while”, she confided.

It’s clear that Grace VanderWaal’s journey is nowhere near done as an artist, she’s the captain of her own ship and can steer her career on her own terms. “I’m kind of like the boss of my art,” she says, acknowledging the freedom and responsibility that comes with being in control of her creative output. However, she’s quick to admit that this liberty can sometimes feel overwhelming: “It grants a lot of freedom, but also a lot of room to feel lost and not really know your footing,” she explains, “For the first time in my life, I really have that somewhat concrete.”

 

As for the future, Grace is content to focus on the present, particularly her new music. “We’re doing this album, and I really just want to stay living in that world”, she says, resisting the urge to look too far ahead. With her feet firmly planted, she’s ready to see where her creativity takes her next, “It’s hard to not keep evolving”, she smiles.

Though just entering her twenties, Grace VanderWaal has already lived multiple lives as an artist. Her voice resonates in both music and film, with a drive and rawness fueled by her dedication to creating authentic work. “I hope everyone always knows that I put a lot of thought into everything I do”, she muses, and there’s no doubt that fans and critics alike will continue to appreciate her for it.

 

Megalopolis is out in cinemas now.