Heather Baron-Gracie

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Heather Baron-Gracie

| image = Pale Waves @ Wiltern 07 12 2024 (53885673722).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Heather Baron-Gracie in 2024

| alt =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|1|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Preston, Lancashire, England

| occupation = {{Flatlist|

Singer
songwriter
musician

}}

| years_active = 2014–present

| genre = {{Flatlist|

}}

| current_member_of = Pale Waves

| partner = Kelsi Luck

}}

Heather Baron-Gracie (born 17 January 1995) is a British singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Pale Waves.

Life and career

=Early life=

Heather Baron-Gracie was born in Preston, Lancashire.{{cite web |last1=Stubbs |first1=Dan |title=The 1975 and Pale Waves: Matty Healy introduces your favourite new pop band |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/pale-waves-1975-matty-healy-interview-2151614 |website=NME |access-date=8 January 2022 |date=20 October 2017}} Around the time she started secondary school, Baron-Gracie experienced a debilitating back injury: "I didn't have an accident. It just happened," she told the Evening Standard in 2018. "I was complaining for ages that my back was in pain but people just thought I was just growing. I was doing sports with a broken back for ages." The injury {{En dash}} which was severe enough that Baron-Gracie required spinal fusion surgery {{En dash}} very nearly paralysed her, and it forced her to miss an entire year of school.{{Cite news|last=Smyth|first=David|date=2 March 2018|title=Pale Waves talk stardom, touring with the 1975 and rocking the goth look|work=Evening Standard|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/pale-waves-talk-stardom-touring-with-the-1975-and-rocking-the-goth-look-a3780061.html|access-date=9 February 2022}} It was during her recovery that Baron-Gracie got deeply invested in music: "I was always into [music] ... But when that happened, I was staying in my house and wrote music loads. And ever since that, this is what I want to do."{{Cite magazine|last=Youngs|first=Ian|date=8 January 2018|title=BBC Sound of 2018: Pale Waves interview|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42455531|access-date=9 February 2022|magazine=Billboard}}

Baron-Gracie attended the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) in Manchester, where she met future Pale Waves drummer, Ciara Doran.{{cite web |last1=Turner |first1=Cerys |title=Pale Waves' Heather Baron-Gracie chats growing up and falling in love for new album Who Am I? |url=https://theboar.org/2021/01/pale-waves-interview-heather-chats/ |website=The Boar |access-date=8 January 2022 |date=18 January 2021}} The two connected via a college-sponsored Facebook group and, thanks to their similar aesthetic and personality, they quickly befriended one another.{{Cite web |last=North |first=Danny |date=15 May 2019 |title=Pale Waves talks about their friendship and life as "gothy" role models |url=https://www.newsweek.com/heather-baron-gracie-and-ciara-doran-talk-pale-waves-friendship-and-life-1426360 |access-date=5 July 2022 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}

=Pale Waves=

Originally called "Creek", Pale Waves was founded by Baron-Gracie and Doran in 2014.{{cite web |title=Making Waves With Heather Baron-Gracie |url=https://themusic.com.au/features/pale-waves-heather-baron-gracie-cyclone/xJnX1tnY29o/06-07-18/ |website=The Music |access-date=8 January 2022 |date=5 July 2018}} The band later expanded to include Hugo Silvani and Charlie Wood.{{cite web |last1=Hemmings |first1=Jeff |title=Pale Waves – Interview 2019 |url=https://brightonsfinest.com/music/q-and-a/pale-waves-interview-2019/2019/ |website=Brightons on Fire |access-date=8 January 2022 |date=11 January 2019}} Pale Waves is signed to the independent label Dirty Hit and has released an EP, All the Things I Never Said (2018), and three albums, My Mind Makes Noises (2018), Who Am I? (2021), and Unwanted (2022).{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Fred |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/pale-waves-mn0003604120/biography |title=Pale Waves {{!}} Biography |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=16 November 2017}} A fourth album, Smitten, was released on 20 September 2024.{{cite web |last1=Hardman |first1=Neville |date=12 June 2024 |title=Pale Waves announce new album Smitten |url=https://www.altpress.com/pale-waves-perfume-video-watch/ |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=Alternative Press}}

Artistry

=Influences=

Much of the music Heather Baron-Gracie has written has been inspired by musicians from the 1980s, including The Cure, Prince, and Madonna.{{cite magazine |last1=Scott |first1=Jason |title=Pale Waves on Upcoming Debut EP 'New Year's Eve' & Being a Band That's 'Actually Becoming Something' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/pale-waves-interview-new-years-eve-8061627/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=9 January 2022 |date=6 December 2017}} When discussing Pale Waves's second album Who Am I?, Baron-Gracie further cited Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, Courtney Love, Liz Phair, Michelle Branch, The Chicks, and Kacey Musgraves as inspiration.{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Thomas |date=20 November 2020 |title=Pale Waves: "I've been hiding who I am for so long now. I don't wanna do that any more" |url=https://www.nme.com/big-reads/pale-waves-cover-interview-2020-change-who-am-i-2821221 |website=NME |access-date=1 January 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://thehoneypop.com/2021/02/20/pale-waves-new-album-who-am-i-will-have-you-in-self-reflection/|title=Pale Waves' New Album, Who Am I?, Will Have You In Self Reflection|website=The Honey Pop|first=Mar|last=Maldonado|date=20 February 2021|accessdate=7 January 2022}} In terms of specific albums, Baron-Gracie has also cited The Cure's Disintegration (1989), Paramore's All We know Is Falling (2005) and Riot! (2007), Lucy Rose's Like I Used To (2012), Daughter's If You Leave (2013), and Muna's About U (2017) as inspiring both her and Pale Waves's musical style.{{cite web|last1=RIML_TV|date=4 June 2018|title=Pale Waves on Records In My Life (2018 interview)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-rBVWHuulg|access-date=9 January 2022|website=Records in my Life|via=YouTube}}

In an interview with The Irish Times, Baron-Gracie cited Dolores O'Riordan as her main vocal influence, saying: "I love The Cranberries. They were amazing. I definitely looked up to Dolores O'Riordan. She has one of my favourite voices of all time. She gave off that attitude – she was totally herself. I loved her fashion sense, she was such a cool person".{{cite news |last=Power |first=Ed |date=17 September 2018 |title='I looked up to Dolores O'Riordan. She gave off that attitude – she was totally herself' |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/i-looked-up-to-dolores-o-riordan-she-gave-off-that-attitude-she-was-totally-herself-1.3628357 |url-status=live |access-date=22 June 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200529221807/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/i-looked-up-to-dolores-o-riordan-she-gave-off-that-attitude-she-was-totally-herself-1.3628357 |archive-date=29 May 2020}}

= Musical equipment =

Baron-Gracie is known for playing Vox Phantoms. She received her first of these guitars as a birthday present from Matty Healy of the 1975. However, due to the guitar's size, Baron-Gracie struggled to play it during live shows, telling Magnet magazine: "It sounded amazing, it played amazing, but it was a 12-string, and it was difficult to play live. I'm a tiny person and this guitar was just as big as me. It kept falling down." Jaime Oborne, the head of the record label Dirty Hit, subsequently reached out to a guitar enthusiast that he knew. This individual built Baron-Gracie a custom black Vox Phantom six-string that she could use during live performances.{{Cite web|last=Fagerstrom|first=Bruce|date=15 February 2021|title=A Conversation With Heather Baron-Gracie (Pale Waves)|url=https://magnetmagazine.com/2021/02/15/a-conversation-with-heather-baron-gracie-pale-waves/|access-date=7 February 2022|website=Magnet}}

=Visual style=

File:Pale Waves 12 06 2018 -6 (31483558177).jpg

Baron-Gracie's visual aesthetic and fashion sense has often been described as "gothic".{{cite news |last1=Kochhar |first1=Nazuk |title=How to stay goth in the summer |url=https://www.thefader.com/2018/05/24/how-to-stay-goth-in-the-summer-pale-waves-summer-makeup-summer-hair-goth-swimsuit |website=The Fader |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=24 May 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Kucharski |first1=Eve |title=Pale Waves Frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie Is the Gay Goth Role Model the Community Needs |url=https://pridesource.com/article/pale-waves-frontwoman-heather-baron-gracie-is-the-gay-goth-role-model-the-community-needs/ |website=Pride Source |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=19 February 2021}}{{cite web |title="This is only the start!" An interview with Pale Waves' Heather Baron Gracie |url=https://exepose.com/2018/12/06/this-is-only-the-start-an-interview-with-pale-waves-heather-baron-gracie/ |website=Exeposé |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=6 December 2018|quote=You've cultivated this amazing Gothic aesthetic. What does the term 'goth' mean to you}}?{{cite web |last1=Manno |first1=Lizzie |title=Love Them or Hate Them, Pale Waves Are Unstoppable |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/pale-waves/love-them-or-hate-them-pale-waves-are-unstoppable/ |website=Paste Magazine |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=6 September 2018 |quote=Pale Waves['] frontwoman and goth goddess [is] Heather Baron-Gracie}}. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Baron-Gracie explained: "I've always been into dark fashion, the gothic side of things and vampires ... I like funeral clothes more than summer clothes. It comes from feeling like an outsider."{{cite web |last1=Hodgkinson |first1=Will |title=Dark but delicious — Pale Waves, the goth group with a sweet centre |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/pale-waves-talk-stardom-touring-with-the-1975-and-rocking-the-goth-look-a3780061.html |website=Evening Standard |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=3 April 2018}} The juxtaposition between Pale Waves's "high-fidelity pop exuberance" and Baron-Gracie's "obsidian gothic aesthetics"{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Steffanee |date=2021 |title=Pale Waves' Heather Baron-Gracie Is Ready To Let You In |url=https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/pale-waves-heather-baron-gracie-who-am-i-interview |access-date=3 July 2022 |website=Nylon |language=en}} has engendered critical discussion: Owen Tanner of the Milwaukee Record described her look as "Taylor Swift going as Beetlejuice for Halloween"{{cite web |last1=Tanner |first1=Owen |title=Pale Waves go goth at Black Friday show at The Rave |url=https://milwaukeerecord.com/music/pale-waves-go-goth-at-black-friday-show-at-the-rave/ |website=Milwaukee Record |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=24 November 2018}} and Jessie Atkinson of Gigwise called it "Avril Lavigne Gothicism".{{cite web |last1=Atkinson |first1=Jessie |title=Pale Waves continue the Goth Avril Lavigne vibe on 'Easy' |url=https://www.gigwise.com/news/3395060/pale-waves-continue-the-goth-avril-lavigne-vibe-on-easy |website=Gigwise |access-date=10 January 2022 |date=14 January 2021}}

Baron-Gracie's aesthetic has often led many to assume she performs in a metal, metalcore, or screamo band—an assumption that Baron-Gracie has deemed "one of the biggest misconceptions" about Pale Waves. The contrast between Baron-Gracie's visual style and the style of her band has occasionally resulted in accusations of "goth-baiting"—"on the first album," she told Nylon, "we received so much shit for basically ... wearing eye shadow and then playing essentially like pop music"—but Baron-Gracie has rebuffed these criticisms many times: In the aforementioned Nylon interview, she emphasized, "I don't have to wear anything to play the kind of music that I want to play", and in an interview with Magnet, Baron-Gracie further stressed, "If I want to look like a moody vampire, let me!"{{cite news |last1=Fegerstrom |first1=Bruce |date=15 February 2021 |title=A Conversation With Heather Baron-Gracie (Pale Waves) |url=https://magnetmagazine.com/2021/02/15/a-conversation-with-heather-baron-gracie-pale-waves/ |access-date=23 January 2022 |website=Magnet Magazine}}

Personal life

Baron-Gracie is an open member of the LGBTQ+ community, and in an interview with Vanity Fair, she exclaimed: "Too many people think I'm straight ... I'm not straight ... I've always been gay. When I came out of the womb I knew I was gay." Baron-Gracie is in a relationship with singer and songwriter Kelsi Luck, who served as Baron-Gracie's "muse" when she was writing the lyrics and themes for the Pale Waves album Who Am I?{{cite web |last=Landsbaum |first=Claire |date=12 February 2021 |title=Pale Waves' Heather Baron-Gracie Is Music's Reigning Queer Emo Queen |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/02/pale-waves-heather-baron-gracie-is-musics-reigning-queer-emo-queen |website=Vanity Fair |access-date=16 February 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Balmont |first1=James |title=Girl to the Front: Pale Waves |url=https://diymag.com/2021/02/05/pale-waves-who-am-i-february-2021-interview |website=DIY |access-date=23 July 2021|date=5 February 2021}} With Baron-Gracie, Luck co-directed the video for Pale Waves' single "You Don't Own Me", and the two starred together in the video for the song "She's My Religion".{{cite web |last1=Pale Waves |title=Pale Waves – You Don't Own Me |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR2VDHpjUq4 |via=YouTube |access-date=12 August 2021 |date=1 March 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Pale Waves |title=Pale Waves – She's My Religion |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQ0dkcXLxI |via=YouTube |access-date=12 August 2021 |date=22 December 2020}}

In an interview with Ladygunn magazine, Baron-Gracie said that she is "not really religious"; in a later Line of Best Fit interview, however, she did note that she has "become a lot more spiritual" as she has gotten older.{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Ashley Simone |title=Heather Baron-Gracie Is the Odd One Out |url=https://www.ladygunn.com/music/pale-waves-who-am-i/ |website=Ladygunn |access-date=18 January 2024 |date=12 February 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Pip |title=A Different Kind of Love |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/longread/pale-waves-a-different-kind-of-love-interview |website=The Line of Best Fit |access-date=18 January 2024 |date=23 February 2021}} Part of this shift was the result of Baron-Gracie having read the work of Alain de Botton.{{cite web |last1=Lanham |first1=Tom |title=Pale Waves Back with 'Who Am I?' |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/culture/pale-waves-back-with-who-am-i/article_4233bc5e-21e9-585d-bacb-8b00fcc18027.html |website=San Francisco Examiner |access-date=18 January 2024 |date=17 February 2021}} When discussing the use of religious visuals in the music video for "She's My Religion," she explained that the aesthetic was "basically a rebellion against religious and even non-religious people who disregard same-sex relationships".{{cite web |last1=Roach |first1=Michaela |title='Who Am I?': An Interview with Heather Baron-Gracie |url=https://brignews.com/2021/01/08/who-am-i-an-interview-with-heather-baron-gracie/ |publisher=Brig Newspaper |access-date=18 January 2024 |date=8 January 2021}}