Minor (EP)
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Minor
| cover = Gracie Abrams minorEP.jpeg
| border = yes
| alt = A picture of a young woman framed by a red border placed on a white background. In the center top, it reads the title: "Minor". In the center bottom, it reads the artist name: "Gracie Abrams".
| type = EP
| artist = Gracie Abrams
| released = July 14, 2020
| genre = * Bedroom pop
| length = 20:09
| label = Interscope
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = This Is What It Feels Like
| next_year = 2021
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Minor
| type = EP
| single1 = 21
| single1date = February 20, 2020
| single2 = I Miss You, I'm Sorry
| single2date = April 8, 2020
| single3 = Long Sleeves
| single3date = May 20, 2020
}}
}}
Minor is the debut extended play (EP) by the American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams, released on July 14, 2020, by Interscope Records.{{Cite web |last=Graves |first=Shahlin |date=2020-07-15 |title=Must-listen: Gracie Abrams releases debut minor EP + 'Friend' music video. |url=https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/gracie-abrams/16790 |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Coup de Main |language=en}} Abrams co-wrote all the tracks. Production was mainly handled by Blake Slatkin.
Background
Gracie Abrams became interested in playing the piano and songwriting at age eight.{{Cite web |last=Nordstrom |first=Leigh |date=February 23, 2023 |title=Gracie Abrams Readies for Her Spotlight |url=https://wwd.com/eye/people/gracie-abrams-debut-album-taylor-swift-tour-1235539526/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223060017/https://wwd.com/eye/people/gracie-abrams-debut-album-taylor-swift-tour-1235539526/ |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |access-date=November 1, 2024 |website=Women's Wear Daily}}{{Cite magazine |last=Aramesh |first=Waiss |date=February 8, 2023 |title=How Gracie Abrams Turned 'Owning Her Sh*t' Into One of 2023's Best Debuts |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gracie-abrams-debut-album-good-riddance-taylor-swift-tour-1234675320/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208142637/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gracie-abrams-debut-album-good-riddance-taylor-swift-tour-1234675320/ |archive-date=February 8, 2023 |access-date=November 1, 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} She started her career by posting recordings of covers and original songs to Instagram and SoundCloud. On Instagram, she premiered a song titled "Minor" in August 2017, and uploaded a produced version of the song in March 2018. The song gained attention from the New Zealand singer and songwriter Lorde, who told Abrams to send her the MP3 for "Minor".{{Cite web |last=Sundberg |first=Emily |date=April 6, 2018 |title=Lorde-Approved Gracie Abrams Is Instagram's Favorite Songwriter |url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/04/gracie-abrams-is-your-new-favorite-instagram-songwriter.html |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=The Cut}} In 2019, Abrams signed with Interscope Records and released her debut single, "Mean It".{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Sophia |date=June 22, 2024 |title=6 Things To Know About Gracie Abrams |url=https://www.voguehk.com/en/article/celebrity/six-things-to-know-about-gracie-abrams/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Vogue Hong Kong}} She also released a full version of "Minor" alongside a lo-fi video on YouTube in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Graves |first=Shahlin |date=October 9, 2019 |title=Gracie Abrams debuts her song 'Minor'. |url=https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/gracie-abrams/16053 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Coup de Main}} The single was followed by "Stay" in January 2020.{{Cite web |last=Renshaw |first=David |date=January 21, 2020 |title=Gracie Abrams's 'Stay' video is a perfect Hollywood hang |url=https://www.thefader.com/2020/01/21/gracie-abrams-stay-video |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=The Fader}} Since Abrams began posting music online, she has also attracted the attention of the American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers.{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=July 29, 2020 |title=Her famous dad's a fan. So is Phoebe Bridgers. But Gracie Abrams has a voice all her own |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-07-29/gracie-abrams-jj-abrams-phobe-bridgers-minor |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times}}
Writing and production
Abrams wrote Minor while in college and experiencing her first breakup, which she felt was something she needed to write about at the time.{{Cite web |last=Daly |first=Rhian |date=November 15, 2021 |title=Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with Gracie Abrams |url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/gracie-abrams-interview-this-is-what-it-feels-like-rockland-aaron-dessner-3088320 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=NME}}{{Cite web |last=Blanchet |first=Brenton |date=November 12, 2021 |title=Gracie Abrams on Taylor Swift, Strength, and New Project This Is What It Feels Like |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/gracie-abrams-taylor-swift-strength-new-project-this-is-what-it-feels-like |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Teen Vogue}}{{Cite web |last=Rihter |first=Ivana |date=December 10, 2020 |title=Gracie Abrams Wrote The Breakup EP Of The Year — With Her New Boyfriend |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/gracie-abrams-on-minor-joni-mitchell-her-new-single-brush-fire |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Bustle}} She described this time as a "very transitional year" for herself. She also said the EP was "very much in response" to the breakup. She wrote the title track at age 17 and it was the first song she wrote where she "immediately recognized that it was just incredibly [her]".{{Cite web |last=Fuamoli |first=Sose |date=July 20, 2020 |title=Gracie Abrams talks recording Minor and advice from dad, J.J. |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/grace-abrams-recording-minor-ep-jj-abrams/12474492 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Triple J |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}{{Cite web |last=Graves |first=Shahlin |date=January 24, 2020 |title=Interview: 2020 Must-Know - Gracie Abrams |url=https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/gracie-abrams/16280 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Coup de Main}} The rest of the EP was recorded in one week, which Abrams said was "unintentional but the best week ever". The majority of the EP was completed before the COVID-19 lockdowns.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Jenessa |date=July 8, 2020 |title=Gracie Abrams: LA singer-songwriter baring her soul to the internet |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/gracie-abrams-la-singer-songwriter-baring-her-soul-to-the-internet-2703139 |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=NME}} Abrams worked on the EP with her then-boyfriend, Blake Slatkin, who served as its executive producer.{{Cite web |last=Glicksman |first=Josh |date=July 13, 2021 |title=How Blake Slatkin Went From Benny Blanco's Former Intern To A-List Producer |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/songwriter-producer-blake-slatkin-in-demand-interview-9600000/ |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Billboard}} Throughout its creation, the two would burn incense and go on walks; Abrams expressed her emotional distress through writing. When titling the song "Tehe", Abrams felt she "overused [the] phrase" when speaking regularly, which led to its title, despite the phrase not appearing in the song; she said it "felt like the obvious choice".{{Cite web |last=Riddell |first=Rose |date=July 17, 2020 |title=Interview: Gracie Abrams on her debut Minor EP. |url=https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/gracie-abrams/16804 |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Coup de Main}}
Composition
Minor is a bedroom pop, electropop, and indie folk EP with themes of love, life, and strained friendships. The EP's central focus is on the conclusion of a relationship. NME
The opening track of Minor is "Friend", which lyrically reflects on emotional disconnect. "21" contains lo-fi thumps reminiscent of a house party, according to Williams. The lyrics of "Tehe" reflect on the aftermath of a broken relationship ("Now I know I wasn't right"). The track also reflects on optimism, using the line, "Should've called it / But we never gave it up." "I Miss You, I'm Sorry" displays Abrams longing over a lost relationship to the point of missing its turbulent parts. Atop a simple piano motif that expands with expressive strings, she sings "I miss fighting in your old apartment / Breaking dishes when you're disappointed." "Long Sleeves" is a ballad that sees Abrams acknowledge she is not ready to love somebody while working on herself. Abrams described as "closure". The final track of Minor is its title track, which shares the frustration of feeling stuck at home. She nearly whispers the lines "I would drive all night to get to you / But my curfew is early and dad's at the door," which Williams felt depicted the transitional period of teenage angst marked by a mix of "know-it-all autonomy and tentative fear".
Promotion and release
The lead single of Minor, "21", was released on February 20, 2020.{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=February 20, 2020 |title=Gracie Abrams Finds Some Sense Of Release With '21' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/gracie-abrams-finds-some-sense-of-release-with-21/ |access-date=May 16, 2025 |website=Clash}} Minor was announced on May 20, 2020. It was originally meant to be released on June 16, 2020, but was delayed to July 14, 2020 so as not to detract from the Black Lives Matter movement.{{Cite web |last=Graves |first=Shahlin |date=2020-07-01 |title=Gracie Abrams to release 'Minor' on July 14. |url=https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/gracie-abrams/16757 |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=Coup De Main Magazine |language=en}} She was scheduled to perform live for the first time, although it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, Abrams performed "Friend" live in her home for Vevo.{{Cite web |last=Riddell |first=Rose |date=September 4, 2020 |title=Watch: Gracie Abrams perform 'Friend' live at home. |url=https://coupdemainmagazine.com/gracie-abrams/16951 |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Coup de Main}} Abrams first teased "Tehe" in an interview with Coup de Main in early 2020.
Critical reception
Minor was well received. Multiple critics described Minor as Abrams's breakout release. Retrospectively writing about the EP for Pitchfork, Bua criticized it for being "underdeveloped"; she called its production "simple" and its songwriting "promising (but sometimes cliché)". The EP expanded Abrams's fanbase. Williams deemed "21" and "Long Sleeves" standout tracks and felt the EP reflected the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic well, despite it being completed before the pandemic. Rose Ridell for Coup de Main deemed "Tehe" a highlight. Kroll described "I Miss You, I'm Sorry" as "the most pointed of Abrams['s] heartbreak songs".
Tour
In support of Minor, Abrams scheduled the I've Missed You, I'm Sorry tour.{{Cite web |last=Abrams |first=Gracie |date=July 20, 2021 |title=I'VE MISSED YOU, I'M SORRY!!!!! can't wait to hug wtf …………. |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CRjoLZTB4iH/}} It covered North America and the United Kingdom with 12 selective dates. It started on September 1, 2021, in Santa Ana, California, and concluded on October 21, 2021, in London, England. The tour also supported her singles "Mess It Up" and "Unlearn" with Benny Blanco.
Aftermath
Minor inspired the American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo to write her debut single, "Drivers License". Following the song's release, Rodrigo's record label felt the two should meet, in which Rodrigo replied: "I literally don't think I can meet her. I think I would just evaporate. I'm her biggest fan."{{Cite web |last=Newstead |first=Al |date=December 13, 2021 |title=Gracie Abrams brings the authentic sad girl feels you've been craving |url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/gracie-abrams-feels-like-review-interview-sad-girl-pop-craving/13674852 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=Triple J |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}} "Drivers License" went on to become a widespread commercial success worldwide.{{Cite news |last=Tanzer |first=Myles |date=2021-01-21 |title=Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' Became the World's Biggest Song Via TikTok |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license-tiktok-spotify-11611235409 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125160209/https://www.wsj.com/articles/olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license-tiktok-spotify-11611235409 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |access-date=2025-05-12 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}} Abrams later supported Rodrigo on the Sour Tour throughout 2022.{{Cite web |last=Dailey |first=Hannah |date=April 17, 2025 |title=Gracie Abrams Says She Wants to Headline Her Own Stadium Shows After Touring With Taylor Swift |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/gracie-abrams-taylor-swift-inspired-headline-stadiums-1235949072/ |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Billboard}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Minor track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| total_length = 20:09
| title1 = Friend
| writer1 = {{hlist|Gracie Abrams|Blake Slatkin|Jim-E Stack}}
| extra1 = {{hlist|Slatkin|Stack}}
| length1 = 2:56
| title2 = 21
| writer2 = {{hlist|Abrams|Joel Little|Sarah Aarons}}
| extra2 = Joel Little
| length2 = 3:05
| title3 = Under / Over
| writer3 = {{hlist|Abrams|Jack Karaszewski|Henry Kwapis|Carol Ades|Slatkin}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|Kwapis|Karaszewski|Slatkin}}
| length3 = 2:21
| title4 = Tehe
| writer4 = {{hlist|Abrams|Slatkin|Stack|Eli Teplin}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|Slatkin|Stack}}
| length4 = 2:42
| title5 = I Miss You, I'm Sorry
| writer5 = {{hlist|Abrams|Aarons}}
| extra5 = Slatkin
| length5 = 2:47
| title6 = Long Sleeves
| writer6 = {{hlist|Abrams|Slatkin}}
| extra6 = Slatkin
| length6 = 3:38
| title7 = Minor
| writer7 = {{hlist|Abrams|Slatkin|Benny Blanco}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|Slatkin|Blanco}}
| length7 = 2:40
}}
Personnel
- Gracie Abrams – lead vocals (all tracks), songwriting (all tracks)
- Blake Slatkin – production (1, 3–7), songwriting (1, 3–4, 6–7)
- Jim-E Stack – production (1, 3), songwriting (1, 3), drum programming (1, 4), bass (4)
- Joel Little – production (2), songwriting (2)
- Jack Karaszewski – production (3), songwriting (3)
- Henry Kwapis – production (3), songwriting (3)
- Sarah Aarons – songwriting (2, 5)
- Carol Ades – songwriting (3, 5)
- Eli Teplin – songwriting (4), keyboard (4)
- Benny Blanco – production (7), songwriting (7)
- Rob Moose – strings (5), cello (6), piano (6), viola (6), violin (6)
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for Minor ! scope="col"| Chart (2020–2023) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| UK Physical Singles (OCC){{cite web|url=https://officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/20230908/7509/|title=Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=October 15, 2024}}
| 45 |
|---|
| {{album chart|BillboardAlbumSales|73|artist=Gracie Abrams|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2024}} |
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release history and formats for Minor !Region !Date !Format(s) !Label |
| scope="row"|Various
|July 14, 2020 |{{hlist|LP|digital download}} |
|---|