Conan Gray, born December 5th, 1998, is an up-and-coming pop indie artist who just released his third album this past year. Conan had his beginnings on YouTube when he created his channel back in 2013, where at the young age of 15 he created vlogs about his everyday life in small-town Texas. Wanting to explore his passion for creating, Conan self-released his debut single Idle Town in March 2017. The song would then go on to gain over 14 million streams on Spotify, as well as 12 million views on YouTube. The success of his debut led him to the creation of his first EP titled Sunset Season in 2018, and then his first official album Kid Krow was released in 2020.
Coming from the success of the album and tour of Kid Krow, the indie pop star wanted to mark a new era with his sophomore album Superache. Conan uses his lyrics to discover different parts of himself and map out his search for genuine personal connections within his life. His songs tend to illustrate his journey of navigating the plight of youth as he succumbs himself into adulthood. In an interview with Nylon, Conan explains that “I wrote these songs for me”, with his main idea being that “I didn’t want to repeat myself and say the same things I said on Kid Krow and I think life has changed enough for me to have new things to say” (Maskell). Much like Nick Cave in his book Faith, Hope, and Carnage (alongside Sean O'Hagan), Conan’s music had been a lifeline during the global pandemic in 2020. In Cave’s music, topics such love, death, addiction, childhood, and religion were explored with passion and eloquence. Similar to Cave, Conan breaches topics of love and childhood trauma through music as a way of processing his own emotions, using his past experiences as inspiration for his works. Forging his second album from self-reflection in his quarantine, Conan’s songwriting is characterized by “playful jibes, angsty sarcasm and melodramatic sentiments” that are “articulated with unflinching authenticity” (Maskell). Conan shares his deepest thoughts through his music, even while wearing his heart on his sleeve. Declarations from his song Movies show his desire for human connection during a time as lonely as the Covid-19 pandemic. With the lyrics below, Conan starts this album with his pure, unadulterated thoughts as he sits on his bed contemplating his life and the desires he has for the future.
I really enjoyed this blog post about Conan Gray and how he wears his heart on his sleeve in his music. I’ve been a fan of his for a while, and Superache has deeply resonated with me. His ability to write such raw, emotional lyrics that speak directly to the listener is what makes him stand out to me as an artist. The way you tied his music to Nick Cave’s work in Faith, Hope, and Carnage was insightful -- both artists explore their inner worlds in a way that feels incredibly personal, yet universal. The lyrics you shared from Movies are such a perfect example of that. I love how he creates this fantasy of love while still acknowledging that it’s just that -- a fantasy. It mirrors the complexities of our desires for connection, especially in times when we feel disconnected, like during the pandemic. His honesty about longing for something real and beautiful, even when he knows it might be a bit idealized, really speaks to me. I think that’s what makes his music so relatable -- it’s vulnerable but also hopeful. It’s a reminder that we’re not alone in our feelings. Your post captured his journey of self-reflection and growth so well! I’m really looking forward to seeing how Conan continues to evolve as an artist.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this artist, I think his story is really interesting. I like the idea that he writes songs for himself. I think that creative endeavors are the most authentic when they are pursued for yourself rather than someone else. Also, your tie-in with Cave's book is great.
ReplyDeleteI went to a Conan Gray concert on a whim when I was a freshmen because some of the girls who lived in my dorm were going and I was desperate to make friends. The tickets were cheap, but I had never heard of his music before. I went into the concert blindly, but by the time I left the concert I felt like I had made a new friend in the artist himself. He was so transparent about what his music means, and the honesty was refreshing. There were no overly complicated metaphors that went without an explanation, and it made me think about the way that for him, music is a form of pure expression. It led me to think about my own forms of self expression in life. I love how you talk about the way that he is honest and unapologetically himself through his music, because for me and so many other people that is what makes him so relatable and such a comfort artist.
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