Kayla Grace’s summer single
‘nobody loves me’ sparked a surge of tastemaker attention. It led to new support from high profile fans including
Matty Healy of
The 1975,
DYLAN and
Hugo from Pale Waves, a live session for
BBC Introducing, a spread of
Spotify playlists led by
New Music Friday, plus praise from
Sunday Times Culture and
Wonderland. Now
Kayla Grace explores far deeper emotions as she shares her brand-new single
‘Realign’ along with its official video. Listen
HERE.
‘Realign’ finds Kayla Grace stepping into alt-pop balladeering as her sweet, express voice tells a story that’s immensely close to her heart. The song reflects on Kayla’s relationship with her older sister, whose disabilities meant that she had to move into a residential home to receive the care that she needs. While Kayla’s words are racked with guilt, the reality is that an overwhelming situation only had imperfect solutions. Now Kayla hopes the song can help people who have experienced similar situations to tell their stories and to try to make peace with their decisions.
Kayla says, “This song is like a piece of me, I was in a panic the whole day of writing it and cried hysterically when I sang it to my family & friends. I really struggle to articulate the guilt I felt when my sister had to move out, suddenly everything was quiet at home but there was just this big Aisha shaped gap. I remember her being so confused and wanting to come home but my parents were really struggling and it was a difficult decision for everyone to come to terms with. I fell out of touch with her for a while around this time and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for that, but we’re really close now and this song hopefully shows that anyone can realign with someone, it’s never too late.”
Kayla wrote ‘Realign’ with her regular collaborator Mikey Gormley (James TW, Nina Nesbitt, Ber) and the track’s producer Stefan Abingdon (Selena Gomez, Jess Glynne).
The song’s visuals are further complemented by the personality captured within its artwork. It was designed by Emily Hoang using illustrations drawn by Kayla’s sister.
Both ‘Realign’ and ‘nobody loves me’ show how Kayla uses music as a way to navigate the issues that keep her awake at night. Songwriting is like solo therapy: maybe music doesn’t have all the answers, but it definitely helps her make some sense of her problems. It also gives her writing a conversational edge that makes them so relatable. Even if you haven’t been in the same position that ‘Realign’ explores, almost everyone has at some point felt to blame for something that they have no control over.
The two singles line up the start of a breakthrough moment for Kayla. Her debut EP is in the works and she’s also planning her debut London headline show for early in 2023. She has previously supported Baby Queen, and has played showcases for Notion and Live Nation.
