How Taylor Swift Influenced Gracie Abram's Budding Music Career

Taylor Swift has helped Gracie Abrams find her footing in the music industry in more ways than one. To point out the biggest and most obvious way, she helped Abrams' music reach a wider audience by instating her as an opening act for several shows for her record-breaking Eras Tour. Additionally, she has aided the "Risk" songstress in smaller ways that would have gone unnoticed if she hadn't been so open about them. 

Speaking to The Times in 2024, Abrams stated that she had been an avid fan of Swift's basically since birth. As a result, she already felt a sense of familiarity when her paths crossed with the pop star, and she eventually became "a safe place to land any time I've ever had any questions about anything." Abrams proved her point by pointing out that her friend had told her to use a game-changing acupressure mat. 

Likewise, when Abrams spoke to Porter in 2024, she lavished more praise her friend's way. "[Taylor]'s such an unbelievable artist, friend, and mentor. She is one of the reasons why I stuck with writing daily," she said. The "I Love You, I'm Sorry" hitmaker also admitted that she was in awe of Swift's work ethic. Meanwhile, when Abrams spoke to American Songwriter in 2023, she shared that she was grateful that the Grammy winner had been so open about how journaling had benefited her songwriter because it inspired her to jot down her feelings, too. So, whenever Abrams was writing a song, she could refer to her journal to remember the nuances of her thoughts from a period.

Gracie Abrams had a stunning transformation after joining Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Speaking to Variety in 2023. The "Close To You" songstress labeled the tour as "the best experience of my life," adding, "To have that become a part of my weekly routine for four months straight has bled into kind of all ways of my life, not just how joyful I feel internally, but the songs that we've been making." If all of that wasn't impactful enough already, Abrams even got to live out her dream of creating a track with the "Blank Space" songstress. 

Speaking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Abrams recalled how she had a low-key dinner with Swift, where they both got a bit tipsy and poured their hearts out. Eventually, they went back to the pop star's apartment to play their unreleased music for each other. After losing their minds over each other's music for hours, they listened to a guitar track sent by their collaborator, Aaron Dessner. 

Although it was two o'clock in the morning at that point, the two singer-songwriters were instantly compelled to create something new together, and that's how their 2024 song, "Us." was born. While there's no doubt that Swift has been a massive influence on Abrams' music, people have also speculated that her close relationship with her very famous dad has played an equally important part.