Gracie Abrams on Blacking Out While Performing with Taylor Swift and The Secret of Us (Extended)

Why break tradition and have me sit down first? Yeah. I think that that's how it went, though. Yeah, it was so fun. I had the best time hanging out with you. I had the best time hanging out with you, too. We danced. Let's make Grandpa dance. Yeah. And then you sat down. No, but the reason... Okay, well, we can talk about it or not, but in my memory... Yeah, we had fun. ...we were both dancing. We were, actually. We did. Well, because remember, because I sat, and then you said, wait, and then I got up, and then it was kind of we danced the whole time. Because you can't be sitting when it's Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It's like... You can't be sitting. There, you can't be sitting. No. We were the first people to stand up. I think that's exactly how it went. And that's probably why... Is that probably why you sat down? Were you embarrassed? Well, I was nervous because from stage right, there was a spotlight coming that was hitting Ariana, and when she moved, because of the placement of our table, it was in the corner. It was just on us. It was hitting just me at first before you stood, and I thought, that's horrible, and no one needs to see me So I sat, and then it all came together. That's what happened. Then we danced for like 20 minutes. We did. It was the full concert, screaming lyrics and everything. It's pretty remarkable being able to be in the same room as voices like theirs. They're just unbelievable. Yeah. We all know. Yeah. I thought you were going to say being in a room with me, but thank you so much. The voices were great, too. The voices were amazing as well. And with you. And that was your first Met Gala. Yes. And yeah. Stunner and a stunner. Look at you right here on these steps. And did everything go according to plan, smooth sailing the whole night? Well, my shoes got stuck in a grate at the very top of the stairs. Like, I stepped, and one heel got stuck, and I was like, oh, and I tried to move forward, and then the other one got stuck. But listen, shoes aren't a problem in the grand scheme of the world. No, yeah. Okay, yeah. That's true. Listen, we're all good. We're all good. Yeah, we are. Yeah. I'm happy that you're on. You were nice enough to make your late-night debut singing on our show, which I appreciate you doing. I will never forget that. Well, thank you. You were generous enough to have me. And now you're making your late-night talk debut with us as well. So, really. Thank you. And also, speaking of first, you just had your first Grammy nomination. Your first Grammy. Best Award. Best New Artist. You go to the Grammys. What are you feeling? Are you nervous? Do you go, that? I mean, you know, this is fun, but the Grammys, I would freak out. That would make me nervous. I just felt, I mean, I felt misplaced in my category. I am such a mega fan of all of the artists that were in that category. And to be under the same roof as all of them, even once, it was such an honor, and it was so exciting. But it was really emotional the week leading up to the actual Grammys night. I was lucky enough to, you know, there were different events where we were all in the same place. And so, actually getting time to get to know the people behind the artists. You know what I mean? Yeah. You meet these people, you hear them on the radio, and you go, oh, my God. But they're just so sincerely, unbelievably generous and kind and curious and so warm. And there was such a, I don't know, the support felt so real that every time I got to meet one of them, I would go home and call my mom and be like, you know, jelly rolls. He better leave with it. He's the coolest, kindest. And Coco Jones is the most radiant. And then Noah Kahn, you're like, holy s**t. And then Ice is ice. You're just like, whoa, how does one? I can tell. You're in the club. Well. You're in the club together. You guys are all artists and musicians. Thank you. And I know a little bit about you, I think, just from the Internet. Who knows what's true? But I read that you started out just writing, and you were like, I'm not sure if I even want to perform. No, I was terrified of the concept. I didn't. I started writing songs or journaling really when I was, like, you know, eight years old because I didn't want to talk to people about feelings. So I would go and write and journal. And then that kind of led to songwriting. But it wasn't. The concept of performing to a human being made me terrified. Like, the night before my first show, I hadn't played a show pre-COVID. So after quarantine was lifted, we had our first show. It was truly, like, I think, under 100 people. And the night before, I was, like, I'm not truly. I'm sorry. Projectile vomiting. Like, so, so scared. So scared. You were that scared. Yeah. Actually, we have a photo of one of your journal entries. In 2010, your fifth grade, you said, dear diary, I've been composing my own songs on the piano, and it's really a lot of fun. My second one I'm currently working on is kind of strange. I really like it, though. And then it says under there, it says, I saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1, and I hated it compared to the book. They left out so many details. And we'll just stop it there. Always the honest writer. Yeah, like, you got to stay real. You got to stay real, yeah. Yeah, dear Lord. But then, so, you do your performance for 100 people, and you go, yeah, I'll get through it. And then you go on tour, and you open for Taylor Swift. I mean, what was that whole heiress tour like? It's so beyond me. I mean, it was the craziest privilege, and we all love her dearly. It's a real master class to watch her do what she does, and it was honestly... Like what? Like, what do you mean, master class? I felt like I was at college for this job. Like, I felt... She taught you stuff. I mean, you can't not... So I watched every single one of her shows that I was lucky enough to open. I think we did 31, and I watched from every place possible in each stadium, just trying to pick up on how she's able to do what she does, and she's such a one-of-a-kind person, friend, artist, all the things. She's a pro. But what she does so unbelievably well in these kinds of rooms is, like, sometimes you feel like you're on Mars, and then sometimes you feel like the only two people in the stadium are you and her because she's just so connected to her audience, and the relationship that they have with each other is... It's really magical, and just to have been in their orbit for a summer was a crazy dream. Yeah. This exact picture, I think I like this picture because there's a good story to this. This was a Cincinnati. Do you remember this? I remember it. Yeah. It will be, like, maybe my last memory. I'm like, it's burned. Yeah, so there was a weather situation came up because even Taylor can't control the sky, apparently. And so my set was canceled for safety reasons. So you didn't get to perform then? No, but my best friend happened to fly in for this. It was just because she came in for the weekend because not really because of me, but because there's this baby hippo at the zoo there named Fritz. I'm not kidding. So Audrey comes in, and Audrey's also my co-writer on Risk, and she's the greatest. Audrey Hilbert. But so she comes in to see the hippo, and then my set... What's the baby hippo in Cincinnati? There was basically... Do any of you know Fritz? Okay. So there's a live stream of Fritz's growing up, and she was like, I need to see him. She was invested. So she comes to Cincinnati. We're like... She's like, I'm going to the zoo, but, like, have fun at Eric's. So she comes to the set. My set gets canceled, and we were backstage in our trailer being like, oh, you know, bummer, but, you know, we'll go see Fritz again or something. And then Taylor texted me being like, hey, come out with me and do I Miss You, I'm Sorry. And so we ran it one time, you know, in her room and then did it there, and it was... So she brought you back out. Yeah. And just said, yeah, don't worry about it. The weather is now cleared. Get back out here and show up, and then... It was just in the middle of her set, and I blacked out the whole time. Yeah. Dedicated to Fritz the hippo. This is a great performance. Yes. Let's talk about Risk. Congratulations, pal. This is a big deal. New song. New album. The Secret of Us, June 21st. What's the secret of us? Can you tell us? Who is the us? Can you tell us? No, I'm kidding. The secret of us. Yeah. Well, it felt kind of like this, kind of like the thesis for the entire album, and between, you know, in every relationship, two people, there's always, regardless of how public or private it is, there's always, there's the alchemy, there's secrets that... You guys know. Only the two people can know, and sometimes only one person can know because maybe it's unrequited or... Yeah. That felt like the right title, and to me it felt like a book title, and even though I, you know, know every lyric in the album, the title makes me want to reread it, and I, you know, I was lucky enough to work with such unbelievable artists, you know, just collaborators, writers, friends on this album, and I feel really excited because it's way more extroverted, and that feels like kind of where I'm at right now, so... Pal, congratulations. This is a big deal. You're performing Risk tonight for us. And then dance if you want. Gracie Abrams, everyone. Her album The Secret of Us is out June 21st. She's performing her new song Risk after the break. Stick around, everybody.