GRXCE GRACE Jamila

Jamila Grace grew up in Coffs Harbour and went off to the city to chase her dreams of a career in music after she finished school. She formed the band GRXCE in 2021 and they have been steadily gaining a strong fan base through showcasing their music with killer live shows and they now have songs on rotation at Triple J Unearthed.

Can you tell us about the origins of the band and how you came together to form Grxce?

The band came together just after the last lockdown in 2021 and was originally pitched as a solo project. Jono and I had been friends at University and shared a few classes and I was keen to get a band together after releasing my own stuff. I reached out in a Sydney Musicians Facebook group for a bassist and a drummer and that's how I found Emily and Alex. Luckily enough we worked so well together it just had to become a band and thus GRXCE was born.

How would you describe your sound and style, and what influences have inspired your music?

We all have such different musical influences when you look at us individually. Alex loves hardcore and midwest emo, Emily loves female-led punk rock, Jono loves Blues based guitar such as Tom Misch or John Mayer and I listen to mainly indie rock or indie folk like Spacey Jane, Holly Humberstone or Phoebe Bridgers. I think having such a wide span of influences is what makes our music special because it cultivates something that struggles to be pigeon-holed but still sits really firmly in the indie rock category.

What themes and topics do you explore in your lyrics, and how do you approach writing and recording your music?

Our tagline when we started the band was that we make “sad music to dance to”, and I think that sums up our music still to this day. I write from true experience and always feel most authentic and in touch with what I’m writing if it was a situation or emotion that affected me deeply. I write a lot about family, moving away from a small town to the city, the effects of that choice on how I’ve grown up and who I’ve become. I also write a lot about love, the awkward stages, the heartbreaks, the complexities of being a young person moving through the world. Overall, I try to capture as much as I can, not shying away from any emotion I feel.

You're currently on an East Coast tour and have recently hit the stage here on the Coffs Coast. What was it like playing back in your hometown?

Honestly? Surreal! Since starting the band I’ve struggled to find time to come home and see my family so it was a good excuse to get to do what I love and be with the people I love. Our single that we are supporting on this tour is all about family so it was very fitting to be back where I grew up.

Have you got any plans of creating and recording an album or EP?

There is no album or EP as of yet but it is definitely beginning to be something we are thinking about releasing in the coming year or so. I’ve always wanted our first longer format work to be very thematic. I don’t really see a point of releasing a body of work all together if it is not amplified by being listened to back to back.

What was it like when you first discovered one of your songs was on rotation at Triple J Unearthed?

We actually made a bingo card of goals we wanted to achieve about a week or two prior and Unearthed rotation was one of them. We are so grateful to receive any support and it's just crazy to think that our music gets played on a radio station that I listened to constantly when I was growing up. We hope we can just continue to get people loving our music so we can play and create more!

How do you approach live performances, and what do you hope to convey to your audience through your shows?

Our live show is always evolving and I think there will definitely be a point where we will wanna push it bigger and use some more theatrical aspects. However, right now we are focused on creating as much flow as possible, we want an audience to feel swept up by the set so when we finish they are left having felt all the emotions of the music. We are big on transitions and structure but I still like to throw some jokes in there every now and again haha. are focused creating as much flow as possible, we want an audience to feel swept up by the set so when we finish they are left having felt all the emotions of the music.

Who have been some of your biggest musical influences or inspirations, and why?

Lyrically I’d say Asha Jefferies, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Holly Humberstone, Sonically I’d say girlhouse, Tommy Lefroy, Spacey Jane, beabadoobee and Royel Otis.

What do you think sets Grxce apart from other bands in the music scene today?

I would like to say it's that we are complex and we celebrate those complexities but in a scene that is dominated by hooky, instrumentally led soundscapes. We want to balance lyrical complexity with music that is danceable and catchy and fun, and find a middle ground rather than having to be one or the other.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who want to pursue a career in the music industry?

Gig etiquette is everything. If you wanna thrive in the music industry you need to also support the scene you are in; show up to local gigs, watch your supporting bands, stand at the front of the crowd, make friends, respect gear and respect venues and their staff (especially sound techs). There is room for everyone in the industry so we gotta lift each other up and create a scene that is supportive, educating and nurturing and that starts with us as musicians.

Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future of the band, and what can fans expect from you in the coming years?

Our goal is just to play more and release more and hopefully by doing that we get to do this a full-time job one day. As far as what is coming in the very near future I can say we have new tracks coming out in May and hopefully another in August and are working on some really exciting shows and content for 2024. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out.