Gracie on Healing, Harry's House, and Cool Stage Names
From healing through heartbreak to finding comfort in familiar albums, Gracie’s picks reflect a listener who believes music is one of life's safest places.
Gracie (@recordswithgracie) approaches the July 12 to 14 prompts with the kind of music taste that naturally gravitates toward comfort. Her selections range from songs that help make sense of difficult emotions to albums that brighten ordinary days and artists whose individuality stood out long before the music became a favorite.
The prompts reveal the different ways music has become a source of reassurance throughout her life. One invites her to reflect on a favorite sad song, leading to thoughts on healing, acceptance, and feeling understood. Another shifts toward the kind of album that seems to belong to summer, no matter when it's playing. The last explores an artist with a cool stage name, becoming a reflection on curiosity, first impressions, and the identities that make certain artists impossible to forget.
What’s one of your favorite sad songs?
One of my favorite sad songs is “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith. I’ve always believed that the saddest songs aren’t the ones that necessarily make you feel “sad,” but the ones that make you feel understood, and this song does exactly that. The song is beautiful within itself, but what makes it so powerful is the emotion behind every word. Sam Smith has a voice that can make you feel heartbreak even if you’ve never experienced the exact situation they’re singing about.
“Lay Me Down” isn’t just a heartbreak song. It’s about longing for someone who isn’t there anymore, whether that’s because of distance, the end of a relationship, or loss. That’s what makes this song stand out so much. The lyrics leave room for the listener to connect it to their own life, and I think that’s why it resonates with so many people.
Music at its best is when it allows us to process emotions we can’t always explain ourselves, and this song has always done that for me.
One of the reasons it’s so meaningful to me personally is because it helped me process the end of a 13-year friendship that I had to let go of. It reminded me that it’s possible to miss someone deeply while also accepting that not every relationship is meant to last forever. It was a really difficult experience at the time, and I didn’t fully know how to process it, but this song gave me a way to sit with those feelings instead of avoiding them.
I’ve realized that sometimes sadness isn’t loud or dramatic—it can be quiet and personal… “Lay Me Down” captures that feeling perfectly. Even years later, it is still one of those songs I can come back to whenever I need to sit with my emotions. It gives me comfort knowing someone else has felt the same kind of hurt, and that is one of the greatest gifts music can give us.
What’s a nice breezy summer album?
A nice breezy summer album, to me, is one that you can easily listen to no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re driving with the windows down, getting ready for the day, or just sitting outside, the music hits every single time. One album that perfectly captures that feeling is Harry’s House by Harry Styles.
What I love most about this album is how warm and effortless it feels. There’s something about it that sounds like summer in a very nostalgic way. Even the more emotional songs don’t feel heavy in a way that brings the mood down. Instead, they still carry that chill energy that makes the whole album really easy to keep on.
Harry’s House also has a great balance of upbeat and slower songs, which makes it perfect for literally any part of a summer day. It can feel fun and playful in one moment, and still relaxed when you’re just going about your day. To me, a great summer album doesn’t have to be loud or overly energetic. It just has to make you feel good while you’re listening to it, and this album does exactly that. It’s one of those albums I always come back to because it’s so effortlessly enjoyable especially during the summer months.
“Satellite” is one of my favorites because it’s just a feel-good song I can put on at any time. No matter the mood, it always works, and it never feels like something I have to be in a specific headspace for. “As It Was” is an obvious standout, but I still love it every time it comes on. It’s super catchy and upbeat, but also kind of nostalgic in a way that makes you want to sing it a little too loudly. “Keep Driving” is probably the most “summer road trip” feeling song on the album for me. It just feels light, fun, and like it belongs on while you’re driving with the windows down.
Which artist has a cool stage name?
One artist with a really cool stage name is Beabadoobee. I remember the first time I saw her name I had absolutely no idea how to pronounce it, but I think that’s one of the big reasons I remembered it. In a world where so many artist names start to blend together, hers immediately stood out to me.
I think a good stage name should be memorable without feeling like it’s trying too hard, and Beabadoobee does exactly that. It’s so different and instantly recognizable. Even before I listened to her music, I was curious enough to click on her profile just because her name caught my attention. I feel like that’s exactly what a great stage name should do.
The more I’ve listened to her over the years, the more I feel like the name just fits. Her music has such a cool sound, and somehow her stage name matches that same vibe. It’s creative without feeling over the top, which I think is hard to pull off. Now I can’t imagine her going by anything else because the name has become just as recognizable as her music. It feels like the perfect fit for the artist she’s become.
There are a lot of artists with cool stage names, but Beabadoobee has always been one that stuck with me. It makes people do a double take the first time they see it, and after that, it’s pretty hard to forget.
Gracie mentions that she never really “discovered” music because it was always around her. Her dad played professionally and her mom was a singer and dancer, so songs were an immense part of growing up. This has naturally translated to music becoming such a safe place for her. It has followed her through different versions of herself, shaping not only her, but the way she connects with songs and artists today. That connection comes through when she talks about Billie Eilish, an artist she would like to thank for her work. For Gracie, one of Billie’s greatest strengths is her ability to put emotions into words that she struggles to find herself. A sad song can become a way of sitting with something difficult. Sometimes music doesn’t change what you’re going through… it just makes it feel a little less lonely and alienating.
A nurse, record collector, and fangirl whose love for music has followed her from childhood memories to concert nights, vinyl shelves, and favorite artists on repeat.
