Q&A: GRACEY Emerges Stronger Than Ever on New ‘Ladybug’ EP
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
A SHIMMERING POP DIARY OF HEARTACHE, HEALING AND HOPE — On her newly released EP Ladybug, UK pop force GRACEY steps fully into her next chapter marked by radical honesty, emotional release and the quiet power of rediscovery. Known for her sharp lyrical instinct, GRACEY delivers her most personal and poignant work yet, using glossy pop hooks to navigate the messy middle ground between falling apart and finding your footing.
Ladybug is not just a breakup record—it’s a survival story. It captures the full emotional spectrum of what it means to move through love and loss while still reaching for joy. With her voice front and center, GRACEY paints vivid portraits of vulnerability and courage. There’s an electricity to the EP, as though each track was written in real-time, straight from the heart and just moments after it cracked.
The core of the EP draws from what GRACEY calls “the yellow car theory,” a cognitive phenomenon where, once you begin focusing on something—like yellow cars—you start seeing them everywhere. For GRACEY, ladybugs became a quiet symbol of luck and intuition. “They always seemed to show up when I needed them most,” she explains. “This EP became both a search and a guide—an emotional compass for me, and hopefully for anyone listening.”
From the rush of romantic disillusionment to the thrill of self-trust, Ladybug leans into duality. It swings between shimmering highs and introspective lows, driven by glimmering pop arrangements that balance the cathartic with the contagious.
With Ladybug, GRACEY delivers a deeply personal roadmap through love, loss and self-renewal. It’s a project that captures the beauty of emotional extremes. Ladybug is a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t always come in grand gestures, but in the small, everyday signs that lead us back to ourselves.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires the atmosphere or sonic world you aim to create for your listeners?
GRACEY: I've always been so obsessed with pop music, intelligent lyric-led pop music. I think having a world which draws on all of my main influences of music which I love from growing up, my teen years and just moments throughout my life. I think that's what has built the lens of my project. This EP in particular is drawing off the influences of the 80s and hyperpop soundscapes, which crosses over quite a lot. There's quite a lot of floaty, dreamy synths mixed with metallic sounding drums. I wanted to do something which had that edge, which helped me unlock this more romantic side lyrically, because I found over the past, in my older discography, music was this way of me venting out things, which I should have probably been doing in therapy, and now she's in therapy. This is more of a love project. There's a lot of love that went into the EP.
LUNA: What is the ideal environment to experience your music? Is there a particular setting, mood, or time of day that enhances the listening experience?
GRACEY: That is the best question ever, because when I'm writing songs, I always ask whether it's for me or the artists I work with, I always say, where are we listening to this? Because then you can build the entire song from that. I always say my music is the music you listen to after you've left the club.
LUNA: You just released your newest EP Ladybug and huge congratulations! What is the inspiration behind the project and what themes or emotions do you explore?
GRACEY: Ladybug is a weird one. During my process of creating these songs, outside of the themes of the actual songs, I found ladybugs to be almost this emblem of good luck and knowing that I was in the right place at the right time. There's this thing called the yellow car theory, which is basically the idea that if you think of a yellow car, you end up seeing them all over the place. That is what happened with Ladybug, so it's the idea of if you want to see something, you can see it. In the song, it came through via falling in love and being in my current relationship and in previous relationships, I haven't allowed myself to feel things and get over things and digest things in the way I need to. Ladybug is something that has really just represented this time of my life.
LUNA: I would love to know more about the creative process. What did a typical recording and songwriting session look like for you? How did the songs evolve from the initial idea to its final version?
GRACEY: A lot of them were actually written in LA, which is really special. I've been spending a lot of time out there as a writer, and my process is usually bringing something into the studio which I'm inspired by—a reference, song, a quote, or even talking about things. I think it all stems from genuine conversation and connection with my co-writers and producers, and then we just play around. I think this whole EP has just stemmed from really finding the love and fun in music again. Sometimes in the music industry, it's really hard not to get swept up in the business side of things, especially nowadays, when as an artist, you have to be an entrepreneur and an influencer and all of these other job titles.
LUNA: Do you prefer solitude or collaboration when you're in the thick of an idea? How does your ideal creative environment help shape your process?
GRACEY: Another really good question, I think it deeply depends, because I obviously like when you're writing in a studio, for the most part, you're collaborating. I think for this EP and for writing what I'm writing for myself, the thing that I value a lot in the people I write with is that they're able to allow me to brain spill everywhere. They can help me soundboard ideas. I'd say I would write lyrics alone, and then have my friends and collaborators help me shape that. Production-wise, I got involved a little bit which has been really cool, so that would just be super collaborative.
LUNA: Do you have a personal favorite song on the EP— one that feels closest to your heart or most revealing of who Gracey is right now?
GRACEY: I really love “Steep,” which is the last one on the EP. “Steep” came so naturally, and it was a concept that I brought in with the idea that when you're raising your standards and you keep going back to the same ex, which is something I did when I was a teenager, the only thing that can stop them running back is if you raise your standards and make it too steep for them to run. It was really fun to get to write that song and let it go, like let that air of my life go.
LUNA: When you feel a creative spark coming on, what do you need in your space to nurture it? Are there any rituals, objects, or energies you always return to?
GRACEY: I've just got myself an iPad, but I've become an iPad kid. As much as I hate to say and my mom would hate me saying it, I genuinely think having a little pen, whether it be a real pen or an iPad pen, just drawing and scribbling in my notes, just making no sense has been helpful. Actually writing stuff down has always been something that really helps me unlock stuff. I'm such a visual person in that sense. I always admire the writers that can just do it in their head and don't write, but unfortunately, I'm causing havoc, so that's why I've bought myself a nice iPad.
LUNA: What excites you most about this new chapter in your career and what are you hoping listeners can take away from this new era?
GRACEY: The thing that I'm most excited about Ladybug is that all of the songs have come from love. They've really been so much fun to make and create. I've been so inspired. Just having the opportunity to build the Ladybug world has been super amazing, not just in the music front as well, like in terms of the music videos and stuff like being on, I've previously been on big labels, and I'm currently with an indie label. The biggest shift is the budget is so much smaller naturally. I think the thing that I'm super excited and proud about is that I was able to work within those limitations of money and try to find creative, fun ways with my friends and creative partners to build the world I wanted through just a lower budget. For instance, in the “Delirium” video, we had 500 pounds, so we just bought a blow up bed and went around to loads of different locations in LA. I wanted to create this idea of when you're in a room with someone that you love, you could literally be anywhere. I think that's probably what I'm most proud of and excited about this era, just making things happen.
LUNA: What’s fueling your creative fire right now?
GRACEY: Generally, other artists. I think there's so many incredible artists out there, which is another reason why I love outlets like you guys to be able to discover other musicians, other creatives, that it kind of fuels each other. It's this ongoing love. I've been really enjoying music again and I hope that shows.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
GRACEY: I feel very calm at the moment, very proud. I feel like having this EP out in the world, there's going to be a great stamp, putting my flag in the ground. This is a great summary of this era. I want to just keep writing music and songwriting for other people. I'm just going to keep writing away and wait for the next wave of inspiration to hit.
