Gracie Abrams Opens Up About Fears Her Music Could Be Affected by Paul Mescal Relationship

From “That’s So True” to “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” Gracie Abrams has built a reputation for turning breakups into emotional, relatable songs. But as she enters a new phase of life and a happy relationship with boyfriend Paul Mescal, even she wondered whether that shift in her personal world would change how she writes music.

In a Vogue cover story published Tuesday (June 9), the singer spoke openly about her calmer, more settled lifestyle with the Irish actor and how it influenced her creative process. The couple now live together in London, where Mescal is working on his role as Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ four part Beatles biopic. Their home has become a shared creative space filled with instruments, including a piano Abrams plays most mornings and guitars they both use, as Mescal has been learning for his film work.

She also reflected on his growing musical ability, saying, “[He’s] so much better than I’ve ever been,” expressing admiration for his progress on guitar.

During the same period, Mescal was also filming the Oscar winning movie Hamnet, which Abrams described with strong admiration. She said, “It feels like every day you come home and read the greatest book ever — that’s what it’s like to be in conversation with someone making something like that.”

Abrams admitted that this sense of stability initially made her question her own artistic drive. “I was worried feeling secure and stable was threatening my drive to write music,” she said, explaining that domestic happiness once made her uncertain about whether she could still access the emotional intensity she writes from.

The interview comes shortly before the release of her third studio album Daughter From Hell, arriving July 17. She credited longtime collaborator Aaron Dessner for helping her push through creatively, saying, “I have learned from Aaron that it’s OK to mine deeper and refine what you are naturally inclined to do, even if that looks less shiny and new on the outside.”

She also shared that the album reflects more personal reflection on her younger years and family relationships. “I wish I could go back and spend all of the time that I spent fighting my mom just listening to every drop of wisdom she has for me,” she said.

Daughter From Hell follows her 2024 album The Secret of Us, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and produced multiple hits, including her first top 10 single “That’s So True,” which peaked at No. 6.