To put it simply, singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams’ second studio album, “The Secret of Us,” is one of the most thoughtful and breathtaking albums I have listened to in a very long time. The album, composed of 13 tracks, explores topics such as young love, heartbreak and personal growth. From the relatable lyrics to the emotion-evoking melodies, the album has seen wide success across the world, even soaring to number two on the Billboard Top 200 in the United States.
Prior to the album’s release in June 2024, Abrams released three singles from the album. First came “Risk” and “Close to You,” which quickly became popular, with “Close to You” going viral on TikTok with millions of people dancing to the song. A few months later, Abrams released another single, “I Love You, I’m Sorry.” This song skyrocketed to fame and has since been the most popular song on the whole album, reaching over 242 million streams on Spotify and over 2.2 million views on YouTube.
As someone who has never really listened to Abrams’ music before, I was quite surprised when I fell in love with the album the very first moment I listened to it. As I listened through each song, expecting a moment of shortcoming, as most albums have, I quickly realized that this album was different. Not only did I not find a moment of flaw, but I also found constant perfection.
To me, the very best music is the music where you are able to feel the singer’s story and pain while also being able to see and feel your own. Abrams does this exceptionally. The biggest reason I feel that her music has spoken to so many young adults like me is because of the relatability of the lyrics and the topics Abrams sings about. In every one of her songs, Abrams finds the most beautiful way to capture the feelings and emotions she has gone through in her early 20s, specifically about her experiences surrounding love. The album also has a few overarching themes that are apparent when you take a look at the lyrics.
In her song “Close to You,” the second verse goes:
“I burn for you”
“And you don’t even know my name”
“If you asked me to”
“I’d give up everything”
“To be close to you”
This perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being a lot more invested—romantically or platonically— in a person than they are in you, which seems to be one of the biggest themes throughout the album.
While each and every song on the album has its own beauty, one song has stuck out ahead of the rest. “I Love You, I’m Sorry” quickly grew to be the most popular song on the album with listeners from all around the world. Not only did it top the charts in the US, but it also performed extremely well in Australia, the Netherlands, Scotland and the United Kingdom.
With the overwhelmingly positive feedback for the album, Abrams surprised fans with the release of “The Secret of Us” Deluxe Album on Oct. 18, 2024. The deluxe version of the album includes a new single, “That’s So True,” along with the live versions of “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” “Free Now” and “I Knew It, I Know You.” The live versions of these songs contain slight variations of their originals and have also garnered wide success with fans, especially loving the live version of “I Love You, I’m Sorry.” For me, what makes the live version of these songs better than the original is the way that she sings certain parts of them. It seems like she puts more emphasis on the lyrics that mean the most to both her and the listener, and this has made the already spectacular music even better.
This newfound fame led Abrams to begin her world tour in 2024. So far, she has traveled all around the United States as well as some places in Europe and Canada. Abrams has also performed at events such as a Kamala Harris rally and various days of Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour concert.
While Abrams has already become a well-known name in the industry, this is only the beginning. With her talent and ability to create amazing music that her audience can relate to, she will remain at the forefront of music for a long time.
