Words: Olga Burak / lala__burak

It's too late to introduce you to an american singer Baker Grace / bakergracemusic. Even though, her name might sound new to you, for sure you have heard one of her songs, or have seen her music video. Despite a young age, Baker has already have four years of experience and a strong position about self-love and confidence, which she honestly represents in her music. I'll think you agree – kind of unexpected things for 18 year old girl! Watching this young women over and over again it's hard to believe that in today's Instagram time such people as Ms. Grace exist – full of deep thought, pure and honest concept under every move, and a keen desire to find themselves in todays world. For sure some of us were born to change this world, and make everyone of us a little bit better, and as you can see, Baker Grace is among them. During the last summer days we met with the upcoming pop-icon to have a heart-to-heart talk about her new EP, family relations, fashion, self-love and investigation of yourself. 

You started your career being 14 year old teenager. Why did you decided to enter a grown up world in such a young age?

In all honesty, getting into the industry was unintentional at first. I was dying to record my songs and so my father helped me to do it in our home studio, and we decided to put them out on SoundCloud. I just wanted to share my music because it made me happy and I loved writing. But to my surprise, people saw something in my songs and encouraged me to start to pursue music seriously and I thought it was worth a shot. 

You often speak about your father, especially about the influence and impact that he has on you. Can you say that you are true «fathers daughter»? 

There are definitely a lot of similarities between me and my father, and I think we understand each other in a very special way. I love both of my parents! My mother has always been supportive of my music as well. I am grateful to have a family that believes in me and for my father who has been there every step of the way. 

When did you first felt the desire to be a part of a music world? 

I remember being a little girl and daydreaming about being on a big stage. I would watch Shakira music videos when I was 8 years old and dance around my kitchen pretending that it was my music video. Ever since I can remember myself, music was a part of me and I wanted to be a part of music. I never thought I would get the chance to actually pursue my dream… But as soon as I started writing seriously, I knew I had to share what I wrote with others. 

During your first music project – Bitter's Kiss, you worked with your dad. How did you feel yourself under parent management? 

It was really nice to have somebody who understand me so well and who made sure I was making the right decisions. My father is very honest with me and does not sugar coat things, so I definitely kept realistic expectations and was well aware that I would have to work hard to get what I wanted. I was not always easy and I think it is better that I can have him as my father now. But he is still very involved in the decisions that I make, and I always go to him for help and advice. 

Have you thought of giving a Bitter's Kiss a second chance? 

As for now, Bitter's Kiss is in the past, but I am proud of that piece of work. If I would ever become a big success in music, it would be nice to have another project, where I could release indie music just for myself. I will always love the sound of good lyrics and melodies over piano and acoustic instruments.

Watching your current videos, I can not miss the fact that all of them are very fashionable. Where do you search for inspirations? What kind of people, brands, magazines influence you in this way? 

It took me awhile to develop a signature style. I really had to dig deep and understand who I was, what I wanted to say, and how I could portray that through fashion. It turns out that the music I love corresponds to the fashion I love, specifically to 70's and 90's style. I love fashion that is laid back and effortlessly cool. I draw inspiration from older icons like Aaliyah, Naomi Campbell, Faye Dunaway and Joana Lumley, as well as modern artists like Rihanna and Zendaya. And I should convince – I absolutely love vintage!

Could you say that you are a fashionable person in everyday life? What does fashion mean to you? 

Fashion is a way to express myself and show who I am. I truly believe that an outfit has the power to change the way you feel about yourself. I believe that fashion can come from inside rather than outside. It can express who you really are, and not take it away. Trends are cool but nothing is better for me when I see someone who has a style that is completely unique and represents who this person is. 

As you said in one of your interview, your debut EP was self-investigation. What did you discover about yourself while working on it? 

I discovered so much about myself – some good and some bad. I think the most important thing that I learned was that fact that I needed to get rid of my self doubt and negative thinking. I thought being hard on myself and trying to please everyone was motivating me, but in reality it was just stopping me from achieving my goals. 

The concept of your EP was amazing – five songs, that represents different days of a week and reflects different moods. Today a lot of young people complain on lack of emotions and happenings in their life. Where did you find inspiration? 

There is so much happening all the time if you just stop to recognize it. We are so used to constant entertainment that it can take a lot to keep us interested, that is why I love going out in nature, staying active, and taking time to sit still and just breath. Those things remind me of all the life and energy going on around us and inside me that I sometimes fail to appreciate. Instead of continuing to look outward for things to entertain me, I decided to become more entertained and interested by what I already have and I realized it's quite amazing. I love to read, to travel, to meet new people, and have meaningful conversations and good times. I take the time to understand the world around me, how it affects me, and how I can affect it, which is where the music comes in. 

You have such a strong position for young women. What artists or other famous people influenced you? Where does the idea of such pure and honest concept comes from?

Growing up, I never thought of being a girl as a set back. I always loved feeling feminine and beautiful! I looked up to Rihanna, Beyonce and Shakira a lot, because they always looked so strong and powerful during performance. As I got older, I started to realize that there were systems, designed to make us women feel inferior and question our beauty. And it pissed me off! I want every girl to grow up knowing that she is beautiful, capable and is so much more then just an Instagram profile! I think beauty is about being proud of who you are and accepting yourself. Today I look to role models like Maya Angelou, Michelle Obama and AOC for inspiration and motivation for my future achievements. 

How do you see the difference between self-care and selfishness? 

I think we are all selfish to a certain degree. We can be compassionate and learn new perspectives, but we are always going to want other people to understand our own. I think self-care is actually something that should make us less selfish. Self-care is more than just an action to me, it is about giving myself the validation and support that I need, so I do not rely on other people to make me feel good about myself. Also, if I can make myself feel good, I will want to share this feeling with other people. Self-care is different for everyone because we all love different things and I think it is important to find what works for you. As for me, in periods when I need «me-time» I prefer to ride a bike, read a book at a coffee shop or spend a day at the beach. 

In your album you touch such an important topic as a self-love. Tell us, do you face a lot of challenges with it in contemporary world? Do you feel judgment about yourself from society?

I think the hardest part about living in contemporary world is a surplus of distractions and an overwhelming amount of content and information. It made me think that I needed more, but, in fact, I realised I needed less! I had to “strip it all away” and find what really mattered to me and made me happy. Sometimes I still feel judged and I feel that I am not good enough, but now I have a support system of people and things I love to fall back on. I can accept that life would not always be great and I would not always feel great, but having tools to move past hard times helps truly enjoy the good moments. 

Tell us a little bit about your upcoming plans

This Fall I am planning to release more music and I will continue to come up with creative ways to adapt my art to today's circumstances. I have a video coming out with the new EP, that I am really excited about. It is going to be a live show, that has pre-recorded elements and describes the story and meaning behind the music. I will also have a new merch coming out, that includes a poetry book about the EP.

Do you think it is possible in current situation to manage a live show or you are planing to focus on life broadcast of your performance?

I am going to continue to do lifestream performances as well as create video content because I do not think there will be possibility to perform in person anytime soon. I want to be sure that I am putting all my thought and care into everything I do. I want to be innovative and give people something meaningful instead of just singing my songs over and over again.