00:00I like kind of love being in pain. I love it so much. I just feel so like main character and inspired.
00:08Hi, I'm Grace VanderWaal and this is Billboard News.
00:14We're here today with former America's Got Talent winner, former Billboard 21 Under 21 recipient,
00:20singer, songwriter, and actress Grace VanderWaal. Grace, welcome. Wow, thank you. You're releasing
00:26two new singles. Yes. And you're going to be in a movie. So we have a lot to talk about.
00:32Yeah, girl. Let's get into it. Let's do it. Let's crack the egg.
00:43You achieved incredible success at a really young age. How has that affected you as you
00:48continue to work today? Instead of describing it as like experiencing success at a young age,
00:55I would like describe it as like the facade of fame being shattered for me very, very early,
01:02which I'm eternally grateful for. Unreachable fame is the one thing that you can absolutely
01:08promote so that people are constantly and it's like meeting God. And then he's like,
01:16you know, you would have an existential crisis. And so like I very much discovered at an early
01:21age, I was like, oh, this is completely hollow. And like, you just need to like, love the art.
01:28And like, I will never chase, you know, that fulfillment or facade at all. You know what I'm
01:34saying? Like separates you and your work from your ego. Yes, exactly. At a very early age, too. Yeah.
01:46For you being a woman in the industry, and just being so visible, whether it be on socials or
01:51through your music or in a movie. Yeah. You know, having someone who's just not afraid to be who
01:57they are. Yes. And people hate it. It's their least favorite thing. Really? Like, oh, absolutely.
02:05That's what drives people insane is like, just a woman, a young woman who has decided that you
02:13can't limit me. And you don't define me because it's a robbery of power. And it makes people so
02:20mad. So mad. How do you want to redefine yourself? I don't think I want to redefine myself.
02:27Okay. Yeah. I think I just want to be me. I want to be honest. I want to be free.
02:34Do you feel like that sense of vulnerability and that rawness is something you're carrying
02:38into this album? Is that something you aspire? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I was just like,
02:43how uncomfortably honest can I be? Because I felt like that was like the performance art of it.
02:51This was the most I felt like free I've ever been. And just watching myself and also others
03:02in the project, like, start to be like, oh, like this is and understand the like monster it is.
03:09It is. And I was just like, wow, this is an experience I've never had before. I've just
03:15like pushing the boundaries of what we can really do. Do you want to tour this record?
03:20Do you have any plans? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I literally just manically wrote out on my notes app,
03:26like an immersive concert idea. And I like went through second by second of all the songs and like
03:35did what the lighting is going to be. And I love performing so much. I love just every dimension of
03:42this project. So I feel like the performances and like visuals will be just as important
03:48as everything. And I totally want to go on tour with it. I love touring so much.
03:59You've released a single call it what you want. What inspired you to write that song?
04:03Personal experience. Can you elaborate? When two people romanticize a connection,
04:10and you kind of both know it's sort of like a waste of time or maybe living in the past or
04:14it's not going to go anywhere. But there's just like so much love there. And it's kind of just
04:19like drug binging your love. What are we getting from what's left of me? What inspired you to write
04:26that song? That song has much more layers. Yeah.
04:35I was going through a breakup. And I just kind of was realizing like the butterfly effect of
04:46how changed I was from this relationship. So like, I wondered, would I choose the same sweater
04:53in the morning? Like what I walk, take my right foot or my left foot, just like how much would
05:00stem. And then I was like, what part of my skin is even still mine and like left before this
05:08relationship. I'm constantly now a shared piece of you. Fuck, that was really intense. And like,
05:19there isn't an uncomfortability to that because I was just like, it's done. Like, yeah, you have
05:27that and you'll be a part of me forever. And you changed me. And yeah, so it's called What's Left
05:33of Me. I'm not afraid to be emotional at all. I'm like, a little fucked up. I like kind of love
05:45being in pain. I love it so much. I just feel so like main character and inspired.
05:53Spoken like a true artist. So I was just like, yeah, I was like walking through like Fiona Apple,
05:58like it's rainy outside. I was just like, oh, I'm so hurt. And it got me to write this song
06:03because I was like so main character. We're in need of a great debate about the future.
06:09You are going to be in Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Tell us about your
06:16experience acting in that movie. Oh my god, I had the best experience acting in that movie.
06:22It was unlike anything I've ever done before. And like, I really saw firsthand Francis's
06:32process and like artistry. And it was really, really, really fucking cool. I remember Francis
06:40was like, oh, well, have you ever played a villain before? And I was like, but is she a villain?
06:47But is she though? And then he was like, oh, I'm like, yeah, she's kind of a queen.
06:53I fear she's kind of just like using a system. And that's kind of fabulous.
07:00So you say she's girl bossing?
07:03I think she possibly might be girl bossing.
07:05Viewers can decide.
07:07New headline.
07:09Go see Megalopolis and decide for yourself. Tell us about you. What are some things that
07:14you care about and have fun doing?
07:16My hobby? Oh my god, you know what my biggest hobby is? I just did this the other night and I
07:20was just like, I fucking love my life. And I just get Chick-fil-A or Dave's hot chicken.
07:28Dave's hot chicken. I'm like obsessed with chicken sandwiches. Put on an Adam Sandler movie,
07:34dude. Something about those shitty Adams. The shittier the better. Like you can tell that man
07:40was just with his friends drunk writing a script. I just put it on. Brain dead cat right here.
07:48And I have a back massager that I put on.
07:51Oh, yeah, that's advanced.
07:53Oh, yeah. It's like, it's honestly, I'm like, this is what life is about. I figured it out.
08:00How do you maintain work life balance in your life?
08:04I don't. The only way to survive doing what I'm doing is to be a person who loves chaos,
08:11which I do. I thrive under pressure. I honestly love being stressed out.
08:19I like love freaking out. I find so much enjoyment in it. It's like you have to problem solve right
08:24now. I mean, there's no consistency at all. Like sometimes I'm just unemployed and other times I'm
08:32like traveling and I mean, working hours. It's just like, you know, kick my ass. So.
08:38Terrible advice. But unfortunately, I understand.
08:42Rude.
08:45This is the first time you're going to be eligible to vote in an election.
08:48What does that mean to you?
08:50I've actually been wondering this lately, why that's not part of our education system.
08:56Doesn't that seem so obvious?
08:59Because then you become an adult and it feels so overwhelming. You're just like,
09:03where do I even start? But anyway, I am taking it very seriously because I am also a hashtag woman.
09:11If you haven't noticed.
09:12Woman.
09:13Um, and like, I would maybe like to have human rights.
09:19Is that too much to ask? I really don't think it is.
09:22Do you have a candidate that you're supporting?
09:25Do you think I just fell out of a coconut tree?
09:29So now some just rapid fire questions. I'm going to have you answer these as fast as you can.
09:34No hesitations, no pressure, but this is legally binding.
09:36Oh my God.
09:37Favorite food.
09:39Dave's hot chicken.
09:40Your go-to pizza toppings.
09:43Cheese. Cheese.
09:45What? Cheese.
09:48You're scaring me, please.
09:51Cats or dogs?
09:52Oh my God, both actually.
09:56But you're a cat owner.
09:57I can't answer that, but I love dogs and I love my pug so much.
10:02But you have a pug too.
10:03Yeah, I have a pug. His name is Frankie.
10:06I actually got him after America's Got Talent.
10:09With my money, shmoney.
10:11You cashed that check and said, I'm getting a dog.
10:14Girl, I was like 12 years old.
10:15They were like, oh my God, it was so messed up.
10:18They're like, what do you want?
10:19And like, some people were like, oh, I'm going to buy my mother a house.
10:22And I was like, a puppy?
10:25Well, Grace, best of luck to you on everything you're doing.
10:29Two singles and a movie, no big deal.
10:31And that is all we have for you.
10:33Thank you, mama.
10:34I love you.
10:35You're my best friend.
10:36Bye.
10:39Bye.
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