Grace, better know as Mallrat, is a singer, songwriter, and producer based in Brisbane, Australia. You may have heard “Groceries” from her 2018 EP In The Sky or more recently “Rockstar” from her debut album.
Her style may change with each song, but there’s always a distinctive element within her discography that is instantly recognizable. Mallrat sounds just as wonderful live. And her interactions with the crowd make you fall in love with not just her artistry, but also with her character.
A few months ago ahead of her West Coast tour, we talked to Mallrat about her recent achievements, her debut album titled Butterfly Blue, and her unique fashion style. Learn more about her below.
How did you feel after releasing your first album?
The actual feeling of releasing, it was just so exciting. I felt like I was working on it for about four years. I was so proud of it and listening to the songs obsessively every day, just for fun, because I really liked them. It was a real sense of excitement to share and see what would happen once they were out in the world. That was kind of what it felt like to put it out.
I read that you wanted to self produce it. But I believe in a previous interview, you said that you weren’t at the level you want it to be at yet, so you co-produced it. How did that go?
That’s kind of what I do all the time. But yeah, as I mentioned, in another interview, I’ve realized I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about production. Because I love production so much. It’s one of my favorite things about making music. I had an idea in my head that I would wanted to produce my album, which I still think is so cool. I’m definitely going to do that one day. But I was kind of getting stuck. And I felt inspired working with some of my friends. I was just kind of thinking to myself, like, I’m lucky enough to work with the best producers in the world that I’m learning so much from all the time. And they don’t teach at universities, you can’t buy their time, I’m actually in such a privileged position right now to be able to learn up close from these people. That really helps to reframe that. Yeah, little chip on my shoulder that I had. It was really just the most fun. I loved it.
What was the biggest takeaway you would say from co-producing your debut?
It’s kind of an interesting one to answer because I’m always co-producing things all the time. To narrow it down to what I learned in making the album, maybe that sometimes it affirmed the idea that the process can feel really never ending until a certain thing falls into place.
Spending years making all these songs not knowing at what point it would feel like a finished album. And then one week, just all these things click, and then you’re like, oh, the end is in sight. It’s just so close. I’m so close to the finish line. That was when I pick it out. We’ll write the song that will be the last song of the album. And then a few days later, finish the song that would be the first song of the album.
The process can be really winding. But it’s okay. A lot of creatives I noticed think they’ve finished a project and then we go back to it and think wait, I can do this, or I can move it here. When is your mind playing tricks on you and when are you trusting your gut? Or when are you scared of sharing? There are a million questions that you can ask yourself that don’t necessarily bring a whole lot of clarity.
Speaking of people that you’re lucky to be associated with and to learn with, I saw that you’ve become a fan to friend to collaborator with artists like All Day and Azealia Banks. When you have these collaborations, does it feel like kind of a new achievement in your musical career? Or is it more just a new personal achievement?
Both for sure. It feels magical. You feel like you’re in the right place or on the right path or something. You can be really good at your job or really sure of yourself, but it doesn’t detract from the wonder of being a fan of an artist, usually. To have that relationship go from that to friendship is really special. There’s often a million things that you want to know about people like that and how their music came to be. So it’s very, very special.
I saw that you also collaborated with Benee on the opening for the women’s FIFA World Cup. First of all, congratulations. How did it feel performing at that arena?
I didn’t know what to expect. How can you prepare for such a unique experience? As it was getting closer, I was thinking, I’m going to be so nervous. There are so many unpredictable elements to all of this. It’s televised, and being in front of the camera is so scary.
Then it came around to the week of the show, and we were rehearsing with all these dancers. At first, I was a little overwhelmed, like, Okay, I don’t really understand what I’m meant to be doing with all of this. And then, eventually, it made such clear sense. I felt actually really confident having them all around, and having Benee with me and going through that process with her.
By the time it came to actually do it, I didn’t feel nervous at all, which was so surprising. It was over in the blink of an eye, but it was just a really cool experience and overwhelmingly positive and no one near as scary as I thought it would be.
It feels easier performing in front of a huge crowd instead of just an intimate space. Because there’s no individualization with a big crowd. But you can see everyone at a small show.
You can really feel that they’re watching you. And there’s so much more pressure – is maybe the wrong word – but maybe responsibility to do a really excellent or perfect job. But when there’s lots of people, and it kind of just becomes a sea of movement. It’s very, for me, I’m assuring.
How so?
I think there’s an element of when it’s an intimate show. If it’s a small show, or maybe you’re a supporting act, you feel like you have to draw people that aren’t aware of your music in and win them over. But when there’s a large mass of people, they’re already having a good time. And there’s already an energy there. You just have to conduct the energy rather than covering it in the first place.
How do you feel about performing in front of a U.S. audience compared to an Australian audience?
It has been a few years so I’ve kind of forgotten what it’s like a little bit. But I think it will be good. A lot of my shows that I’ve done in America before as a support act was a fun challenge. I have to remind myself it’s not as scary and challenging. The people are there because they like my songs or are curious to hear them. It’s not people going into it to cut me down or anything. I have to remind myself that I’m gonna be fine. But I think it will be good actually not just fun
I was scrolling through your Instagram and I saw that you’re a bit of a fashion icon.What has been your favorite performance look that comes to mind?
I kind of figured out a uniform for myself. A lot of my favorite outfits are variation of that uniform, really big shoes, really platform boots, and then a little tiny skirt. I loved when I supported Conan Gray in Europe last year. It was almost 30 shows, so I wasn’t gonna pack a different outfit for every show. I was trying to figure out one thing I could wear the whole time.
I wore a skirt from this brand called Chopova Lowena, which is this really cool European brand that uses old recycled textiles. They have these carabiners attached to it. The belt has different buckles and I attached all of my plushy keychains. When we were driving through and stopping at different gas stations, I would always find a plushie and go, oh, that is coming with me. I also wore this top that is a butterfly. And I’ll just wear like big shoes and sometimes arm warmers or something like that, but I really liked that uniform.
What’s something that you’re looking forward to in an artistic sense?
Writing and producing music are my favorite things in the world. And I feel so excited by what I’ve been making lately. I’m looking forward to sharing that. But I’m also looking forward to the next day that I make something that I feel excited about, which can be today, or it might not be for a few weeks or months. You never know, but it will happen again soon. And that is really exciting.
Mallrat
Website | Instagram | Listen to Butterfly Blue
