Nashville-based singer-songwriter Grace Michele is back with an honest new single, "Give Me a Break," that serves as both an anthem of empathy for the struggles many of us experience and a release. Penned in a time that marked one of her most tumultuous years to date, the track isn't a glossy pop production so much as it is a bare, openhearted journal entry for the melodically inclined.
Grace's own words give a sense of the context. At that moment, when I was writing, I had just totaled my car, started new antidepressants, and I hadn't been able to communicate with a family member in quite a while. I was lost and didn't feel like myself, she says. I moved to Nashville with more than a suitcase.
Working with Carter Frodge, Grace would start by looking at a blank page. The early sketch of "Give Me a Break" was realized when they recently listened to the rough voice memo that Ada Leann had sent them, it didn't need much. The lyrics, scrapped and rewritten to convey Grace's story honestly, combined openness with relatability. The resulting single doesn't attempt to gloss over life's messiness, it embraces it. I didn't want it to sound polished or perfect. I wanted it to sound real, she says. That candor is part of what makes the song feel like a lifeline for people experiencing their own struggles, and, in turn, listeners have replied in kind, sharing how the track has helped them reckon with their own struggles.
"Give Me a Break" is the truth, and that's reflected by its backstory. But each line and melodic turn feels purposeful, reflecting the path from confusion and heartbreak to clarity and self-acceptance. The single is a testament to the potency of openness in songwriting. It's not weakness, Grace reminds us by example there, but a bridge to connect with others.
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