Gracie Abrams wants fans to stop gatekeeping: ‘Such a bummer and such a shame’Gracie Abrams wants fans to stop gatekeeping: ‘Such a bummer and such a shame’
Will Heath/NBC
A year ago, Gracie Abrams wasn’t anywhere near as big an artist as she is now — but she’s upset at how some of her OG fans are reacting to her newfound success.
Speaking to Nylon magazine about her distress over old fans being mean to newer fans, Gracie says, “I understand the whole concept of wanting to gatekeep small artists and feeling like you are responsible for finding somebody in their primary stages of development and then being responsible as well for helping share them with the world.”
“But I’ve also seen, on the flip side, people be kind of judgmental or cruel towards new listeners,” she adds. “I think that’s such a bummer and such a shame, to be honest, because it’s not remotely how I feel about it.”
“I’m like, ‘Everyone, f****** get in here! Come! Be a part of this community!’ It is generally really f****** kind. Seeing some of that s***, I’m like, ‘Come on — chill.’”
But online behavior aside, Grace says she’s happy that when she meets her fans in person, they seem to be genuine fans who treat her with respect.
“I feel really lucky that 95% of my interactions with strangers are not with creepy dudes, for example, but young women or girls who are super emotional like I am and are able to express that,” she says. “I appreciate that so much.”
Gracie, who performed on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 14, will start the next leg of her tour February in Madrid.
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