Grace Mitchell

Grace Mitchell made her initial mark at just 16 with a downtempo, R&B-tinged reinterpretation of Hall & Oates’ “Maneater,” placed on the soundtrack for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Born in Portland, Oregon, the multi-instrumentalist—who handles keys, drums, and guitars—inked a deal with Casablanca/Republic in 2013 and moved to Los Angeles. October 2014 saw the arrival of her debut EP, Design. Morgan Taylor Reid, known for work with Lady Gaga and RedOne, helmed the four tracks, which displayed a refined, mature sheen reminiscent of the alt-pop sound associated with Lorde and Banks. Mitchell’s full-bodied vocals steered cuts such as “Runaway” and “Your Design” toward the atmospheric territory first explored by Lana Del Rey. Her next release, the November 2015 EP Raceday, arrived under the guidance of Mark Foster of Foster the People alongside Rich Costey, whose credits include Muse, Flying Lotus, and Of Monsters and Men. The project spotlighted “NoLo” together with the widely discussed single “Jitter,” a retro electro number incorporating bounce rhythms and Peaches-style rap passages. Early 2017 brought two standalone tracks—the hard-hitting “Kids (Ain’t All Right)” and the ’80s-flavored pop anthem “Now”—as precursors to her first full-length album, slated for late summer.