Grace VanderWaal on being a role model, the megalopolis and new music

Grace VanderWaal won the hearts of the country as a ukulele-wielding 12-year-old America is talented. Now a 20-year-old singer and actress, VanderWaal is gearing up for a new album, having released two singles in the past two months and starring in Francis Ford Coppola's next film. Megalopolis.

Just a day before the film hit theaters, VanderWaal spoke with The Hollywood journalist on Zoom about her experience working on the film, how she's evolved musically and what she's passionate about these days.

After making her acting debut in Disney Stellar girlthe 20-year-old doesn't rule out other projects in the future but seems to be focusing on her next album. VanderWaal, who spent most of his formative years in the public eye, says his next album will be “heavy,” but will take an accurate look at what he's going through right now.

“There's really no resolution to the album because it's a freeze in time of what I'm going through mentally right now,” he says THR. “I thought it was very impactful and artistic because it's so real, and it's a little dark, but reality has no resolution.”

Below, VanderWaal talks candidly about his career, along with his life outside of music and acting.

How was your experience working? Megalopolis? How did you feel when you started it, and now that it's finally coming out, how do you feel?

The experience on set and doing my part was really creative and very collaborative. I definitely felt like I was able to make everything my own. It was very free in that respect. Going into it, I feel like I tend not to process things, so I think I was like… It wasn't real yet. And maybe that's a good thing because it doesn't let me get nervous. I just casually go out into things. I've seen the movie a couple of times now and I'm really excited for it to come out. I'm happy with what I gave to the project and, overall, I'm a small part of this huge portrait. It blew me away, and so I'm happy to be the monster's pinky too.

How familiar were you with Francis Ford Coppola and his work before taking on the project? Most of his work came out before you were born, so what was your introduction to him?

Even though he was obviously a little before our time, I think his work has cemented itself in cinematic history, it's just timeless. His work will thrive for generations and generations and generations. Obviously I was very aware of not only his films but also his name. It's almost become a pop culture thing… it's Coppola. You can watch cartoons and they make jokes and you always know that's the way it is [his] movie. (Laughs) This is it [his] movie. I definitely knew exactly who he was, and The Godfather and all of his truly iconic work.

Your character inside Megalopolis she is a young woman caught in the crosshairs of two men seeking power plays against each other. What in particular about that storyline attracted you to the project?

Many things brought me to Vesta. I actually never move forward with projects just to move forward with projects. I thought that was one thing that proved it [Coppola] The thing about movies is that every single detail can have consequences. It's so detailed and human in its own right. It does not matter. He could be an extra, and it's like you can say, oh, this is a very dimensional character. I liked the virginal aspect translated into modern times. I thought it was a crystal clear commentary on the very conservative pop stars we have today. And how you might hear the Vestals in Rome and think to yourself how oppressive it is and how crazy it is. That story was like that at some point, but in reality it's still like that. I really, really, really liked it. I think that's a big part of the movie, it's just that we can look back and think about how much of a catastrophe it was when we're living in his playbook right now. I really liked the purity culture aspect. She's obviously a singer and there's a personal relationship there.

Do you see yourself continuing to act in the future?

This was really inspiring for me and made me want to participate in more amazing things, but I just feel like amazing things are rare and require patience. So if an amazing thing came across my desk, I would absolutely join in and be a part of it.

Your single released in August, “Call it What You Want,” felt like a bridge between the music you were releasing before and your most recent single “What’s Left of Me,” which feels like a reintroduction to who you are as a person. artist. Was this intentional?

It was pretty much exactly that. It was very intentional. When I came to Pulse Records with an album and a world and a concept, and we said, “How can I lead people in this way where I feel more comfortable and confident?” I don't want the project to have shock value and I don't want it to be discredited in this way. It was really important for us to slowly integrate my new project into the music that people know and what I do.

Did you feel like you were put in a box musically because of where you started?

Yes, but only alone. I think we end up telling ourselves that people like us for one thing and in some ways we limit ourselves probably more than any other outsider would. So, I felt pressured and trapped, but mostly because of my own spiral of what I thought was happening.

As you approach your 20th birthday, are you able to reflect on the time that has passed? America is talented with a new light?

I am happy. I'm so happy with everything that happened. America is talented it was nothing. I mean, it's such a car that's not really there… you know what I mean? You're just going through the motions and they make it really easy to do that. I think that's the next readjustment because it can be really good to deal with. I think the hardest thing about the industry is that there is no set game plan or formula or even a daily routine to follow. I think a lot of people can feel really lost. You basically just make it up. It is unique for everyone. It's very strange that way, but I think everything happened at the right time for a reason, and I'm happy with where I am and with the music.

Have there been any musicians who have stood by you or mentored you over the years?

No. No, not really. I mean, maybe there's always a brief communication, but no, definitely no close relationships or mentorship. It's so funny. Even my label was like, “Oh, do you have any famous friends or industry people and stuff?” And I said, “No, I barely have any friends in my life.” I definitely don't have any famous friends.

How would you reintroduce the world to Grace today? What would you like people to know about you as you become an adult versus the preconceived idea they might have of who you were as a 12-year-old on TV?

I like to create and produce what I myself would like to ingest. That's also why I'm confident in what I do because I'm a person who also likes listening to music and seeing artists do cool things. I like the quality. I like thinking and art, and that's all you need to know about me, and if you like these things or want them, I could be the person who could entertain them in the near future.

What do you do when you're not working on music?

I like watching movies and TV and I love decorating my house, for sure. It's a great hobby of mine, exploring things to make my house even more crazy. Hanging out with my cat is literally what I do when I'm not working.

What are you passionate about these days?

Given my development and what I've been through, I've been exposed to a lot of things. Especially with the internet, I can see…I mean almost like a living social experiment, I saw how the world took a little girl who liked to sing, and that was a very hard exposure for me that I still struggle with to this day. I think when something is so strong… there was a lot of disgust that then turned into fascination because I wanted to explain why this is the way it is, and if so, does it make sense? I am very, very passionate and inspired by patriarchal values ​​and systems throughout history, and also how they subconsciously still affect every single person today without even knowing it. And how that personally highlights how people see me and how I see people and other women. I just think it's an interesting coding that we all live in, made up of these invisible numbers, that calculate the way we take things. This is probably the number one thing that I'm passionate about and always want to know more about and could talk about for hours and hours.

How did you balance being a role model for young women as they grow up, while still doing it yourself?

I never felt pressure to be a role model because I was 12 and 13 years old. Just the inherent pressure, and not even the pressure, I mean for a good reason, but obviously to protect myself in a way. I think this made me a “good role model” because I followed the rules and did everything, but I think people don't realize that I wasn't just a 13-year-old who fell out of the sky. My mother was watching everything I did. She is there most of the time. I'm not going to do an interview and say, “This is what me and my friends do secretly,” and my mom is right there. These days, I don't want to say I don't want to be a role model, but I'm definitely not preparing myself to be that person. I'm still breaking down a lot of feelings for myself. I'm definitely not in the right place to… I feel like this album and everything I'm immersing myself in is heavy and there's not really a resolution to the album because it's a freeze in time of what I'm experiencing. mentally at this time. I thought it was very impactful and artistic because it's so real, and it's a little dark, but reality has no resolution. Sometimes you go through things and there's no great meaning or lesson you get from it. You just went through it and now you have to take it with you. It's something that is difficult to process and overcome. So when I do, I'll be happy to tell people, but I don't want people to say, “This spoke to me and sparked these feelings. How can I overcome them?” And I'll just say, “I don't know either. I don't know either.”