| Childstar | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 4, 2025 (2025-04-04) | |||
| Genre | Indie pop | |||
| Label | Pulse Records | |||
| Producer |
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| Grace VanderWaal chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Childstar | ||||
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Childstar is the second studio album by American singer-songwriterGrace VanderWaal, released on April 4, 2025, by Pulse Records. It is VanderWaal's second full-length album. VanderWaal co-wrote all nine songs onChildstar.
In advance of the album's release, VanderWaal released several singles from the album and promoted it with live and broadcast appearances and a tour to major North American cities in May 2025. She also released a choreographed short film,Childstar: Final Act, on herYouTube channel, featuring five of the songs.
Producers on the album include Eren Cannata, who produced five of the nine songs. VanderWaal co-wrote each track. Vanderwaal released the album on April 4, 2025, through Pulse Records.[1]
Along with the album, VanderWaal released on herYouTube channel a choreographed short film,Childstar: Final Act, co-directed by VanderWaal with Luca Renzi and Jacob Boehme, and co-choreographed by VanderWaal and Renzi. The video features performances of five of the songs fromChildstar: "Proud", "Brand New", "Homesick", "Behavioral Problems" and "Fade".[2][3]
Of the album's second single "What's Left of Me", one reviewer wrote: "Driven by her gripping vocals, it's a raw track".[4] Upon the release ofChildstar, Olivia Hogan ofMelodic magazine wrote: "I was astonished by the album’s production and lyricism. Grace ... used it as a powerful vehicle to tell her story ... with a wide range of sounds that keep listeners engaged throughout. ... The album is vulnerable, courageous, and authentic."[1] Khushboo Malhotra ofCelebMix wrote: "Childstar is a hauntingly poetic excavation of identity, autonomy, and the aching complexity of coming of age under a spotlight you never asked for. ... VanderWaal doesn’t just sing here – she aches, whispers, and claws her way".
Of "Childstar: Final Act", a reviewer forCelebMix wrote: "it’s part performance art, part soul exorcism."[2] A reviewer fromPrelude Press called the accompanying film "Heartbreaking, captivating and cathartic all at once, Grace bares her soul, sharing her experiences growing up in the public eye through song, dance and raw emotion in each of these five performances."[3] The album and its accompanying film were a staff pick byThe A.V. Club.[5]
VanderWaal promoted the album with a U.S. tour in May 2025 with shows in Chicago, Toronto, Washington, DC, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The concerts included songs fromChildstar as well as VanderWaal's previous releases.[6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Proud" |
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| 2:32 |
| 2. | "Brand New" |
| Cannata | 2:51 |
| 3. | "Homesick" |
| Schadt | 2:35 |
| 4. | "What's Left of Me" |
| Jack Riley | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Call It What You Want" |
| Gerhart | 2:35 |
| 6. | "Babydoll (feat. Aliyah's Interlude)" |
|
| 2:30 |
| 7. | "Beg for It" |
| Cannata | 2:26 |
| 8. | "Behavioral Problems" |
| Cannata | 2:36 |
| 9. | "Fade" |
| Cannata | 3:32 |
| Total length: | 24:55 | |||