Bolstered by the commercially successful songs "Maniac" and "Heather", his studio albumKid Krow (2020) debuted at number five on the U.S.Billboard 200, making it the biggest U.S. artist debut of the year. His second studio album,Superache (2022), received critical acclaim and debuted in the top 10 in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and the Netherlands. His third studio albumFound Heaven was released in 2024, which earned similar acclaim and debuted at number 14 on the U.S.Billboard 200.
Conan Lee Gray[3][4] was born on December 5, 1998, inLemon Grove, California,[5] to an Irish father and a Japanese mother.[6] As an infant, he moved with his family toHiroshima, Japan, because his grandfather needed medical care after being diagnosed with cancer.[7][8] After his grandfather's death, the family moved back to California.[9]
Gray's parents divorced when he was three years old and he was thereafter raised by a single mother.[10] In a "Draw My Life" video, he details his experiences with divorce as a young child.[11] As his father was in the military, Gray moved 9 times during his childhood, including two times during sixth grade. He was frequently bullied in grade school for being quiet.[12]
Gray eventually settled as a preteen inGeorgetown, Texas, where he remained for the rest of his teenage years. His life in central Texas inspired much of his art and music. He was accepted toUCLA, and moved to Los Angeles, California, in September 2017. However, he dropped out after only two months to begin touring after he was signed toRepublic Records.[13]
Gray created his official YouTube channel in 2013,[14] and began making videos at age 15. His early videos were about topics such as baking and mainly focused on his everyday life.[15] His vlog content centered heavily on his life in small-town Texas. He is often hailed for his appreciation of Americana-relatednostalgia.[16] Gray has recorded music, showed his art, and created other videos for his vlog with more than 25 million views.[10][15]
Gray self-released his debut single, "Idle Town", in March 2017. The song gained over 14 million streams onSpotify and 12 million views on YouTube.[16][17] He self-released his second single, "Grow", on September 1, 2017.[18][19][non-primary source needed] In October 2018, he released the single "Generation Why" onRepublic Records,[17] which was called "a rallying call to millennials".[20] In November 2018, he released the five-track EPSunset Season, which includes the songs "Idle Town", "Generation Why", "Crush Culture", "Greek God", and "Lookalike". The EP peaked at No. 2 on theBillboard Heatseekers Albums chart. Gray embarked on theSunset Shows tour in support of the EP.[21]
Gray performing in 2019
Gray made his late-night television debut onLate Night with Seth Meyers on the eve of February 2019,[22][23] before performing several shows as an opening act onPanic! at the Disco'sPray for the Wicked Tour.[24] He played concert festivals such asThe Great Escape in addition to touring nationally.[25] In February 2019, Gray re-released the single "The Other Side"[26] after originally publishing it on YouTube in 2016 on the eve of the first day of hissenior year of high school.[26][27] Between March and October 2019, he released three singles from his debut album,Kid Krow, "Checkmate", "Comfort Crowd", and "Maniac",[28] and an independent single, "The King". In October 2019, Gray embarked on theComfort Crowd Tour, his second headlining tour of North America, with support from acclaimed New Zealand musicianBenee as well as American recording artistUMI.[29] As of October 2019, Gray's catalog had gained over 250 million streams across all platforms collectively.[30] He received the2019 Shorty Award for Best YouTube Musician,[31] and was nominated for Breakthrough Artist at the 2019Streamy Awards.[32]
Throughout the second week of 2020, Gray shared daily hints about the title of his debut album on Twitter.[33] On January 9, 2020, he revealed the title,Kid Krow, and wrote, "I say more on this album than I've ever said in my life, and I can't wait to tell you all of my secrets. Love y'all."[34] Gray released "The Story" on the same day of the album's announcement,[35] as well as "Wish You Were Sober" as a surprise release two days before the album's release.[36] During early 2020, Gray's single "Maniac" became successful on international mainstream pop radio,[37][38][39][40][41] specifically in Australia,[42][43] where it was certified platinum.[44] The song was also certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in the US, making it his first certified song in all three countries.[45][46] It became his first appearance on Billboard. The single reached number 25 on theBubbling Under Hot 100 chart,[47] as well as number one in Australia and the top 100 charts of Ireland and South Korea. Gray releasedKid Krow on March 20, 2020, which debuted at number 5 on theBillboard 200 as well as number 1 on the US Pop Albums chart and number 2 on the Top Album Sales chart with over 37 thousand pure sales.[48][49][50] In the US, it was the biggest new artist debut of 2020 as of March and was the top pop solo debut album in over two years sinceCamila Cabello's 2018self-titled album.[51] The album was praised by publications such asPaper,Billboard,NPR,Teen Vogue andPaste.
Gray was scheduled to perform onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 16,[52] as well asCoachella in mid April 2020,[53] however both performances were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In mid-2020, bothForbes andBillboard listed Gray as a frontrunner in their predictions forBest New Artist nominees at the 2021Grammy Awards.[54][55] Following the commercial success ofKid Krow,Apple Music named Gray as anUp Next artist and released an exclusive mini-documentary about him in April 2020.[56] He would have embarked on theKid Krow World Tour with support fromBülow in 2020, though it was also cancelled due to the pandemic.[57] In August 2020, the song "Heather" became popular on the social media platform TikTok, consequently becomingKid Krow's sixth and final single.[58] It made Gray his first entry on theBillboard Hot 100 in his career, and further charted in the top 40 of countries such as the United Kingdom,[59] Australia,[60] New Zealand,[61] and Ireland.[62] It became his most commercially successful single since "Maniac", which achieved internationalmainstream hit radio success earlier that year. Gray performed "Heather" on bothThe Late Late Show with James Corden andThe Today Show in October 2020.[63][64] He released the single "Fake" with American singerLauv in October 2020.[65]
Between May 2021 and January 2022, Gray released the singles "Astronomy", "People Watching", "Telepath", and "Jigsaw".[66][67][68][69] He began his2022 world tour in March, later concluding in June.[70] On April 11, 2022, Gray announced that his second albumSuperache would be released on June 24, 2022.[71][non-primary source needed][72] On April 15, 2022, he released the song "Memories", and on May 19 he released the fifth single of the album, "Yours", and revealed the track list. The album is 12 tracks and a total of 40 minutes long.[73] Previously released single "Telepath" was not featured on the track list and remained as a non-album single. It was released on June 24, 2022.[74] Alongside the album, the video for the single "Disaster" was also released,[74] as well as Gray's announcement of his fourth concert tour, theSuperache Tour, which ran from September 2022 to March 2023.[75] Speaking about the album, Gray said "Writing this album was miserable, and that's why it ended up being a super-accurate depiction of my life", and "It felt like scraping my ribs of any last bits of meat".[7] In April 2022, he appeared as a surprise guest onOlivia Rodrigo'sSour Tour in Vancouver and they did a cover of theKaty Perry song, "The One That Got Away".[76] On July 18, 2022, Gray sang the national anthem at the2022 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. His performance was widely criticized across social media, some comparing it toFergie's performance at the2018 NBA All-Star Game.[77][78][79]
In May 2023, Gray began posting teasers featuring images of grocery stores across his social media. The teasers were revealed to be in reference to the setting of a new music video that was released on May 19, accompanying the single "Never Ending Song". Both the video and single marked a departure from Gray's usual style and featured 80's inspired visuals and sounds; Gray acknowledged the artistic shift as a "celebration of emotions" and "the beginning of a story".[80] On August 14, he announced a new single, "Winner", which was released on August 25.[81] On October 31, Gray released the single "Killing Me".[82]
On January 31, 2024, Gray announced his third studio album titledFound Heaven, which was released on April 5, as well as "Lonely Dancers", the album's fourth single, which was released on February 9.[83] On March 8, he released the fifth single of the album, "Alley Rose".[84] According to Ken Patridge ofGenius, the first four singles off the album have featured an upbeat 80's vibe, while "Alley Rose" is a soaring piano-rock ballad that harks back to '70s-eraElton John.[85] To supportFound Heaven, Gray embarked on his fifth headlining concert tour,Found Heaven On Tour, in July 2024 which includes Australia, the US, Asia, Amsterdam, Paris and the UK.[86]
On October 18, 2024, Gray released the single "Holidays" after first playing the song during theFound Heaven tour atMadison Square Garden. The song chronicles his experiences returning to his hometown in Texas for the holiday season.[87]
Gray is known for his pop music,[88] which has been tagged under theindie,acoustic, andbedroom subgenres.[88][89][90]Teen Vogue called Gray "the pop prince for sad internet teens".[91] He has atenor vocal range.[92][93]
Gray namesTaylor Swift (left) andLorde (right) as his biggest influences.
Gray has citedTaylor Swift as his biggest inspiration, stating that he "was raised by [her]" and that he is "the largestSwiftie".[94] He toldPeople, "I love her so much. I love her music. I love what she does. I love her lyricism. I love how she's handled her career. She's just such a fucking boss. I grew up listening to her music since I was nine years old. I feel like she shaped me so much as a person."[95] Swift praised Gray's debut albumKid Krow and the track "Wish You Were Sober" on her personalInstagram story, to which Gray responded, "Thank you for being my lifelong songwriting inspiration and icon. I honestly feel like you raised me both as a writer and a human and I cannot express in words how much that means to me. Thank you for everything. Swiftie for life."[96] In an interview withZane Lowe, forApple Music, Gray stated that Swift is his "number one above all", and continued that "she's just my songwriting icon, and I'll never understand how she does what she does. She's just amazing". Gray also revealed that Swift messaged him and complimentedKid Krow.[97]
Gray acknowledgedLorde as one of his other primary influences,[98][99][100] and has explained that his EPSunset Season was majorly inspired by the small-town nostalgia of her debut albumPure Heroine.[16] He has also citedThe Chicks andAdele as some of his musical influences,[101] as well as expressing a mutual[102] admiration forV ofBTS,[103] andBillie Eilish.[104] Talking about Eilish's rapid rise to fame in 2019, Gray toldET: "Billie and I have been friends since, like, literally forever, since she was, like, 15. I was like, 17. We were really young. Watching her have to figure out all these little things along the way has been really helpful for me."[105][106] Gray has also identifiedLana Del Rey as one of his stronger pop influences; he has covered a few of her songs.[107][non-primary source needed]
^Dean Stone, Russell (August 2, 2019)."Conan Gray".Notion. RetrievedDecember 28, 2019.The story starts back in Lemon Grove, San Diego, where Conan Gray was born on 5th December 1998.
_(cropped).jpg)
