Claire Elise Boucher (/buːˈʃeɪ/;[2] born March 17, 1988), known professionally asGrimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch onscience fiction andfeminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elaborate and sometimes havefantasy themes. She has released five studio albums.
Born and raised inVancouver, Grimes began releasing music independently after moving toMontreal in 2006. She released two albums,Geidi Primes andHalfaxa, in 2010 onArbutus Records, before signing with4AD and rising to prominence with the release of her 2012 album,Visions. The album received the Canadian music industryJuno Award for Electronic Album of the Year, and yielded two singles: "Genesis" and "Oblivion". Following this, her fourth studio album,Art Angels, was released in 2015, and several publications named it the best album of the year. Her fifth studio album,Miss Anthropocene, was released in 2020.
Outside of music, Grimes had a voice role in the 2020 action role-playing video gameCyberpunk 2077 and was a judge on the music competition game showAlter Ego. She has three children with billionaire entrepreneurElon Musk.
Grimes was born Claire Elise Boucher inVancouver, British Columbia,[3] on March 17, 1988,[4] the first child of Sandy Garossino, a former Crown prosecutor and arts advocate,[5] and Maurice Boucher, a former banker who works "in the business side of biotech".[6][7] She is ofFrench Canadian (Québécois),Ukrainian, and Italian descent.[8][9][10][11] Her grandmother was fromUkraine and immigrated toCanada.[10]
Grimes and her younger brother, Mac, were raisedRoman Catholic, and attended Catholic school in Vancouver.[12][13] She later commented that her religious upbringing had a significant impact on her: "It totally influences everything I do. I think I have serious latent Catholic guilt issues."[14] Her parents divorced when she was 11 years old, after which her mother remarried.[15] Her step-father is anIndo-Canadian man named Ravi Sidhoo, allowing her to experience a multicultural upbringing.[16] Through her mother's remarriage, she has two stepbrothers, one of whom is a member of the hip hop duoLNDN DRGS and performs under the name Jay Worthy.[17]
In 2006, Grimes graduated fromLord Byng Secondary School and relocated from Vancouver toMontreal to attendMcGill University's joint Bachelor of Arts and Science program. "I was studying general Arts and Science degree, but I was in the electro-acoustics program" she said in early interviews.[18][19] However, she later claimed to have studied neuroscience.[20][21] She was expelled in December 2010 for skipping classes.[22][23][24]
According to the year her originalMyspace account was created, she began writing music under the name Grimes in 2007.[25] Her performer name was chosen because at the time, MySpace allowed artists to list three musical genres. She listed "grime" for all three, without knowing what thegrime music genre was.[26] Grimes was self-taught in music and visual art.[27][28]
In January 2010, Grimes released her debut album,Geidi Primes,[29] a concept album inspired by theDune series,[29][30][31] followed by her second album,Halfaxa, in October of the same year.[32] After the release ofHalfaxa, she began to publicly promote her music and tour beyond Montreal. In 2011 Grimes released five songs on her side of the split12" withd'Eon,Darkbloom (through bothArbutus andHippos in Tanks).[33][34] Beginning in May 2011, Grimes opened forLykke Li on her North American Tour, and the following August her debut album was re-released through No Pain in Pop Records, in CD and vinyl format for the first time.[35][36] In 2011, she collaborated with DJ/producerBlood Diamonds.[37][38]
Following extensive touring and positive reception to her first two albums andDarkbloom contribution, Grimes signed with record label 4AD in January 2012.[39][40] Her third studio album,Visions, was released on January 31, 2012, in Canada through Arbutus Records,[41] February 21, 2012 in the United States through 4AD,[40][41] and various dates in March 2012 elsewhere.[42][43] appeared on a number of publications' year-end lists and was considered Grimes' breakout album.[44]NME included it on their500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2013.[45]Visions won the Electronic Album of the Year Award and Grimes was nominated for the Breakthrough Artist of the Year at theJunos.[46][47] Grimes also won the Artist of the Year Award at the 2013Webbys.[44][48]
[After nine days] you have no stimulation, so your subconscious starts filling in the blanks ... I started to feel like I was channelling spirits. I was convinced my music was a gift from God. It was like I knew exactly what to do next, as if my songs were already written.
The album's second single, "Oblivion", was named the best song of 2012 byPitchfork[50] and was produced into amusic video co-directed byEmily Kai Bock and Grimes.[51][52]Pitchfork ranked "Oblivion" at number one on their 200 Best Tracks of the Decade So Far list in 2014.[53] In interviews following the album's release, Grimes explained that she was assigned a strict deadline by which to have her third album finished far before it was complete,[54] resulting in her recording the bulk ofVisions while isolated in her Montreal apartment inMile End[55] for three consecutive weeks. Notably, this intensive recording session included a period of nine days without sleep or food and withblacked out windows, since she generally could not make music as readily during the day, and doing "tons ofamphetamines"[49][56] She described the writing process as being "equally enjoyable and tortuous",[57] feeling that its difficulty contributed to its success.[57] Grimes went on the Visions Tour from 2012 to 2014 with supporting actsBorn Gold, Myths,Elite Gymnastics, and Ami Dang.[58][59][60] From March 23–25, Grimes staged an art show and charity auction at the Audio Visual Arts (AVA) gallery in New York City, featuring paintings and drawings.[61] In March 2012, Grimes collaborated with Cop Car Bonfire's Tim Lafontaine and went under the name, Membrain.[62][63] They released an EP called,Sit Back, Rewind.[62][63] In May 2012, Grimes was featured onBlood Diamonds's song "Phone Sex".[64][65] In July 2012, Grimes toured as a supporting act withDiplo andSkrillex on the Full Flex Express Canadian Train Tour.[66][67] In August 2012, Grimes made her American television debut onLate Night With Jimmy Fallon.[68][69]
In April 2013, Grimes posted a written statement addressing her experience as a female musician as rife with sexism and expressed disappointment that her feminist stance was often interpreted as anti-male.[70][71] When speaking about her preference to produce all her studio albums herself, she said, "I don't wanna be just like the face of this thing I built, I want to be the one who built it".[72] In December 2013, Grimes employed the services ofJay-Z's management company,Roc Nation.[73][74]
On June 26, 2014, Grimes premiered the new track "Go", produced by and featuringBlood Diamonds. It was a track that had been written for and rejected byRihanna and was premiered on Zane Lowe's radio 1 show.[75][76][77]Rolling Stone ranked it number fourteen on their Best Songs of 2014 list.[78] In July 2014, Grimes was featured onBleachers' song "Take Me Away" from their album,Strange Desire.[79] On August 19, 2014, Grimes was featured in the music for the remix ofHaim'sMy Song 5.[80][81]
On March 8, 2015, Grimes released a self-directed video for a demo version of "Realiti" from an abandoned album. It received critical acclaim from music critics, being named Best New Music by Jenn Pelly fromPitchfork, calling it the "best new Grimes song sinceVisions".[82][83] On March 15, 2015, Grimes andBleachers released their collaboration, "Entropy" for the HBO TV showGirls.[84][85] In the summer of 2015, Grimes toured withLana Del Rey for several of herEndless Summer Tour dates.[86][87] She then toured in the fall of 2015 as the headliner of her own Rhinestone Cowgirls Tour with openerNicole Dollanganger.[88]
Speaking of her upcoming fourth album, scheduled for a "surprise" release in October, Grimes said that record was recorded with "real instruments", a departure from the primarily synth and sampler driven composing of her prior releases.[89] On October 26, 2015, Grimes released the lead single of the album, "Flesh Without Blood", as well as a two-act music video comprising both "Flesh Without Blood" and "Life in the Vivid Dream", another song from the upcoming album.[90][91] The album, titledArt Angels, was released in November to favourable reviews, garnering an 88 (out of 100) rating onMetacritic[92] and the Best New Music designation fromPitchfork. Jessica Hopper ofPitchfork describedArt Angels as "evidence of Boucher's labor and an articulation of a pop vision that is incontrovertibly hers... an epic holiday buffet of tendentious feminist fuck-off, with second helpings for anonymous commenters and music industry blood-suckers".[93]
Art Angels was named best album of the year byNME,Exclaim!, andStereogum.[94][95][96] It peaked at number 1 on theBillboard US Top Alternative Album Chart[97] and number 2 on theBillboard Top Independent Album chart.[98] Grimes won the 2016 International award at the Socan Annual Awards and the 2016 Harper's Bazaar Musician of the Year Award in October.[99][100]
In the spring of 2016, Grimes toured Asia and Europe with supporting actHana on the Ac!d Reign Tour.[101] Grimes continued touring through the summer of 2016, performing at various music festivals across North America and opening forFlorence and the Machine on select dates of theHow Beautiful Tour.[102]
Continuing the series of music videos for songs offArt Angels that began with "Flesh Without Blood" and "Life in the Vivid Dream" ("Act I" and "Act II", respectively),[90] Grimes released the music video for "Kill V. Maim" ("Act III") on January 19, 2016,[103] and the music video for "California" ("Act IV") on May 9, 2016.[104] Grimes crafted a slightly remixed version of "California" for the music video to achieve a less "dissonant" visual/auditory mix.[105] On August 3, 2016, Grimes released the song "Medieval Warfare" as part of thesoundtrack of the 2016 superhero film,Suicide Squad.[106][107]
On October 5, 2016, Grimes with friend and collaborator Hana Pestle, more commonly known by stage nameHana, released "The Ac!d Reign Chronicles", a lo-fi series of seven music videos including songs by Grimes ("Butterfly", "World Princess Part II", "Belly of the Beat" and "Scream") and Hana ("Underwater", "Chimera" and "Avalanche"), each starring in their respective segments.[108][109][110] Additional appearances include Aristophanes in Scream[109][110] and two of Grimes' backup dancers, Linda Davis and Alyson Van, throughout the series.[108] "The AC!D Reign Chronicles" were recorded over the course of two weeks during the duo's time touring Europe and were made with minimal production,[108] shot exclusively on iPhones with no crew aside from her brother, Mac Boucher, who assisted with filming.[110] In 2016, Grimes co-wrote the song "Heaven" forTroye Sivan's albumBlue Neighbourhood.[111]
On February 2, 2017, Grimes premiered onTidal the high budget futuristic music video of "Venus Fly", starring herself andJanelle Monáe.[112][113] The video was uploaded on YouTube on February 9, 2017.[114] She won Best Dance Video for "Venus Fly" at the Much Music Video Awards.[115] In 2017, Grimes won a JUNO Award for Video of the Year, featuring "Kill V. Maim".[116] On October 19, 2017, Grimes released a cover ofTegan and Sara's "Dark Come Soon" withHana.[117][118] The cover is a part of Tegan and Sara'sThe Con X: Covers album.[117][118]
In February 2018, Grimes wrote onInstagram, "welp no music any time soon after all".[119] It was later revealed that this was due to a clash with her label, 4AD.[120] She later revealed on an Instagram post that she would eventually be releasing two albums, and that "they would be separated by a period of time", with the first being released with 4AD, and the second with an undisclosed label. Grimes stated that this first album would be "highly collaborative and [characterized by] most glorious light", with the second highlighting themes of "pure darkness and chaos".[121]
On April 10, 2018, Grimes was featured on "Pynk", the third single fromJanelle Monáe's album,Dirty Computer.[122][123] On May 30, 2018, Grimes was featured on "Love4Eva" byLoona yyxy, the lead single from South Korean girl groupLoona's third sub-unit's debut EPBeauty & the Beat.[124][125] On June 15, 2018, she was featured in a video forApple's Behind the Mac series on their YouTube channel, with a preview of a song from her upcoming album titled "That's What the Drugs Are For", later released as "My Name Is Dark".[126][127] On the same day, she posted two Twitter videos previewing two songs from her upcoming album, "adore u (beautiful game)" and "4ÆM".[128] In 2018, Grimes composed the theme music forNetflix's animated seriesHilda.[129][130] On October 19, 2018, Grimes was featured onJimmy Urine's "The Medicine Does Not Control Me" from the album,Euringer.[131]
On October 31, 2018, Grimes was featured on "Play Destroy" byPoppy on her albumAm I a Girl?[132] Shortly after the release of "Play Destroy", Poppy accused Grimes of bullying during the making of "Play Destroy" stating:
"I was kind of bullied into submission by [Grimes] and her team of self-proclaimed feminists", she says. "We planned the song coming out months ago, and she was preventing it. I got to watch her bully songwriters into signing NDA and not taking credit for songs that they were a part of. She doesn't practice what she preaches."[133]
Grimes responded by saying:
"Poppy, you dragged me into a disgusting situation and won't stop punishing me for not wanting to be a part of it", Grimes says. "I don't want to work with you, you leaked the song anyway. u got what you want. Let it go."[134]
On August 13, 2019, Grimes posted an advertisement for theAdidas byStella McCartney Fall 2019 collection on Instagram, stating that she would release the first single off her upcoming album,Miss Anthropocene, on September 13, 2019.[142][143] She released the music video for "Violence", featuringi_o, on September 5, 2019.[144][145] On October 25, 2019, an unfinished version of the album was leaked online.[146] On November 15, 2019, she released two versions of the single "So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth"[147][148] and performed "4ÆM" at the 2019 Video Game Awards in order to introduce herself as Lizzy Wizzy, a voiced character in the gameCyberpunk 2077.[149][150] On November 29, 2019, Grimes released the single "My Name Is Dark".[151][152] On December 13, 2019, Grimes released the single "4ÆM".[153][154]Miss Anthropocene was released on February 21, 2020.[155][156] On February 12, 2020, she released the single "Delete Forever", which was partly inspired by the death ofLil Peep and theongoing opioid crisis.[157][158][159] On February 27, 2020, Grimes released a music video for the song "Idoru".[160][161] On April 1, 2020, Grimes released a music video for the song "You'll Miss Me When I'm Not Around" and asked fans to finish the video because it only features Grimes and a green screen.[162][163] On June 17, 2020, Grimes was featured onAshnikko's song, "Cry" from her mixtape,Demidevil.[164][165]
Grimes made an appearance on theAdult Swimsketch comedy show,The Eric Andre Show.[166][167] Her collaboration withJanelle Monáe, "Pynk", was featured on episode 5 of the television series,I May Destroy You.[168] Her song "Oblivion" was featured on episode 9 of the same series.[168] Grimes collaborated withBenee on the dance-style song "Sheesh" on the latter's debut album,Hey U X, released on November 11, 2020.[169] Her song, "Kill V Maim" was featured in the soundtrack of the 2020 film,Mainstream.[170] On December 11, 2020, Grimes and other associated artists, all using aliases, released aCyberpunk 2077-themed DJ mix album onApple Music, titledThis story is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives!. It contains two new songs by Grimes, "Samana" and "Delicate Weapon".[171][172] On December 18, 2020, nine months after the release of her fifth studio album,Miss Anthropocene, Grimes changed the cover art for the album on all streaming platforms.[173][174] The new cover art is a painting by Rupid Leejm that Grimes commissioned to use.[173][174] In discussing the process of choosing the cover art originally, "I polled a bunch of ppl and everyone said not to use it (??) but I wish I trusted my gut. I fucking LOVE this painting."[173][174] On January 1, 2021, Grimes releasedMiss Anthropocene: Rave Edition, aremix album featuring new versions of songs on the album by artists includingBloodPop,Channel Tres,Richie Hawtin, andModeselektor, along with two remixes from herCyberpunk 2077Apple MusicDJ mix.[175][176]
2021–present:Alter Ego, collaborations, and upcoming sixth album
Later in June, Grimes started a new partneredDiscord server called "Grimes Metaverse Super Beta" and a new podcast "Homo Techno", co-hosted with science communicatorLiv Boeree.[184] She used the Discord server to tease new music frequently, and released a snippet of a song called "Shinigami Eyes" which she continued to promote in subsequent social media posts,[184] as well as an upcoming collaboration with British DJChris Lake.[185] Grimes spoke about an upcoming concept album with Billboard, describing it as a "space opera".[186]
In July 2021, Grimes, alongsidewill.i.am,Alanis Morissette,Nick Lachey, andRocsi Diaz were revealed as judges onAlter Ego, a new singing competition series in which the contestants make the use of motion capture technology to portray themselves as "dream avatars".[187][188] She also made a cameo appearance in the short filmDiscord: The Movie, alongsideAwkwafina,Danny DeVito, andJ Balvin.[186][189] On September 30, Grimes released a new song titled "Love" recorded in response to her separation from Elon Musk and its subsequent media attention.[190][191] On December 3, Grimes announced the title of her sixth studio album,Book 1, and released a new single titled "Player of Games".[192][193] In December, Grimes teased a collaboration withthe Weeknd on Discord, saying it would be released in 2022.[194][195]
In January 2022, Grimes partnered with the video gameRocket League for the Neon Nights event.[196][197] The event ran from January 26 to February 8, and featured Grimes-themed items and her songs "Shinigami Eyes" and "Player of Games".[196][197] In January, Grimes announced a 10th anniversary vinyl of her albumVisions.[198] On January 26, she released "Shinigami Eyes".[199][200] A week later, on February 3, 2022, Grimes announced her forthcoming EP titledFairies Cum First.[200][201] In April, Grimes was featured on the song, "Last Day" by the Russian bandIC3PEAK from the albumKiss of Death.[202] Grimes was featured in the music video forBella Poarch's "Dolls" which was released on July 15.[203][204][205] Grimes was an opening act on select dates forSwedish House Mafia's "Paradise Again Tour"[206] alongsideKaytranada,ZHU, andAlesso.[202][207] The tour ran from July 29 to November 13[202][207] Grimes appeared on Bella Poarch's song, "No Man's Land" from theDolls EP, which was released on August 12.[208][209]
In August 2022, Grimes was featured on the cover ofVogue Plus China,[210] in which she did an interview and further discussed her upcoming collaboration with The Weeknd.[194][195] She confirmed that the song is called "Sci Fi" and is set for release in mid-2022.[194][195] She also provided more details about her upcoming studio album and EP, stating, "all these projects [will] come together and merge into one project at the end."[194][195] On September 17, she revealed that she has twenty songs for her upcoming album and teased that the album might be divided into two albums.[211] She also confirmed that the album was in the process of being mixed.[211] In January 2023, Grimes gave an update on her delayed sixth album,Book 1, announcing that her career was a 'side quest' now and that her children, friends and family were her priorities.[212][213][214] On January 31, was announced that Grimes would feature onCaroline Polachek's song "Fly to You", alongsideDido. The song is from Polachek's fourth studio album,Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, which released on February 14.[215][216]
In April 2023, Grimes invited people to use her voice in AI generated songs, stating that she likes the idea of 'killing copyright'.[217][218] On June 8, Grimes released "Welcome to the Opera", along with Anyma, also known as Matteo Milleri, of the Italian duoTale of Us.[219][220] On July 28, Grimes released "I Wanna Be Software", with Canadian record producerIllangelo.[221][222] On November 3, Grimes collaborated with Iranian-Dutch singerSevdaliza on the song "Nothing Lasts Forever".[223][224] In December, it was announced that Grimes would be partnering with the toy Curio company to launch an interactive AI toy named "Grok" that she provided the voice for.[225][226]
In April 2024, Grimes DJed atCoachella, which was cut short due to technical problems.[227] Grimes restarted songs several times, punctuated by loud yelps and screeches of frustration, telling the crowd she was experiencing speed issues with her tracks which were playing double their normal tempo and she was having trouble “doing the math”.[228] Grimes claimed the problems came from her having outsourced preparation work to third parties due to time constraints.[229][230] Media referred to it as the "worst performance in the history of Coachella".[231]
On September 20, 2024, Grimes released a remix of a song called "Supernova", originally byK-pop groupAespa as part of "iScreaM Vol.33 : Supernova / Armageddon Remixes", the 33rd EP in a series of K-pop remixes bySM Entertainment sub-label "ScreaM Records".[232]
On October 29, 2024, Grimes released a remix ofMagdalena Bay's "Image".[233] Magdalena Bay had previously credited Grimes as an inspiration for their work.[234]
On February 24, 2025, twodemos were uploaded to Grimes'SoundCloud: "The Fool" and "I Don't Give a Fuck, I'm Insane". The latter appeared on other streaming sites a few hours later.[235] Grimes co-producedAdéla's song "Machine Girl", which was released on February 28, 2025. Grimes also made a cameo in the song's music video alongsideSofia Wylie.[236] On October 17, 2025, Grimes released the single "Artificial Angels".[237] A music video for the song was released on October 20.[238] On October 31, Grimes was featured on the single "Entwined", by English DJ/producerSub Focus.[239]
According toVulture, "[Grimes moved away] from the creepy, lo-fi R&B of her early releases to the futuristicdance-pop of her...[third] album,Visions."[261] For her fourth studio,Art Angels, Grimes learned how to play guitar and violin.[250] She stated "I didn't want to play the keys, 'cause I don't want to be considered synth-pop."[250]Rolling Stone described the album as a move away from her "hazy synth-pop toward an off-kilter guitars-and-beats sound", and "uses rock sounds in a really different context".[250] Grimes described her fifth studio albumMiss Anthropocene as "mostly etherealnu metal".[270]The Guardian summarised her musical style: "By sounding a little like everything you've ever heard, the whole sounds like nothing you've ever heard."[271]The Japan Times wrote that Grimes' "otherworldly,Ableton-assisted music is crammed full of hooks fit to sit alongsideRihanna andTaylor Swift in theTop 40".[272]Dazed stated: "In a sense, she'd always thrived on being too pop for indie and too indie for pop".[273] Her lyrics were described byThe Guardian as "generally elusive and impressionistic, shying away from specifics".[49] Grimes is asoprano.[274][275][276][277]The Daily Telegraph described her vocals as "sweet, thin and hazy".[278] She utilizeslooping and layering techniques, particularly with vocals; many of her songs feature layers of over fifty different vocal tracks which create an "ethereal" sound.[240] Her lyrical themes includescience fiction,feminism, andclimate change.[268] Her fifth studio albumMiss Anthropocene has been considered to be a looseconcept album about an "anthropomorphic goddess of climate change" inspired byRoman mythology[279] andvillainy.[280] Heather Phares ofAllMusic described the album as a "brooding embodiment of climate change".[268] In the single "So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth" she also experimented with AI-generated music using theNSynth neural synthesizer.[280]
Grimes described her music as "ADD music", shifting frequently and dramatically – "I go through phases a lot."[281] She said "Most music with traditional verse, chorus and bridge structures can probably be considered 'pop'. But I think most people think about Top 40 these days when they use the word 'pop', and I'm emphatically not from that world."[272] She said thatPanda Bear's 2007 albumPerson Pitch "jumpstarted" her mind. She explains, "Up until that point I had basically only made weird atonaldrone music, with no sense of songwriting. I barely understood anything about music ... But suddenly all music clicked into place and seemed so simple and easy. I was pretty much able to spontaneously write songs immediately after listening to this album once."[282]
Grimes designs heralbum art for all of her albums, gig fliers, comic book covers,[302] and merchandise.[303] She has done exhibitions showcasing her works and has stated that "[she has] always been a visual artist".[302] Her art is influenced by Japaneseanime,manga, andcomic artists such asCharles Burns andDaniel Clowes.[304] Her illustrations have appeared in gallery shows, including atGuggenheim Museum Bilbao.[305] She created an alternate cover forImage Comics'The Wicked + The Divine,[306][307][308] and designed a capsule collection of t-shirts forHedi Slimane's Saint Laurent, in 2013.[309][310] That year, she also curated a two-day event at the Audio Visual Arts Gallery in New York City with a silent auction to benefit the Native Women's Association of Canada's campaign to raise awareness of violence against aboriginal women in Canada.[311][312] In early 2021, she sold original digital art in the form ofnon-fungible tokens for $5.8 million.[313][314] In May 2022, she said on Twitter she was joining the board ofUnicorn DAO, "to help their mission to fund/ develop female and non-binary lead [sic] art and projects".[315][316]
Grimes's brother Mac Boucher has played a role in creating a number of her music videos including "Violence", "Go", "Realiti", and "Venus Fly", among others.[317] She and her stepbrother, who raps under the nameJay Worthy, collaborated on the single "Christmas Song", released on the Rough Trade bonus disc of herVisions album.[318][319]
In 2009, Grimes and a friend attempted to travel down theMississippi River toNew Orleans fromMinneapolis in ahouseboat they built.[320] Following several mishaps, including engine trouble and encounters with law enforcement, the houseboat was impounded by the city of Minneapolis. Grimes claims that elements of the story were exaggerated in the newspapers that reported on it at the time.[321] The adventure has been turned into an animated video narrated byT Bone Burnett.[322]
Grimes has been open about her past drug use, revealing intense periods during the creation of her third albumVisions in 2012, during which she "blacked out the windows and did tons ofamphetamine and stayed up for three weeks and didn't eat anything".[56] In 2014, she wrote a blog post expressing her aversion to hard drugs.[323][324]
Grimes embraces her distinctivelisp[325][326][327] and has expressed no desire for speech therapy to alter it.[328] Grimes has said that she isautistic, saying she was previously misdiagnosed withrestless legs syndrome andschizoaffective disorder. She described personal motor-skill issues when"[she] went to check [her] kids and performed worse than them on every test".[329]
Frequently identified as a feminist musician during her early career, Grimes expressed frustration with this in 2015 by stating that it "really genders [her]" in a way that she does not identify with, adding that she does not relate strongly to female gender identity. Earlier that year, she had posted onTwitter: "I vibe in a gender-neutral space so I'm kinda impartial to pronouns."[330][331] In 2018, she made another post on the platform stating that she is "personally put off by the word 'woman' at least as far as my self id" and, in 2021, she called herself "female-ish".[331] In June 2023 she told an interviewer, "I kinda like the patriarchy," saying "a lot of good things came from it." She went on to clarify, "I think it's sort of oppressive and overly dominant, and if you don't include women in things they can easily become toxic, you know."[332]
In 2023, after members of the r/grimezssubreddit documented her affiliations withfar-right figures, Grimes responded, "I'm called a Nazi because I happily am proud of white culture." She added that she wished to "emphasize the incredible accomplishments of others ... whilst allowing pride for white ppl accomplishments as well".[333] She also stated, "Every day I think fondly of the brown kingCyrus the Great".[334][335] The statement attracted widespread media criticism, with Halima Jibril writing forDazed that Grimes was using "the same tiresome rhetoric white people have used for centuries while they oppress people of colour, reminding her critics that we should 'love each other'".[335] She later attended far-right bloggerCurtis Yarvin's wedding.[336] In January 2025, Grimes attended a party inWashington, D.C., alongside Yarvin, to celebrate thesecond inauguration of Donald Trump.[337]
Grimes has been accused of abusingnon-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and "bullying". In 2018, fellow singerPoppy stated that she "got to watch her bully songwriters into signing NDA[s]". Poppy's former creative directorTitanic Sinclair posted a screenshot toInstagram in 2023 with a caption saying, "I think bullying your ghostwriters into NDAs and never paying them is wrong".[338]
From 2007 to 2010, Grimes was in an on-and-off relationship withDevon Welsh, then lead vocalist ofMajical Cloudz.[339] The two met in 2007 at a first-year dorm party while studying at McGill University.[339] From 2012 to 2018, Grimes was in a relationship with electronic musicianJaime Brooks,[340] who supported her on the Visions Tour performing as Elite Gymnastics.[341][342]
In 2018, Grimes began a relationship with business magnateElon Musk.[343] They met after discovering on Twitter that they had both independently made the same pun, relating toRococo and the thought experimentRoko's basilisk.[344] In May 2020, Grimes gave birth to their son.[345][346] Musk and Grimes originally gave the baby the name "X Æ A-12", which would have violated California regulations as it contained characters that are not in the modern English alphabet,[347][348] which they then changed to "X Æ A-Xii".[349][350] They have received criticism for choosing a name perceived to be impractical and difficult to pronounce.[351] In 2021, they had a daughter viasurrogacy.[352][353] According to Grimes, Go Won, whom she collaborated in 2018 onLoona yyxy's music video forLove4eva, is her eldest son'sgodmother.[354]
Grimes and Musk "semi-separated" in September 2021.[355] In January 2022, Grimes said of Musk: "I would probably refer to him as my boyfriend, but we're very fluid."[13] Despite fluctuating relationship statuses, in March 2022 Grimes described Musk as her "best friend and the love of my life".[356] In September 2023, it was reported that the couple had another son.[357][358] Later that month, Grimes sued Musk over parental rights to their children in a California court. Musk allegedly fought to keep the hearing closed, asking for the documents to be sealed.[359][360][361][362]
From March 2024 to August 2025, Grimes was in a relationship with American DJAnyma.[363][364][365] In early 2025, afterMusk was accused of performing aNazi salute during Donald Trump's second inauguration, Grimes denounced Nazism and the "far alt-right" under intense pressure from her fans.[366][367][368] In February 2025, she criticised Musk for bringing their eldest son, X Æ A-Xii, to public events after he was photographed and filmed in theOval Office.[369][370]
^Regan, Samuel (October 26, 2019)."Grimes: Miss_Anthropocene".hasitleaked.com.Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. RetrievedDecember 8, 2023.
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