Austin-based singer/songwriter Grace Womack writes romantic, down-to-earth tunes that reveal a rare depth and a warm curiosity about the world around her. There’s a gentleness and ease to Womack’s pop-meets-R&B sound that feels both self-assured and at the same time vulnerable. Backed by delicate harmonies, her voice weaves around mellow acoustic guitar riffs and piano melodies, floating up to high octaves with the effortless grace of powerhouse pop vocalist Sara Bareilles and sinking down to croon husky alto melodies with the low-key cool of bluesy R&B chanteuse Alana Davis. Her style has also been compared to Lizzie McAlpine, Lake Street Dive, and Kacey Musgraves.
A performer since the age of nine, Womack was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she developed an early love for musical theater that eventually distilled into a love for writing and performing her own songs. Inspired by everything from her dad’s dreams of writing novels to the work of idiosyncratic pop artists like Wisconsin drummer-turned-singer Sammy Rae, Womack is a genuine writer at heart. Her soothing anthems are rich in visual imagery and metaphor, exploring the range of human experience in candid and elegant detail.
Set for a Summer 2021 release, Womack’s debut EP Yellow Cowboy Hat showcases her broad range and vocal dexterity through nimble, lyrical narratives about what interests her: friendship, love, confusion, forgiveness, how lives become intertwined and grow apart. “I often end up writing about what I don’t know—how nothing is certain, and how confusing it is to be alive sometimes. I write what feels real.”
Today Glide is excited to premiere Womack’s new single “Pity The Fool” (PRE-ORDER) ahead of its official release date on May 28th. Though she may be young, Womack displays a soulful wisdom in the piano-driven song that harkens back to 70s pop music. Musically, the song brings to mind acts like Billy Joel and Elton John with its bold piano, feisty guitar and dramatic beat, but Womack takes things in a fresh direction with her rich vocals that straddle the line between pop and R&B. Oh yeah, and there is also short but sweet guitar solo action. Inspired by past relationships and fleeting moments, Womack sings with conviction and confidence while also exuding the kind of presence that you can imagine commanding the spotlight on a large stage.
Says Grace about the song: “I wrote ‘Pity the Fool’ about the little moments in life that you don’t realize have rich stories behind them. At the time, I had recently ended a long-term relationship that began when I was only 14. Looking back, I remember thinking how naive I was back then to fall for things that I can’t imagine ever allowing myself to fall into now. There was a really long time where I felt stupid and like I had let my own intelligence down somehow. But when I started to understand how many little events and ‘stories’ I had gone through during those years, I started to see all those little moments of naivete as experiences I had to live through to become the woman I am today. We don’t know who that ‘message in a bottle’ was for, or where the ‘lady in a red dress’ was going, just like the people who saw 16-year-old me crying off my stage makeup in the Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot didn’t know what I was going through, but I’d like to think, at the risk of sounding fake-deep, that these little stories are what make up our experience and allow us to grow into self-worthy people.”
Listen to the song and read our interview with Grace Womack below…
What inspired you to write this song? What is the story behind it? What is it about?
I was inspired to write this song about all the little instances in life that you don’t realize are part of a bigger story until you’re out of them. During this time in my life, I was struggling with mistakes I had made as a young teenager, grappling with shame and anger for who I was back then and the decisions I wished I didn’t make. I remember one point where I sat there, beating myself up for choices I made when I was maybe 15 years old, and realized that I wouldn’t be who I was without those choices. I was young, naive, and learning how to be my own person, and I ultimately came out just fine (I think).
We don’t know who that “message in a bottle” was for, or where the “lady in a red dress” was going, just like the people who saw 16-year-old me in my Jeep, crying off my stage makeup in the Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot didn’t know what I was going through. And, at the time, I couldn’t see that bigger picture, either. Now, that relationship is just part of the story I tell new friends who ask about my past, and sometimes I really do pity the young girl who let her life be consumed by these little moments, not realizing they would shape the woman she would eventually become.
Do you consider this song — and your music in general — a place for you to work through things that are weighing on you or that you are trying to process? Do you find songwriting therapeutic? Did writing this song bring you solace or peace in any way?
Absolutely. Writing this song and all of my songs is very therapeutic for me. It helps me to process emotions and thought patterns I might not even know I had. During quarantine this past year, I struggled a lot with having to sit with emotions and experiences that I had been pushing aside, and this project kind of came out of that. At the time of writing this, I had recently gotten out of a long-term relationship and had let myself sit in the anger stage of that grief for probably a little too long. I had a lot of resentment, not even for the relationship, but for myself and what I had let myself go through. I remember sitting down at my piano and just hitting the keys until the words flowed out. Songwriting is always an emotional process for me and this song was no exception.
This is the first single from your new EP. What made you want to put it out first and have it be the first message you impart?
Well, I really wanted to put it out first because it’s my personal favorite, but I think it’s also really representative of what I’m trying to do with my music. It’s a song about a very personal, painful experience written in a way that I hope people can relate to. I think we all go through things that we look back on and just cringe, whether that be a whole relationship or just saying, “You too!” when the waiter tells you to enjoy your food. Life is full of those little moments you look back on, and I hope that people who hear this song can find themselves in these lyrics. Also, breakups are a pretty universal experience, and, no matter the aftermath, they suck. I want this song to be something you can belt out in your car with no shame and imagine you’re screaming at the person who broke your heart and made you feel helpless, however long ago that may have been.
What do you hope listeners hear in its music and lyrics?
I’m a writer at heart, so I really hope people can find something they love in the lyrics of this song. I’ve worked really hard to write songs that are personal but also universal, and that really evoke the emotions they describe. I hope listeners can hear the honesty in my writing and can find something they resonate with. I hope they can hear their own lives and experiences in the music. My favorite part of finding new music is picking out those lines that just really hit home, so I really hope people can find one (or maybe even a couple, if I’m lucky) of those in this song.
What’s next for you over the coming months?
So many fun things!! This is my first big dive into the music industry, so everything is new for me. I’ve got some incredibly cool opportunities and releases coming this summer, so this is only the beginning. Stay tuned for all the exciting details because I promise they are on their way!! I’m also really hoping to be able to perform live soon and to keep making more music!
Photo credit: Jacqueline Justice
