Emerging Artist Grace Marr Openly Navigates Her Spirituality With New Single “Gin”
Emerging singer-songwriter Grace Marr independently releases her new single “Gin.” Marr dives into the raw emotions surrounding her spirituality and navigating the desire to be fully known and accepted by her faith while also identifying as a Queer artist that pushes the boundaries of what is ‘accepted’ in the eyes of her spiritual community. Featuring spoken word poet, Heather Beamish, ‘Gin’ once again showcases Marr’s ‘alternative inspirational’ genre-bending sound, encouraging listeners to be the most honest version of themselves despite overarching opposition that they may face.
“I wrote ‘Gin’ after a phone call with my now girlfriend. I can’t even remember the specifics of our conversation, but it was as if this song that I had been trying to write for the past year finally had what it needed to come alive. I recognize this song could be considered controversial, but the heart of ‘Gin’ is to ultimately follow Jesus with our whole selves and without fear of religious backlash. To lean into the mysteries of our faith and away from judgement,” shares Marr about the new single.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Grace Marr and I’m a Canadian Alternative Inspirational artist and multi-genre songwriter (most notably co-wrote ‘Where Would I Be’ on TRIBL’s album Anthologies). Born and raised in Ottawa, ON, I got my start opening shows at venues like LIVE! On Elgin and Babylon, and am now based in Toronto, ON releasing my own fusion of Gospel/CCM and Alt/Pop/R&B!
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
‘Gin’ was written in literally 15 minutes. I remember sending the voice note to my now girlfriend, then really good friend, and feeling like I had finally cracked this song that had been in me for about a year. The core sentiment behind ‘Gin’ is to challenge what holiness looks like, the ‘ideal Christian’, and to be truly free in our faith without fear of religious backlash. This song is a collection of stories and judgments I’ve received as I’ve walked out my Christian faith, in what is my unique experience and expression of freedom in Christ – from having tattoos and singing ‘secular’ music, to being fairly progressive and queer. I also have to note that Heather Beamish is an incredible Canadian spoken word poet that graced us with her presence on this track, and I am so thankful for how beautifully she expressed the heart of ‘Gin’ in both lyric and delivery.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
There will be a Toronto show on the calendar before the year’s out! So stay tuned and follow on Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify for that.
If given the chance, which Canadian artist would you love to work with in the future?
Ouf! That is such a great question. Amanda Marshall is an out-of-this-world writer, singer, performer, and Canadian icon that I would be thrilled and honoured to have the opportunity to work with in any capacity. Amanda if you’re reading this my schedule is free any day, any time for you queen!
What’s your goal for 2024?
2024 will mark the release of my debut album ‘Saving Grace’, so I think the goal is to make the most of this release cycle, enjoy the process, and stay expectant of God’s goodness.
Connect with Grace Marr:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok