Owen Sound folk-rock artist Gracie Jet opens up about her deeply personal new single, “Point of View,” and the journey that inspired her debut album, Smile.
Sometimes, a song begins when the words won’t come.
For Owen Sound singer-songwriter Gracie Jet, that moment happened at her parents’ cottage in Barrow Bay, Ontario, when she picked up her guitar to play a familiar song and suddenly couldn’t remember a single chord.
What followed was the creation of “Point of View,” a deeply personal single from her debut album, Smile, available now.
Blending heartfelt storytelling with her signature folk-rock sound, Jet transforms a difficult chapter of her life into a song about identity, isolation, and ultimately finding hope.
Gracie Jet Point of View – The Story Behind the Song
“Point of View” was written during Jet’s recovery from a major concussion that dramatically affected her daily life.
Struggling with memory loss, persistent migraines, sleep difficulties, and overwhelming anxiety, the singer-songwriter found herself unable to participate in many of the activities that had once defined her.
During this period, she began spending time at her parents’ quiet cottage on the Bruce Peninsula.
One afternoon, while sitting outside with her guitar, she attempted to play Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene,” a song she had known since childhood.
But the chords and lyrics wouldn’t come.
That moment became a turning point.
“I picked up my guitar, and my mind was completely blank. That was the moment it really hit me that I might not get better,” Jet recalls.
She eventually went inside and sat down at the piano, where the beginnings of “Point of View” unexpectedly emerged.
Although she didn’t consider herself an accomplished piano player, the instrument provided a way to express emotions she had struggled to communicate.
“The lyrics came easily because I think, in that moment, I desperately wanted to explain to people what was happening inside my head.”
The result was a song that captured the fear, loneliness, and uncertainty of losing touch with the person she had always known herself to be.
Turning a Difficult Experience Into Music
Although “Point of View” came together during one of the most challenging periods of Jet’s life, she initially hesitated to release it.
By the time producer Josh Ritchie encouraged her to revisit the song, she had begun recovering and wanted to leave those painful memories behind.
“When I wrote Point of View, I was broken. My mental health was at an all-time low, my physical health wasn’t improving, and going back into those feelings was painful.”
However, Ritchie immediately recognized the song’s emotional impact.
The pair began developing the recording at Betty Ritchie’s cottage near Wiarton, Ontario, keeping the arrangement intimate and focused on Jet’s storytelling.
Ritchie contributed vocals, guitar, and drums, while Rob Ritchie added keyboards and Sandra Young performed violin and viola.
The track was produced and mastered at Unhinged Sounds in Wiarton, with Jet recording her vocals at the same cottage where the creative process began.
“We kept the finished recording simple and pretty because, for me, what matters most in this song are the words,” she explains.
Years later, Jet returned to the cottage to film the accompanying music video, bringing the experience full circle.
Gracie Jet Explores Hope and Healing on Smile
While “Point of View” captures a period of uncertainty and emotional struggle, Jet’s earlier single “Survive” offers another perspective on the same experience.
Together, the two songs explore different stages of her recovery.
“Point of View” reflects the feelings of isolation and identity loss she experienced during her concussion recovery.
“Survive,” meanwhile, focuses on the moment she began looking toward the future with renewed hope.
“For me, the two songs show different sides of the same experience. Point of View is what it felt like when I was lost inside it. Survive is the moment I began choosing my way forward.”
Both tracks appear within the broader story of Jet’s debut album, Smile, which showcases her emotionally honest songwriting and distinctive folk-rock style.
Her earlier releases have also helped establish her presence as an emerging Canadian artist.
The music video for her debut single “Sister,” which she directed herself, has surpassed 250,000 views, while “Sway” and “Forest Fire” have received international radio attention.
Finding Strength Through Music and Community
Beyond her work as a musician, Jet is also a practising nurse who worked on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her experiences in healthcare and her personal recovery have shaped the perspective she brings to her songwriting.
Throughout her recovery, Jet found support through family, friends, and physiotherapy care, including treatment at Hands On Sport Therapy in Owen Sound.
Over time, she began regaining her health, confidence, and sense of identity.
Today, she hopes that sharing her experience will provide comfort to others facing difficult circumstances.
“I want people to know that there is always light. Things can get better. And just because you aren’t exactly the same person you were before something happened to you, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”
What was once a song she struggled to revisit has become one of her favourites.
“Somewhere along the way, I found peace in my own words.”
With Smile now available, Gracie Jet continues sharing music rooted in honesty, resilience, and human connection.
Hi, Gracie! Good to see you again! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
I’m Gracie Jet, a folk-rock singer-songwriter from Owen Sound, Ontario. I’ve been a storyteller for as long as I can remember, from making up car jam songs on long road trips as a kid to turning my own life experiences into songs. I grew up in a house filled with music, with classic rock being a favourite of my dad’s. Singing “We Will Rock You” by Queen and feeling the power of that song left a lasting impression on me. I think that influence still shows up in my music today, especially in my love for raw vocals, big builds, and cinematic moments.
My songwriting is deeply personal. I’ve always found that sometimes the things I struggle to say out loud come naturally when I sit down to write. I call my songs my journal entries because that’s exactly what they are, real moments, emotions, and experiences from my life. A lot of my writing has been shaped by my experiences working as a nurse throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and navigating life after a traumatic concussion that changed so much about who I was and how I lived. Those experiences drastically changed how I see the world and the stories I want to share.
Musically, I move between soft, intimate ballads and high-energy folk-rock songs filled with emotion. Although I write about some pretty dark things, I’m a loud, bright, and energetic person by nature, and I think that contrast is a big part of who I am as an artist. My live shows are a reflection of that, taking people through the stories of my life with tears, energy, and plenty of laughs along the way. I think that makes my writing different. People reach out to me to share their stories of their lived experiences and also for advice for a loved one that is going through something similar. I want people to feel like they’re getting to know the real me, with all the messy, silly, and beautiful parts that come with being human.
At the heart of everything I do, I want people to know they’re not alone and I really try to show that in my song writing and especially with my debut album Smile. Music to me is about connection and if someone listens to my music and feels understood, or leaves one of my shows with a little more hope than they came in with, then I’ve done what I set out to do.
“Point of View” began during an incredibly difficult period when you were recovering from a major concussion, and you’ve described the moment you couldn’t remember how to play Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” What was going through your mind when you sat down at the piano that day, and how did writing the song help you express feelings you were struggling to put into words?
The day I wrote “Point of View” was incredibly painful for me. Music has always been such a big part of who I am, and “Jolene” has been part of my story for as long as I can remember. To stand there and not remember a single word or chord to a song I’d known since childhood was devastating. At that moment, I genuinely felt like my life was over. When you’re grieving the person you used to be and struggling to recognize yourself, your mind can take you to some really dark places. I remember feeling like, if I couldn’t have music, I didn’t know what the point of anything was. I felt like I lost the best part of me. I know that might sound dramatic, but those feelings were very real to me at the time. I think it was the first time I realized that it wasn’t me anymore.
After a pretty dramatic meltdown, I eventually sat down to write. I was exhausted, everything felt heavy, and I felt like nobody really understood what I was going through. The truth was, I didn’t fully understand it myself. I couldn’t make sense of why this had happened to me or why I wasn’t getting better, I was so angry. I just knew that I was struggling, and I desperately wanted to find a way to explain what I was feeling.
“Point of View” became a way for me to do that. Every verse comes from lived moments; feeling overwhelmed by sound, avoiding phone calls, struggling with my memory. I think I’d spent a lot of time trying to convince myself and other people that I was okay, even when I wasn’t and looking back I don’t think anyone believed that.
Writing this song forced me to be honest with myself. It was me finally admitting that I wasn’t okay, that I was grieving, and that I didn’t recognize my own life anymore. At the time, I couldn’t necessarily explain all of that in a conversation, but I could write it down. I think that’s what makes this song so personal to me. It’s not me looking back with all the answers or pretending I understood what was happening. It’s a snapshot of me in the middle of it, trying to make sense of a life I no longer recognized.
You initially hesitated to share “Point of View” because it brought back memories of a time you wanted to leave behind. What did producer Josh Ritchie hear in the song that convinced you to record it, and how has your relationship with those lyrics changed now that you’ve recovered and can look back on that experience?
When producer Josh Ritchie asked if I had anything new to show him, I was a little hesitant. I mentioned that I had written this song a long time ago and he asked me to show it to him. I remember him being a bit shocked with a look on his face of why I hadn’t brought this up before, I remember us laughing about it. He told me it was one of my best songs, and I think that really made me stop and think about it.
At the time, I really didn’t like looking back on that period of my life. I was playing shows again, writing and returning to my normal life. and I think I’d tried to block out a lot of what had happened. I associated that chapter of my life with so much hurt, I didn’t think something so beautiful and what “Point of View” is today could come from it.
When Josh told me it was one of my best songs, it made me look at it differently. We had been working together for a while and I trusted his judgement. I think when you’re so close to something, it’s hard to see beyond your own experience. But Josh could hear the song for what it was, separate from all the pain attached to it. He helped me realize that maybe something meaningful could come out of a time in my life that had felt so devastating.
Now, I can look back on those lyrics from a different place and it’s one of my favourite songs I’ve written to date. They’re still emotional because every verse comes from something I genuinely lived through, but I’m no longer that person who was struggling to understand what was happening to her. I can recognize how difficult that time was without feeling like I’m still living in it.
I’m glad I decided to record “Point of View.” It captures a version of me that I might otherwise have tried to forget, but that version of me is part of my story, too. And if sharing that experience helps someone else feel less alone, then I’m glad I chose to revisit it.
You’ve described “Point of View” and “Survive” as two sides of the same journey, one about feeling lost and the other about finding hope. How did those experiences shape the rest of your debut album, Smile, and what have you learned about yourself through turning such personal moments into music?
Smile is a record of what I’ve survived and learned along the way. “Point of View” and “Survive” are sister songs, they tell two sides of the same story, one written from a place of feeling lost and the other from a place of finding hope. When I look at them together, I can see the growth that happened between those two moments. This album isn’t just about my concussion; it’s also about finding myself again, choosing myself, and learning how to live and love through all the changes life brings. Making this record has shown me just how resilient I am. I’ve poured so much of myself into these songs, including feelings I haven’t always known how to express out loud. Looking back, I can see that even when I felt lost or uncertain, I was still finding ways to move forward, Smile is proof of that.
Alongside your music career, you’re also a practising nurse who worked on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. How has caring for people through some of their most vulnerable moments influenced your songwriting, and has your own experience with illness and recovery changed the way you approach both nursing and music?
Working through the pandemic was really hard. Everything was so uncertain. We went from having no cases to suddenly wearing full PPE every time we entered a room, and it was scary. We were understaffed, everyone was overwhelmed, and when it first started, we just didn’t have the infrastructure to handle what was happening.
I wrote a song called “Nightingale” about my experience working on the front lines and what I watched patients and their families go through. So much of it was truly heartbreaking.
I’ve been a nurse for nine years and have worked in many different areas, including emergency, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and now acute medicine and oncology. Nursing has directly shaped the way I write because it’s not an easy job. I’ve witnessed things that have stayed with me throughout my career. I’ve watched families grieve and had the privilege of helping them through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
After being sick myself, I think I’ve been able to connect with people on a deeper level. I’m very aware that when I’m meeting a patient, I might be meeting them on the worst day of their life. Pain and fear can make people say or do things they don’t necessarily mean, and I think going through my own struggles has helped me understand that. I try to meet my patients where they’re at, rather than expecting them to meet me where I am.
My own recovery has also changed the way I write music. When I’m writing a song, I find myself asking why I’m writing it and what I’m really trying to say. I try to be honest with my words and not shy away from the things that are difficult to talk about. I think going through my own struggles has made me more aware of how important it is to be truthful in my songwriting, even when that means being vulnerable.
Nursing and music are much closer to each other than I once realized. Recently, I received an email from the wife of a patient who had passed away. She shared how much it meant to her that I had encouraged her to bring in music that she and her husband had composed together. Hearing how that experience impacted her was really special to me. It reminded me that even at work, I can bring music into the conversation and use something I love to help people connect, share their stories, and find comfort during difficult moments. Sometimes I feel like I’m living two separate lives, but moments like that remind me that both nursing and music come back to the same thing, human connection.
Connect with Gracie Jet:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
