Grimes

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Grimes
Grimes in 2011
Grimes in 2011
Background information
Birth nameClaire Boucher
Born (1988-03-17) March 17, 1988 (age 36)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresElectronic, experimental, witch house, dream pop, dark wave
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, visual artist, music video director
Instrument(s)Vocals, keyboards, synthesizer
Years active2009–present
LabelsArbutus, 4AD
Websitewww.grimesmusic.com

Claire Boucher (born March 17, 1988), better known by her stage name Grimes, is a Canadian artist,[1] musician,[2] and music video director.[3] A native of Vancouver, Grimes began recording experimental music while attending McGill University in Montréal, where she became involved with the underground electronic and industrial music scene.

In 2010 she released her debut album, Geidi Primes through Arbutus Records (based in Montréal, Québec), followed by Halfaxa (2010). In late 2011, she announced that she had signed with 4AD Records, who partnered with Arbutus to release her third album, Visions (2012). Visions met critical acclaim and was hailed by The New York Times as "one of the most impressive albums of the year so far".[4]

Grimes' music has been noted by critics and journalists for its atypical combination of vocal elements, as well as a wide array of influences, ranging from industrial and electronic to pop, hip hop, R&B, noise rock and even medieval music.

Early life

Boucher was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia.[5][6] She is of Québécois descent.[7] She graduated from Lord Byng Secondary School[8] and studied ballet for 11 years.[9] At age 18, she moved to Montréal, Québec to attend Montréal's McGill University, studying Russian literature and later, neuroscience.[6][10] During her studies, she began to record and perform under the name Grimes.[5] However, as Grimes became a more serious endeavor for her, she began to miss a large number of classes, and began only attending to take exams, resulting in the university taking punitive actions against her and ultimately expelling her.[11] While in Montréal, she began attending concerts put on by local experimental musicians at Lab Synthèse, a performance space located in an abandoned textile factory.[12]. She also has a step-brother who raps under the name Jay Worthy,[13] they collaborated on her album Visions on The Christmas Song.

In 2009, Boucher and her then-boyfriend from Tennessee constructed a 20-foot houseboat, named the "Velvet Glove Cast in Iron," with the intention to sail it down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to New Orleans. The cargo included chickens, a typewriter, 20 pounds of potatoes and a gifted copy of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, the chickens caught eastern equine encephalitis virus and perished soon into the trip. Boucher and her companion adopted the names "Varuschka" and "Zelda Xox" for the trip.[14] Due to engine trouble and issues with the Minnesota police, the journey was cut short and the houseboat and chickens were impounded.[14] Their diet consisted mainly of potatoes.[15]

Her favorite film directors/artist/manga/anime/books are Werner Herzog, Andrei Tarkovsky, Lars von Trier, David Lynch, Gaspar Noé, Gregg Araki, Hieronymus Bosch, Akira, Ninja Scroll, The Lord of the Rings, Dune, Harry Potter, The Master and Margarita, and The Idiot.[16]

Career

Grimes performing at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas in March 2012.

Grimes' debut album, Geidi Primes, was released on cassette in 2010 through Arbutus Records. Later in 2010, Grimes released her second album, Halfaxa, also through Arbutus. In 2011, Grimes released a split 12" with d'Eon titled Darkbloom. In May 2011 she opened for Lykke Li on her North American Tour[5][6] 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.[17] Also in 2011, she made an appearance on Majical Cloudz's single "Dream World"[18] and collaborated with DJ/producer Blood Diamonds.[19][20]

Grimes announced on her Twitter, in January 2012 that she had signed with record label 4AD. The label released her third full-length LP, Visions, in February 2012 in the United States and March 2012 in other countries with Arbutus releasing in Canada.[21] Pitchfork Media listed Visions in their Best New Music category.[22] Her song "Oblivion" from the album received favorable reviews from noted music critic David Hajdu in The New Republic.[23]

Grimes described writing the new album in a recent interview as being "equally enjoyable and tortuous but I feel like the fact that it was really hard was part of the reason that it was really good, y'know? I definitely look back on that time with fond memories, even though I remember crying and being like 'I hate everything!' at the time! But I recorded it in my room in Montreal and it was a really good way to work."[24] According to Grimes, she wrote the album after spending nine days in isolation: "[After nine days] you have no stimulation, so your subconscious starts filling in the blanks", she said. "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."[10]

Musical style

Grimes' music is not easily defined. An eclectic mix of styles which she herself describes as "ADD music", it shifts frequently and dramatically – "I go through phases a lot."[25] Her work has been likened to various artists, including Björk[10] and Enya[12] and she was described by Tastemakers Magazine as an "alien love-child of Aphex Twin and ABBA"[26] 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."[27]

According to Grimes, she had a "realization" at age 20 as to how music was created,[27] which enabled her to begin recording and experimenting. "One day, I was listening to music and it suddenly made sense to me how it was constructed", she said.[27] She went on, saying: "I have a nervous tic. When I was a kid, I would constantly be banging on things with my foot. Making music has been a really good mechanism for releasing some kind of percussive issue that I have. It's usually about finding a perfect beat; I play around until I get a tempo I like and then it's just a matter of filling in the blanks."[27]

Her primary instruments are keyboards and synthesizers, sometimes accompanied by drums and occasionally guitar instrumentation. Grimes utilizes looping and layering techniques, particularly with vocals; many of her songs feature layers of over fifty different vocal tracks which create an "ethereal" sound.[12]

Grimes herself cited various musicians as influences, including Skinny Puppy,[28] Nine Inch Nails,[28] Cocteau Twins,[5] How to Dress Well,[29] Swans,[10] Dandi Wind, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey,[30] Outkast, Dungeon Family, Drake, The Weeknd,[31] as well as K-pop,[32] medieval music and industrial artists. She also considers Los Angeles stripper/rapper Brooke Candy "a very contemporary muse."[33]

Discography

Albums

  • Geidi Primes (2010, Arbutus Records) (2011, No Pain in Pop Records)
  • Halfaxa (2010, Arbutus Records) (2011, Lo Recordings.)
  • Visions (2012, 4AD)

Collaborations

References

  1. ^ "On Display: Claire Boucher". TVMcGill. 2011-01-18. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. ^ "Album Reviews: d'Eon / Grimes: Darkbloom EP". Pitchfork. 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ^ "GRIMES & D'EON INTERVIEW: "EVERYTHING IS GAINED."". Dummy Magazine. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  4. ^ Caramanica, Jon (February 20, 2012). "Reviews of Albums From Grimes, Galactic and Tyga". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Sound says most to Grimes. Retrieved June 7, 2011 Cite error: The named reference "straight" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c Christiansen, Lisa. Today on Appetite for Distraction: Grimes. BBC Radio 3. Retrieved June 7, 2011
  7. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p95HVaMTZ80&feature=relmfu
  8. ^ "Grimes in spotlight with brilliant Visions". Vancouver Sun. 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  9. ^ Grimes of the Heart. Interview Magazine, interview with Grimes by Durga Chew-Bose.
  10. ^ a b c d Richards, Sam (27 April 2012). "Grimes: nine days without food, sleep or company gave me Visions". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  11. ^ Battan, Carrie (16 October 2011). "Montreal's Claire Boucher makes featherlight GarageBand pop as Grimes". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Holson, Laura H. (7 March 2012). "Claire Boucher, known as Grimes, Mines Beauty from the Dark Side". New York Times. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  13. ^ Parihar, Christina. "Introducing Jay Worthy [Interview]". HipHopCanada. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  14. ^ a b Pabst, Lora (26 June 2009). "This boat don't float". Star Tribune. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Llama Lloyd: Grimes likes papaya and borcht".
  16. ^ "[Interview] Grimes : Hard To Explain". Hard To Explain. 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  17. ^ Riewer, Brian (12 July 2011). "Grimes Set To Re-Release Debut Album". Sun on the Sand. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  18. ^ "video: Majical Cloudz (featuring Grimes) – "Dream World"". Gorilla vs. Bear. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2012. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  19. ^ Weatherall, Andrew (7 July 2011). "DUMMY MIX 79 // BLOOD DIAMONDS". Dummy Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  20. ^ "Siren Seduction: Q&A With Electronic Musician Grimes". The Creator's Profect. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  21. ^ Battan, Carrie (4 January 2012). "Grimes Signs to 4AD, Listen to New Track "Genesis" From Visions". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  22. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (17 February 2012). "Grimes Visions Album Review Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  23. ^ Hajdu, David (2012-03-12). "Hajdu: What's The Matter With Girl Groups? | The New Republic". Tnr.com. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  24. ^ "7Digital Interview 2012". 7digital.com. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  25. ^ Zhong, Fan (June 2012). "On the Verge: Grimes". W. 41 (6). Condé Nast: 35. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  26. ^ Fowle, Leslie (14 March 2012). "Grimes - Visions". Tastemakers Mag. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  27. ^ a b c d Hoby, Hermione (28 January 2012). "One to watch: Grimes". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  28. ^ a b Williams, Alex Taylor (21 February 2012). "Catching up with Grimes' Claire Boucher". Out. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  29. ^ Fallon, Patric (01 February 2012). "High Five: Grimes". Retrieved 17 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Elliot, Natalie (16 February 2012). "Grimes Dishes On Her Less Obvious Influences And Her DIY Tattoos". Retrieved 17 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "Grimes Dishes On Her Less Obvious Influences And Her DIY Tattoos" ignored (help)
  31. ^ Watson, Eli (1 March 2012). "INTERVIEW: Grimes". Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  32. ^ Hadfield, James (20 August 2012). "Summer Sonic: Grimes interview". Time Out Tokyo. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  33. ^ "Director's Cut: Grimes "Genesis"". pitchfork.com. 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2012-09-02.

External links

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