Mckenna Grace on Her Upcoming Album and Beginning a New Chapter With ‘Casual Kisser’
17-year-old actress and singer-songwriter Mckenna Grace has already had a storied and impressive career, and she's preparing to launch into yet another era with her debut album.
The eagerly anticipated album is slated to arrive in 2024, and we just got our first taste of it with the powerful new single "Casual Kisser." The atmospheric new track shows a new maturity for Mckenna, both to her musicality and lyricism, as she navigates a relationship where her boundaries are disrespected and things are not as serious as she's led to believe. It's primed to be a new anthem for the brokenhearted everywhere, and we had the pleasure of catching up with Mckenna to learn all about the track, and what else she has in store for us musically.
The Story Behind 'Casual Kisser'
Mckenna Grace: This song is really about being love bombed into trusting someone, only for them to not have been real towards you. For me, things like kissing and relationships are important. It isn't a casual thing. Whenever I say something, I mean it. I'll always be open about how I feel. This song is about being honest with someone and them making you feel important, like you can trust them—only for that trust to have not been real.
Also read about: Mckenna Grace on New Song 'do all my friends hate me?' and the 'Work in Progress' of Her Life
What 'Casual Kisser' Means
MG: I hope it'll make listeners feel not alone in this situation! Just because someone makes you feel important and then leaves doesn't mean you aren't important. Don't change your morals or question yourself because of someone else.
(Photo credit: Gus Black)
Mckenna's Favorite Lyric
MG: "You said you'd love me until the bitter end, and you didn't lie, the end was bitter."
I love that lyric—it's one of my favorites I've ever written. I just think it's funny and clever, and definitely honest. I feel like it perfectly encapsulates the song.
On Her Upcoming Album
MG: "Casual Kisser" definitely sets the tone for this new music. I think it's a good bridge between my new music and old. This album will hopefully tell a story. These songs have really come from each chapter of my life and relationships. I'm so excited about this new music, for it to finally be out there.
(Photo credit: Gus Black)
Also read about: Echosmith's Sydney Sierota on Getting Realer Than Ever on the Band's New Self-Titled Album
On Artistic Growth
MG: I think I've grown a lot as a songwriter—at least, I hope I have! I've gone through so many new chapters of my life, and I think my new music represents each of them. It's really fun to look back and listen, feeling what I was when I wrote the lyrics. This track, for me, is a new beginning—an entrance to the new world of my music.
(Photo credit: Gus Black)
If you love reading the stories behind great music, click HERE to check out our interview with Alex Sampson on his latest single, "WANT YOU!"