Gracie Abrams Says Stability With Paul Mescal Raised Concerns About Her Songwriting

Gracie Abrams has admitted she initially feared that being in a "secure and stable" relationship with Paul Mescal might end up weakening her motivation to write music.

The Close to You singer has long built her songwriting around emotional vulnerability, often drawing from moments of insecurity in relationships rather than directly expressing those feelings to her partner.

But after entering a healthier and more open dynamic with the Irish actor, whom she began dating in 2024, Abrams found herself worrying that the emotional tension that once fueled her work might no longer be there.

"I was worried feeling secure and stable was threatening my drive to write music," Abrams said in a cover interview with Vogue magazine. "It freaked me out."

For her upcoming album, the 26 year old chose to look inward instead, focusing on earlier versions of herself and revisiting the parts of her youth when she "always chased what made (her) feel electrocuted" and made choices that now "keep (her) up at night".

The result was Daughter from Hell, a project that led Abrams to reflect on her past behavior so deeply that she even texted her mother, Katie McGrath, to apologize.

"I was like, 'S**t, I really was a terrorist. I really took years off (your life), didn't I?' And she was just like, 'Absolutely,'" the Us singer said. "I wish I could go back and spend all of the time that I spent fighting my mom just listening to every drop of wisdom she has for me."

In the same interview, Abrams also shared that she spent time living in London with Mescal while he worked on Hamnet, and that she will likely be based there again while he films the four movie Beatles project, in which he portrays Paul McCartney.

Reflecting on those evenings during the Hamnet shoot, she said, "It feels like every day you come home and read the greatest book ever - that's what it's like to be in conversation with someone making something like that."

She also spoke about Mescal's collaborators, director Chloé Zhao and co star Jessie Buckley, adding: "The person you love gets to be surrounded by witches. It's magical."

Abrams and Mescal tend to keep their relationship private, though she has appeared with him at the BAFTA Film Awards and the Oscars earlier this year while supporting Hamnet.

Daughter from Hell is set for release on 17 July.