It was a night of celebration and sisterhood at the She Is The Music event in Los Angeles, where the spotlight landed square on Gracie Abrams, the rising star who’s been spilling her guts and capturing hearts with her raw, emotional songwriting. The inaugural Women Sharing the Spotlight celebration, held at The Peppermint Club, wasn’t just a pat on the back for Gracie—it was a full-on salute to her entire all-female team, a middle finger to an industry that’s still playing catch-up on gender equality.
Alicia Keys, the soulful powerhouse and co-founder of She Is The Music, strutted onto the stage to sing Gracie’s praises—and her team’s, too. “Gracie Abrams and her incredible team are living proof of what happens when women uplift each other—when we step into our power, we change the game,” Keys declared, her voice cutting through the room like a perfectly timed chorus drop. The audience felt it, and you could tell this wasn’t just another awards-show platitude—it was a mission statement.
Gracie, meanwhile, took it all in with that wide-eyed humility that makes her so damn relatable. “I’m deeply honored to be recognized by She Is The Music, an organization that has done so much to acknowledge and uplift women in this industry,” she said, her voice steady but her emotion palpable. “I hope our team is a small example of what’s possible when women support each other and build together.” It’s the kind of sentiment that could’ve sounded rehearsed from someone else, but from Gracie—whose whole deal is laying her soul bare—it hit like a quiet, perfect bridge.
The night wasn’t just about her, though. Fifty other trailblazing women from every corner of the music biz—songwriters, producers, execs—got their due, too, each walking away with one of Barbie’s newly unveiled Career of the Year: Women In Music dolls. A musical artist and tour manager duo, no less—Mattel’s not-so-subtle nudge to the next generation that, yeah, girls can run this show. It’s a little cheesy, sure, but in a room full of women rewriting the rules, it felt like a victory lap.
Let’s rewind for a sec: Gracie Abrams isn’t just some overnight hype machine. She’s been on a slow burn to the stratosphere, with her latest album The Secret of Us racking up critical love and a fanbase that hangs on her every whispered lyric. Her songs—confessional, bruised, beautiful—sound like they were ripped straight from a diary she didn’t mean for you to find. And now, with Alicia Keys handing her the mic (figuratively, at least), it’s clear she’s not just a voice in the crowd—she’s one of the new queens to watch.
In an industry that can still feel like a boys’ club stuck on repeat—think Almost Famous, but with worse haircuts—nights like this are a jolt of fresh air. She Is The Music isn’t just throwing a party; it’s planting a flag. And with Gracie Abrams at the helm, microphone in hand and heart on her sleeve, the future’s not just bright—it’s got a killer soundtrack. The girls aren’t just alright; they’re running the damn show. And honestly? It sounds pretty damn good.
source the Hollywood reporter
