The music industry is often obsessed with the "after" — the polished result, the success story, and the neatly packaged resolution. However, emerging artist Ellory Grace is far more interested in the "during". Arriving today, her debut single ‘In Between’ marks the arrival of a songwriter dedicated to the atmospheric and the unresolved. Co-written with Justin Tinucci and Lynnzee Fraye, and recorded in the creative hub of Los Angeles, the track is a minimalist masterclass in capturing those suspended moments of life where one version of yourself is fading and the next has yet to take hold.
Timed intentionally for Mental Health Month, the release carries a profound weight, using delicate imagery like bleeding ink and paper boats to navigate the internal fog of overthinking. For Grace, the song isn't just a professional milestone; it’s a sanctuary for thoughts that don’t yet have an answer. As the first chapter of a larger body of work exploring identity and the evolution of self, ‘In Between’ signals the start of a journey defined by an "intentional and honest" approach to pop music.
In this interview, we sit down with Ellory to discuss her transition from the world of modelling to the recording studio, her minimalist production choices, and why she embraces the "waiting rooms" of the human experience.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us, Ellory! When did you first start making music, and what was it that inspired you to move from your background in modelling toward songwriting?
“I’ve been making up songs for as long as I can remember. Even as a little kid, I was always turning random moments into little songs and stories without really thinking about it. It stayed playful for a long time. I didn’t start taking songwriting more seriously until I got a little older and realized music was becoming the place where I processed things. I grew up modelling, so a lot of my life looked really put together from the outside. Music became the opposite of that for me. I’ve always been someone who notices everything and thinks about things probably longer than I should. Music just gave all of that somewhere to go.”
Can you tell us a bit about your debut single, ‘In Between’, and what that specific feeling of being "suspended" means to you?
“‘In Between’ is about that weird emotional space where everything technically looks the same, but it doesn’t feel the same anymore. Like walking into school the next day and nothing changed, but something had. I think growing up feels like that a lot. Not always one huge dramatic moment, sometimes it’s just quietly realizing you’re becoming a different version of yourself before you fully understand what changed. I didn’t want the song to sound overly resolved or perfectly explained. I wrote it while I was still inside the feeling, and I think that’s what made it honest.”
Were there any specific artists or moments that influenced the atmospheric direction of this project?
“I’m really drawn to artists who trust subtlety and don’t over-explain emotions. Artists like Billie Eilish and Gracie Abrams are really good at letting a feeling exist naturally inside a song without forcing the listener toward one meaning. A lot of my inspiration also comes from really small moments that probably wouldn’t seem important to anyone else. Conversations that replay in your head later, certain places, realizing something felt off before you fully understood why. Those quieter moments usually stay with me the longest.”
What does your songwriting process look like? Does it usually begin with a concept or a specific image?
“It usually starts with one line or one image I can’t stop thinking about. Not a full concept, more like a feeling that keeps following me around until I write it down or overthinking something. I’ll usually write a line before I even fully understand what it means yet, and then the rest of the song becomes me trying to figure out why I needed to say it. The melody usually comes naturally once the words start finding a rhythm. Most of the time, I don’t fully understand what the song is about until I’m already deep inside it.”
When you’re in the middle of writing, what is the one thing you refuse to compromise on?
“Honesty. If something sounds too polished or too perfect, I usually stop caring about it pretty quickly. I think the lines that stay with people are usually the ones that feel the most real, even if they’re slightly uncomfortable or unfinished. Sometimes the line I almost cut ends up being the most important one in the song.”
How would you describe the sonic landscape of your debut single?
“Quiet, but emotionally very direct. The production is minimal, but emotionally there’s still a lot happening underneath it. We wanted the song to leave space instead of trying to explain every feeling. I wanted it to feel like a thought you haven’t fully figured out what to do with yet.”
The lyrics mention "waiting rooms" and "dotted lines." Is there a central message you want listeners to take away from these themes?
“I don’t think I was trying to land on one perfectly clear message. The song is really about existing inside uncertainty, being in that space where things are changing emotionally before you fully understand what the change means yet. A lot of the imagery came from wanting the song to feel temporary and unfinished in a human way. Things floating away, footsteps eroding, waiting rooms, dotted lines, everything feels slightly in motion.”
“I think lines like “I’m passing through these waiting rooms, in between, the moments that I learn to choose” probably capture the emotional centre of the song most clearly. The song never fully resolves emotionally, and that was important to me. I wanted it to feel like someone moving through a thought in real time instead of looking back on it once everything already made sense.”
Have you sought out advice from other established artists as you navigate your professional debut?
“I think I’ve learned more from paying attention to how artists approach honesty than from direct advice. The artists I’m most drawn to trust the listener. They don’t over-explain emotion or try to tell people exactly what to feel. That’s something I try really hard to protect in my own writing too.”
Looking back on the creation of ‘In Between’, what has been your favourite moment of this journey so far?
“Honestly, releasing something that still felt emotionally unresolved. There was something really exciting and terrifying about letting people hear a thought before I had fully figured it out myself.”
What do you have on the horizon for the rest of 2026? Can we expect more music or live shows?
“Definitely more music. Right now I’m building a larger body of work around identity, growing up, friendships, and the different versions of yourself you move through while you’re figuring things out. I want the songs to feel emotionally connected, even if each one captures a different moment or perspective. And performance-wise, I want live shows to feel just as honest as the recordings do. I never want things to feel overly polished or emotionally fake. I’d rather people leave feeling like they actually experienced something real.”
With ‘In Between’ now available on all major platforms, Ellory Grace has set a compelling stage for her future. Her ability to sit with the "unfinished" parts of life suggests a maturity well beyond her years, making her one of the most interesting new voices to watch this year.
For more, be sure to head on over to Ellory Grace’s website, or follow her on Instagram and YouTube to keep up with her journey.
Photo Credit: JZ Photography
