Industry Insights: Gracie Abrams and the Case of the Nepo-Baby

Singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams eased into the bedroom-pop scene and met a sudden success that even artists twice her age haven’t managed. How did she make it in the music industry? Just ask her parents.

Industry Insights explores the inner workings of the greater music industry, and what they mean for artists and fans alike.

Written by Janie Bickerton

Photo courtesy of Nicole Dibenedetto

Everyone deserves a shot at stardom, right? 

Even if your last name clears a path for you before the journey begins?

Nepotism: the buzzword taking pop culture by storm. Ever since New York Magazine’s infamous December 2022 deep dive into nepo-babies — that is, industry professionals that profit off of nepotism — thriving in the entertainment industry, fans and critics alike have reveled in exposing how easily these celebrities have, well, reached celebrity status. This nepo-baby boom begs the question: Where do we draw the line between merit and privilege? There have been some laughably bad nepo-singers (take Paris Hilton’s bland pop princess schtick in 2006), but other artists have proved that their platforms, while easily won, are certainly merited.

Gracie Abrams, the daughter of Star Wars and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams and producer Katie McGrath, started her career with a collection of singles in 2019 and boosted her fame through her EPs, releasing minor in 2020 and This is What It Feels Like in 2021. Now, she’s riding on the release of her debut album Good Riddance while headlining her own tour and, simultaneously, opening for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour — transitioning from intimate venues to Super Bowl-sized arenas day-by-day. By entering Swift’s musical circle, she befriended musician and producer Aaron Dessner, who invited her to his Long Pond studio (of folklore and evermore fame) to record Good Riddance. Such momentum might seem exceptional for an artist who started her career only four years ago, but this path to stardom was paved at birth.

Abrams’ success story may not be inspirational, but, rather, enraging — after all, she was raised in a wealthy, well-known family in Los Angeles. It may seem natural to immediately discount her rapid rise to fame, but a look into her discography — from her breathy yet controlled voice to her devastatingly introspective lyrics — proves that her accolades are deserved. Abrams’ background should not discount her career, even if it is an integral part of why she has one in the first place.

Countless artists have sung about youth, heartbreak, and isolation, but Abrams approaches these themes with a simultaneously calamitous and calm intonation on quietly moving tracks.  She croons over acoustic guitar in her Good Riddance single “Amelie”: “Where did you go / Amelie, Amelie, Amelie? / Where’d you go?” The sound is raw and desperate, conveying the power of a brief, chance encounter and the catharsis of opening oneself to a stranger. This Is What It Feels Like’s “Camden” tracks a downward spiral of introspection. Abrams admits her darkest thoughts (“Can’t picture anything past 25”) and most devastating desires (“I really hope that I survive this”). The LA songstress offers her deepest self on her songs, connecting to millions through her confrontations with her thoughts. Abrams brings something new to the oversaturated genre of pop by being open with herself and allowing listeners a peek into a quiet self-exploration.

Abrams recognizes her privilege, but she doesn’t let it take responsibility for her entire career. “There are a million visible and even more invisible advantages to having family members who are in any entertainment industry,” she told Rolling Stone ahead of her debut album. “I know how hard I work, and I know how separate I’ve kept [my parents] from every conversation about anything career-wise.” Only Abrams herself knows the depth of her “hard work,” but no matter the blood, sweat, and tears she may put into her songs, her last name will always place her ahead of artists who work as hard — or harder — than her.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Her last name undoubtedly skyrocketed her fame, but her journey to singing and songwriting was her own. Posting clips of original songs online, she gained fans separate from those interested in the escapades of a director’s daughter. In 2019, she left Barnard College to focus on her music. Upon the 2020 release of minor, Abrams asserted herself as a quiet force on the bedroom-pop scene. Her talent is her own, and she handles her fame honestly, acknowledging that strings are — but not always — pulled. Nonetheless, she exemplifies the inescapable co-mingling of artistry and industry.

Abrams isn’t the only artist with a built-in step up in the indie-pop world. Clairo, whose father currently oversees Top Golf’s marketing and has previously held top positions at Starbucks, Converse, and Coca-Cola, always had the funds for her future, but her background should not discredit her talent. Singing of the queer experience and impinging breakups with a quiet conviction, Clairo proves herself worthy of recognition within the indie genre. Similar to Abrams, Clairo was noticed online for her talent, but her name expedited her fame. Her song “Pretty Girl” went viral because, as she put it, “‘the algorithm just ate it up,’” but her father’s connection to Fader Label executive Jon Cohen landed her a record deal. 

King Princess, the child of a recording engineer and a descendant of a congressman and Macy’s co-owner, certainly had an ‘in’ on the industry, but that doesn’t make her voice any less haunting or her lyrics any less impactful. Obviously, nepotism isn’t siloed to the music industry. Maya Hawke, the daughter of prominent actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, had a streamlined path to fame as an actress. Riding on her Stranger Things role, she already had an audience upon her 2020 debut album release. Even though her name gave her a platform, her soft vocals and ambient artistry are just as moving regardless of her last name. Whether you enjoy these nepo-singers or not, it is important to recognize how relatively easily they were able to share their talents with the world — and have people listen.

The popular discussion of nepotism may seem vindictive, but recognizing privilege is an important step for transparency in the music industry. It’s up to the listeners to choose which artists they uplift, holding the key to making the music industry as even a playing field as possible without inside influence. Before streaming your favorite nepo-baby, find an underrepresented artist with a similar sound and question why they don’t have what the former has — it could come down to talent, but ponder the preconceived popularity allowed by nepotism. Discussing nepotism will eventually fall to the wayside in typical Internet fashion, but this privilege will always be present in the music industry, as it is in most business sectors. Even though her voice may be deserved, Gracie Abrams’ career shows that there will be no “Good Riddance” of nepotism in the music industry any time soon.