YouTube Musics Grace Carter talks life lessons with Dua Lipa, feeling empowered in the industry and growing up with a single mum
Grace Carter might only be 21 but shes already making a firm mark on the music industry.
The London-born, Brighton-based, self-made singer has been watched nearly four million times on YouTube with her latest track, Why Her Not Me; recently took a coveted spot on YouTube Musics One to Watch list; and has spent a large part of the last year on the road with Dua Lipa on her self-titled tour.
In fact, the pair are signed to the same management, TAP, and Grace has been careful to use the experience to her benefit, taking as much as she can from a woman whos taking the music world by storm.
What I learned from Dua is that you have bad days, but you have one shot at this, Grace told Metro.co.uk.
You get to do what you love, so put a smile on your face, be nice to everyone and have a good time.
Advertisement Advertisement
Thats what I learned from touring with her, shes just taken every day as it came and enjoyed every moment as much as she could.
TAP Management also looks after the likes of Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding and Grace isnt afraid to admit shes using the roster of female talent to nurture her own.
I definitely get inspiration from them, the singer continued.
Im very lucky that theyre all so supportive of me, I look up to them at how hard they work and for me thats so inspirational.
Im learning a lot day by day and its really nice to have those people that have been doing it longer than me kind of in front of me so that I can learn from and they can give me advice and support and I can support them too.
It just feels really good.
But Dua and Lana arent the only inspirational women in Graces life.
The soul singer puts largely the entirety of her success down to her mother, who raised her as a single mother from the age of 13 and, in her words, instilled the value of inner strength and bravery from the get-go.
Its led Grace to feel confident enough to tackle some serious issues in her music – the things I couldnt really say out loud but I felt at the time, she says – like the crushing revelation that her dad had left her and her mum for another woman in hit track, Why Her Not Me.
Advertisement Advertisement
I grew up with a single mum, she is the best person on this planet and Id say that she taught me everything that I know and she has supported me through everything, Grace said, adding that it was important for her to pay tribute to the strong women in my life in the music video for Saving Grace.
Doing this, doing what Im doing now, I dont think she necessarily understands it all of the time but were both just really proud of ourselves that weve turned quite a negative situation into a positive one, tried to make the most of the life that we were given and what went on.
So Id say she is the best example of being strong and turning things around and making it your own and owning every situation.
You dont have to wallow and be sad, you can turn it around and shes given me the strength to do that.
Asked if she feels vulnerable opening up about these topics, Grace admits its all shes ever known.
On the contrary, in a world overshadowed by the #MeToo and Times Up movement, where it feels as though there is no corner of the world untouched by sexual harassment and assault, Grace says she has never felt more confident.
Honestly I feel so empowered as a 21 [year old] girl in the industry right now, she shared.
Advertisement
Every idea that I ever have, I write every video, I write all of my songs, I produce my songs for my collaborators, I have final say on absolutely everything.
My team is amazing, they are incredible and empower me to have ideas and speak them out and make them become a reality so I feel super empowered.
She added: When I was at school, I didnt think at the age of 21 I could stand in a board room full of men and tell them what I want to do, and they go, “Yeah, lets make it happen”.
Ultimately, Grace would like to channel this confidence into the next generation of women, and make music that fills the void she discovered in her teens.
As a kid a lot of the stories in [my] songs were things that I needed people to talk to me about and I didnt have that, she explained.
More: Music
I would listen to Adele and songs about her ex-boyfriend and would try and relay the emotion of that back to my situation so I kind of needed something to make me feel like, “Oh Ive been though that too.”
She added: Every day I get messages from young girls about 13 or 14 saying, “This helped me so much” and thats really important to me.
Got a showbiz story?
If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Conor Maynard cringed at YouTube Rewind after video gets 13 million dislikes
MORE: Will Smith promises the Genie will be blue after backlash over Aladdin first look
Advertisement Advertisement
[contf] [contfnew] 
METRO
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
