Demi Grace is a British-Nigerian model and R&B and Afro-fusion artist based in New York. In 2017, Grace made history as the first Nigerian model and woman with locks to be featured in a major hair commercial for Pantene Gold Series. During her first seven-city tour in 2018, Grace was discovered by Ebro Darden and was featured on his Beats 1 radio show.
In September 2022, Grace released her sophomore album, Blackcurrant, which explores the life and perspective of a Black British woman from the African Diaspora in the United States. Grace spoke with rolling out about her music career and the message she wants to impart to listeners.
How does it feel to represent yourself in the music space as a British-Nigerian?
It’s a lot of pressure because you’re representing so many different kinds of Black. I think my goal is to represent anything well. It is a lot of pressure, but it’s also there’s freedom because I get to be authentic to so many different kinds of expressions. That’s just what it means to me. It’s a reminder to express every part of my experience.
When did music begin for you?
Music began for me really young. When I was in London, my mom used to take me and my sisters to Sunday school, and obviously, choirs were involved, then I was always in somebody’s talent show in school. I’ve been involved with music and singing for as long as I can talk, then it progressed to high school, local shows around the city, coffee shops, and all that stuff.
What is the message you want to convey in your music?
In the past, I definitely wanted to get across [to] the audience [the message of] having fun with each other, and it was all about fun with me, but then the pandemic happened. That’s when I went into my writing cave, and it was a lot more emotional music. Now when I’m on stage, I want people to feel the lyrics because they [are] more meaningful to me. I know that when people have listened to the records, the feedback has been “Wow, this is a page out of my diary.” That’s more of what I want I want [people] to connect with when it comes to performing nowadays. I don’t want to give a negative emotional reaction, but I want people to feel, and I think it’s a great time to tap into what’s hidden in your heart.
