After seven years of anticipation, Gracie Abrams has granted her fans’ long-standing wish by releasing her song ‘Close to You.’ The track, first teased when Abrams was just 16, has been eagerly awaited by fans who have followed her journey from viral Instagram snippets to major performances.
The 24-year-old singer finally unveiled ‘Close to You,’ including it on her forthcoming album ‘The Secret of Us’. Abrams had earlier taken to Instagram to announce the release date, acknowledging the fans’ persistence in keeping the song alive. “Though I wrote the song so long ago, you guys cared about it enough for us to revisit it seven years later,” she shared.
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Following the release, Abrams expressed her excitement on Instagram Stories, writing, “hiiiii Close To Youu hi after seven years hello “
The release was met with an outpouring of joy from fans who had been waiting for this moment for years. Comments on YouTube reflected their enthusiasm: “Real ones have known this gem for years,” one fan noted. Another added, “This one is for the girls that have been waiting 7 years for this moment.” A third simply exclaimed, “WAITED YEARS FOR THIS FINALLY.”
Abrams first captured her audience’s heart with ‘Close to You’ through a piano clip posted on Instagram in 2017, followed by a demo snippet in 2018. The song quickly became a fan favourite, with one dedicated follower even starting an online petition for its release.
During a 2022 concert, Abrams hinted at the song’s potential release, giving fans renewed hope. “I definitely love it, but the album I’m working on right now doesn’t sound like ‘Close to You,’” she said at the time. “Maybe we find a one-off situation where we can get it out there.”
Excitement for the track reached new heights in 2023 when a TikTok audio of the demo garnered over 40,000 videos, many pleading with Abrams, daughter of ‘Star Wars’ director J.J. Abrams, to release the full song.
Abrams also made headlines in May when the tracklist for ‘The Secret of Us’ revealed a collaboration with Swift on the fifth track, ‘Us.’ Reflecting on this partnership, Abrams wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “All I can tell you for now is that some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my whole life was writing this song together. I am currently smiling and sweating thinking about it and I’ll never get over the shock of seeing this one on the tracklist. you know how I feel.”
-Gayathri J