Grace Kinter has been singing since the age of nine and has had no shortage of creative inspirations growing up in a creative household that exposed her to the music of Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin. Kinter spoke to NYOTA about her song “Alone by the Summer” and writing from a personal place.

You credit your dad for introducing you to different musicians, such as Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone. As a kid, what about their music resonated with you or caught your attention?

I loved how free and uninhibited the vocals were. I loved many types of music growing up, but soulful vocals always struck me. Whenever I heard a soulful vocal, like Aretha’s, I could feel the singer’s pain, triumph, and longing. I was always a very empathetic and sensitive kid as well, so being surrounded by emotive music taught me to use music and singing as an outlet. 

It’s not uncommon for musicians to get their start in church choirs. How did that time shape the artist you are now?

I’m very grateful for my time in choirs, both church choir and school choirs. But to be honest, the number one thing it taught me was how much I wanted to be a solo singer and how much it mattered that I connected with what I was singing. I always wished I was in the front riffing over the choir. And I didn’t want to sing about God…I wanted to sing about my crush! Or my friend who betrayed me! My high school choir teacher sucked all the fun out of singing. He would make us sing these treacherous and difficult Latin songs and he took it so seriously. That’s why I started singing for our school’s jazz band where I got to sing lead on songs that were way more my style. Then I started posting cover songs to Soundcloud. That truly jump-started my singing career.

“Alone by the Summer” is your first music release in over a year. Why did this single feel like the right one to use to reintroduce yourself with? 

I’ve been romanticizing my earlier years of being a musician a lot lately. Maybe it has something to do with my thirtieth birthday coming up. Maybe it’s the pressure to go viral on TikTok. Maybe it’s burn-out from 12+ years of making music. I’ve been planning and prepping for my next big body of work and I’ve been reflecting on earlier-twenties Grace. I didn’t know who I was, yet somehow knew exactly who I was…. Like I was young and fresh and life hadn’t swept me away yet but that innocence and curiosity helped me approach music in a way that I really miss. Not only is “Alone by the Summer” filled with that nostalgic feeling, but it’s actually produced by Halfspeed (aka Zach Lyda) who is one of the first producers I worked with in the early days. Reuniting with him and releasing “Alone by the Summer” felt like giving my younger self a hug.

The song itself dives into trying to have control over how someone else sees you, which is often a losing battle. Did you pull from your own personal experiences when writing the track?

Oh yes. It was pretty on the nose actually. Earlier this year in the winter and early spring, I put a lot of effort into a relationship where the other person didn’t really see me for me. At first, it was refreshing and easy, but eventually I felt like I was losing sight of the real me whenever I was with them. I could have kept being the fraction of myself that worked in that relationship, but either way, I’d be alone by the summer. Whether literally (which is what happened) or if I stayed, but kept pretending.

Although the song is called “Alone by the Summer,” it has a jazzy, darker vibe that’s perfect as we transition to fall. What inspired the sonic feel of the song?

This goes back to what I was saying above about romanticizing the past. Nostalgia can be sweet and blissful, but in this song, it’s not. And I had to make that clear. The summer is so often associated with fun- pool parties! Beach! Sun! Long days!!! Making a song called “Alone by the Summer” kind of flips that on its head. I also narrate the song like I’m talking about someone else to push the storytelling aspect of it. I think that element adds to the darker vibe as well. I’m telling a story I already know the ending to. And it’s not a happy one.

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?

It changes all the time, but right now, my advice would be to live your life to the fullest because those life experiences (good or bad) are the catalyst for genuinely good music. The world has given us a lot of reasons to stay inside and dissociate lately. Always let yourself have those moments, but you have to put yourself out there and participate and collect memories, for the art but also for you. And find people who you trust and love to create with. And don’t be afraid to go back to them after years of separation. Musical relationships that work well are hard to find.