CHILDSTAR’ [ALBUM]

Proud

Brand New

Homesick

What’s Left Of Me

Call It What You Want

Babydoll (feat. Aliyah’s Interlude)

Beg For It

Behavioral Problems

Fade

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

05/04 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

05/07 – The Great Hall – Toronto, ON

05/09 – Atlantis – Washington, DC

05/10 – Racket – New York, NY

05/18 – The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA

05/19 – The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA – *NEW DATE*

05/21 – Brick & Mortar – San Francisco, CA

Award-winning artist and actress Grace VanderWaal returns with her powerful sophomore studio album, CHILDSTAR—out now via PULSE Records. Deeply personal and emotionally raw, CHILDSTAR is a sonic journey of healing, self-discovery, and reclaiming identity. It captures VanderWaal as she peels back the layers of her past, confronts her experiences in the spotlight, and steps into her own voice with fearless authenticity.

To accompany the album, Grace co-directed a moving short film titled CHILDSTAR: Final Act alongside Luca Renzi and Jacob Boehme, with choreography also led by VanderWaal and Renzi. The film brings five songs from the album to life—“Proud,” “Brand New,” “Homesick,” “Behavioral Problems,” and “Fade”—through haunting visuals and deeply expressive performance art. The result is a cathartic, soul-baring experience that showcases Grace’s evolution not just as a musician, but as a storyteller and performer.

CHILDSTAR on Tour

Next month, Grace brings CHILDSTAR to audiences across North America with her first headline tour since 2019. The CHILDSTAR – ON TOUR run kicks off May 4 in Chicago, with stops in Toronto, Washington, DC, New York City, two nights in Los Angeles, and wraps up on May 21 in San Francisco.
🎟️ For tickets and tour info, visit: gracevanderwaal.com/tour

A Voice Reclaimed

Reflecting on the emotional weight of the album, Grace shares:

“I felt for a long time I was a walking shadow of myself. I felt stolen—my name, my face, my body. But through CHILDSTAR, I discovered something no one could take from me: my story. This album gave me my power back. I hope it gives you something too.”

The album opens with “Proud”, a delicate yet powerful ballad that explores the pressure to shrink yourself for acceptance. Its opening line—“Promise I’ll be small. I won’t take up space at all…”—echoes the harsh expectations placed on children forced to mature too soon. “It’s the story of the ‘golden child’—the kid who suppresses their own needs just to be seen as mature and lovable,” Grace explains.

On “Brand New”, the album’s poignant focus track, she unpacks the complex feelings surrounding objectification and identity. Whispered vocals layered over tolling bells and lush strings make it one of the album’s most emotional moments. “It’s a love-hate relationship with being sexualized at a young age, and a powerful commentary on the patriarchy,” she says.

Grace continues to explore the ache of nostalgia in “Homesick,” a minimalist acoustic track that aches with longing. “It’s about being homesick for a time that never actually existed,” she reflects. “We romanticize perfect moments, but often, they were never real to begin with.”

Healing Through Art

In creating CHILDSTAR, Grace confronted the very memories she once tried to bury.

“At first, I thought this album would break me,” she admits. “But the pain came from carrying it in silence. Putting it into music gave me strength—and hopefully, it gives someone else a voice too.”

This new chapter follows a whirlwind year for VanderWaal. In 2024, she delivered a spellbinding performance at the Kennedy Center Honors and made a major cinematic debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s highly anticipated film Megalopolis, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to a seven-minute standing ovation. She stars alongside the likes of Adam Driver and Laurence Fishburne, cementing her status as both a musical and cinematic force.

From her chart-topping 2016 debut EP Imperfectly Perfect, to her first full-length album Just the Beginning, Grace has earned critical acclaim, awards, and millions of fans. She’s toured with major acts like Florence + the Machine and Imagine Dragons, landed a Teen Choice Award, and even made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list—the youngest artist ever to do so.

Now, as she reclaims her independence in 2024, CHILDSTAR is more than just an album. It’s a declaration. A final act. And a brand-new beginning.

Follow Grace VanderWaal:
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