Prelude Press
Prelude Press – An independent music outlet focused on discovering and sharing the best emerging artists and diving deeper with the ones you already love.
Following the release of her single “High,” internationally acclaimed artist and actress Grace VanderWaal has returned with “Prettier,” an intimate new song examining projection, desire, and the emotional cost of being admired without being understood. Co-written with Julia Michaels, Grant Boutin, and Mark Schick, the track captures a moment of clarity — realizing that love without understanding is not enough.
Built around vivid, cutting imagery — “I’ve been sharing my body with somebody who sees it as glass / a fragile piece on your mantle” — the song moves through crowded rooms and hollow praise, exposing the quiet loneliness of being treated like an object rather than a person. Grace’s voice remains both restrained and resolute as she asks the central question that lingers long after the song ends: “Do you feel prettier when you hold me?”
Speaking about the new release, Grace shares: “My new single Prettier is written about being seen but not heard in a relationship, and wanting something more.”
Released last fall, “High” marked the start of a new chapter for Grace VanderWaal — a reflective, quietly euphoric track rooted in nostalgia, connection, and moments of emotional stillness. Built around tender imagery and an unguarded vocal performance, the song captures the feeling of being suspended in a perfect moment, before anything shifts.
“Prettier,” like “High” before it, continues Grace VanderWaal’s evolution following her critically praised album CHILDSTAR (LISTEN) — a body of work that explored growing up in the public eye, reclaiming autonomy, and stepping fully into her voice. Where CHILDSTAR examined the scars left behind, “Prettier” lives in the present tense: sharper, more self-aware, and unafraid to name the imbalance when affection turns into possession.