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Notes

“It's about me being widely sexualized and objectified at a young age. It's important to talk about all of the different layers. You wonder, 'What if I dream of being a sexy woman? What if it's that is something I want? Am I still just a girl at the end of the day? Am I subjecting myself?' It's a love-hate relationship and a commentary on the patriarchy.” (from the description of the music video)

"Brand New is not about freedom for me. If anything, it’s about longing for structure. When you’re raised inside a box and then suddenly handed the entire world, part of you just wants to crawl back into the box." (Interview with Vestal Magazine, May 2025
In an
Interview with Zach Sang in April 2025, Grace provided some background for the song: "It’s an Exploration of a topic where there is no right or wrong. I knew that I wanted to go into my relationship with womanhood and sexuality and how that got so fucked up, being a child star. And I knew that that was an incredibly fragile and personal topic that I was not taking lightly, and I really – honestly, It was healing even for me to do justice to myself. I heard it in a dream at first, and then I woke up and recorded it. The words were super gruesome; I’ll [miming “cut my throat”] let blood drip off my fingers, draining myself of everything that knows you, and then maybe I’ll be brand new. I then brainstormed this song for weeks, writing poetry. And I thought of Eve – this is not a religious commentary; I took it strictly as a storytelling symbol. And I thought about what she was wearing, and she was the first to sin – SHE - it was always HER fault. And then we started writing it, and it turned into like a prayer, almost from a childlike perspective with the simplicity of a child, asking God if she can stay in girlhood - you know me, I’m good. I don’t want to be lustful or sinful, or dirty or a woman, I just want to be me. I don’t want this transformation. Because there is the robbery of identity, this separation, like – ‘now you represent these things'” You are no longer a human; you are a walking symbol. And it’s scary to approach this imminent death of who you are.

I wish a lot of things didn’t happen to me, and it didn’t need to happen, like sexualization and harassment online, and torture. I felt a shift into young womanhood where I am sort of a free-for-all dumping ground of just hatred. That’s why I, in "Brand New" say, “I am not the mother of your loss and not the sister of your lust” Because I felt like I was just this symbolic thing for people to throw their mother wounds I am just this shapeshifting symbol that you hate, of your middle school first crush, and the mother that told you, you were nothing. I reject this dehumanisation of women."

Source: Grace Vanderwaal



Performances

2025.04.03 CHILDSTAR Final Act ()
2025.05.18 The Roxy Childstar Tour

Reviews, Reactions etc.

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Releases

Release Date Record Type Track
2025-04-04Child StarLP2

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Cold room, can you hear me?
Blood is on my hands, am I filthy?
Define the guilt that I am supposed to hold
Lights out, do you fear me?
Against the law of nature, would you bless me?
To keep all that I have, do nothing wrong

[Chorus]
I'm the woman, I'm the sin
A blemish burned into your skin
I'm not the mother of your loss
I'm not the sister of your lust
Desperate, I'll pray
Run the bath, in the water, I'll bathe
I'll do anything that you say
If I could be brand new
An apple to taste
Burn me up as I'm tied to a stake
And my skin will rot
I'm staring at my grave
Just hoping to be brand new

[Verse 2]
What if I wanna be pretty?
What if I wanna perform?
I don't wanna be nothing
What's my voice without your words?
So I'll speak the language
But it's a one-sided design
It cuts my tongue when I speak it
Because it's yours, no, it's not mine

[Chorus]
'Cause I'm the woman, I'm the sin
A blemish burned into your skin
I'm not the mother of your loss
I'm not the sister of your lust
Desperate, I'll pray
Run the bath, in the water, I'll bathe
I'll do anything that you say
If I could be brand new
An apple to taste
Burn me up as I'm tied to a stake
And my skin will rot
I'm staring at my grave
Just hoping to be brand new

[Outro]
Desperate, I'll pray
Run the bath, in the water, I'll bathe
I'll do anything that you say
If I could be brand new
An apple to taste
Burn me up as I'm tied to the stake
Rotting skin, I'll stare at my grave
Just hoping to be brand new

Covers and Remixes

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