Choreographer Kirstin McQuaid has created three dance-videos based on Grace’s work: Light the sky, Moonlight and finally Florets. At the premier for Florets, held at the Victory Theatre in Burbank, California USA on May 30, 2018, Kristin, as well as some of the dancers that have worked on the videos and the director of the Florets video were interviewed by Kristin Byrd.
Interview with dancer Kayla Radomski (who is one of the dancers on Florets) Interviewer: “What is it that makes Grace’s music so special?” Kayla: “It’s so real and so honest and it’s not negative, it’s really uplifting, you feel like you can conquer the world just listening to it, moving your body to it. It’s so beautiful”. Dancer Nia Sioux who were in the Moonlight dance video answers the question “What is it in Grace’s Vanderwaal’s music that just inspires movement: Nia: “Her songs – I am a big fans of her, like, she’s awesome, if feel like her voice, in just general, the performance she puts out there .- you can really feel it form her music”.
Dancer Hailee Payne: (she is in part one and two of the trilogy): “What inspires me with Grace’s music is that it’s so positive and very uplifting, and so unique which is very cool., Because you don’t come across people who find their own voice and use their unique talents, sometimes people conform, and do what everyone else is doing, but she stays true to herself, and its’ so cool to see that”.(A href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7iP5BZ-wps" target="_blank">Youtube link)
Director David Javier: "Grace’s music – I am so impressed by it. She so young and there’s just so much soul in her music. For someone to be so young and know how it feels to have those feelings, is relatable, for me – as an older human. It instantly connected to the soul, to her voice and let loose and tried to tell my own little story, on kind of like letting go, which to me is what kind of like represents a flirt. The flowers, the petals kind of like fade away, its all about letting go and kind of like losing yourself in the moment. It all culminates in the moment where they actually decide to talk to each other." (Youtube link)
Kristin McQuaid: “This song was just the song that kept replaying form the Album, I just kept getting back to this song, on replay and replay. I love Florence and the Machine, and this song reminded me so much of Florence and the Machine. It keeps repeating in the song “dancing in the air”, and I was like – “dancing in the air” – hi, I need to dance in the air to this song, with my beautiful dancer. What is it about Grace’s music that inspires you through movement? KM: I feel like she just such a pure soul, she’s and old soul and she real. She writes her own music and that why I think I relate to it, I know it’s coming from a real place. Being an artist myself, I know that it’s pure. “Kristin had heard an interview with Grace where she had told that her hidden talent was lyrical dance, “I would love to work with Grace”.
At the same event Kristin was also interviewed by Maximo.tv. Kristin: “Her music is so inspiring. Columbia has seen these videos. I have been in touch with them I have been in touch with her management. It’s been a really great whirlwind of adventure fo0rm the very start, form Light the Sky, to Moonlight and now with Florets. My main goal is to colab with Grace herself. I do feel like it will happen you know., Her hidden talent is to dance.” Youtube link
Last but not least, Kristin has also been interviewed by Mark Lalonde for the Vandervault:
”Kristin has worn many hats in the entertainment industry. As an actor she has worked in films alongside Academy Award-winners and has had recurring roles on many television programs. As as a dancer she’s shared the stage with music industry legends such as Prince, Britney Spears and Cindy Lauper. Of late she has found phenomenal success as a choreographer for television, commercial work, and her own sold-out original productions, but is best known for her work on FOX’s hit show “So You Think You Can Dance” and the very popular “ Dance Moms”. As if all of that wasn’t enough Kristin even has her own clothing line, “KraZe by Kristin”.
I had never seen “America’s Got Talent” before and I guess it was on the channel after a show I was watching. I was up walking around the house and all of sudden I heard Grace’s audition. I walked straight over to the TV and was immediately drawn to her voice, her uniqueness, and her old soul. I knew I had to continue watching the rest of the season to see where this girl was going, hoping she would win!
I love that Grace writes her own music. That is so powerful to any artist. Knowing the truth and the depth behind the lyrics I knew I wanted to create some amazing visuals to counterbalance the songs.”
(Excerpts from interview with Mark Lalonde / The Vandervault, May 29, 2018, read the full interview here: Interview on the Vandervault)
As a rule, we only have bios on artists that Grace has worked with or who have had a part in the creation or production of her music. The amount of information on each of these artists varies greatly, dependent on how much has been readily available. We have tried to identify the artists correctly, but sometimes it has been difficult to determine who exactly is behind the name. Unless otherwise stated, the bios are based on data retrieved at the start of 2021.
