Loren Gray

Loren Gray rose to internet stardom through multiple social media outlets that claimed around three million subscribers by the time she launched a music career in 2018. During that year, she released three singles — “My Story” followed by “Kick You Out” and “Queen” — each showcasing a singer at ease with sugary pop melodies, adolescent angst, and teenage joy, elements that are tied together by a stylish electronic patina. With her subsequent singles, she threaded in elements of R&B and synth pop, all leading up to the 2023 release of her debut album, Guilty. Originally from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Gray joined YouTube on May 5, 2012, under her given name Loren Beech. Over the next four years, she gravitated toward the name Loren Gray and moved to Los Angeles, all the while attracting many followers on various social media platforms, including musical.ly. Her fans, who she dubbed “angels,” propelled her to a Teen Choice Awards nomination for “Choice Muser” in 2016. She received that same honor in 2018, by which time things outside of the net began to happen for her. Loren Gray participated in the 2017 Spring DigiTour alongside HRVY, who’d invited her to appear in his 2018 video “Personal.” By the time it aired, Gray had signed with Virgin Records, which quickly released the single “My Story.” “Kick You Out” and “Queen” appeared before the close of 2018. The following year, she teamed with Saweetie for the club-inspired “Can’t Do It” and released the single “Options” b/w “Lie Like That.” By 2020, her sound evolved to incorporate more mature R&B tones similar to Ariana Grande on “Cake.” She also collaborated with Deacon on “Love for the Summer” and TELYKast on the electronic anthem “Nobody to Love.” The next year, she delivered the bright synth pop track “Piece of Work,” the first single released after she severed ties with Virgin and reverted to indie status. Gray issued the single “Guilty” in 2022, the first of three pre-release tracks leading up to the 2023 release of her debut album, Guilty. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine