Grace VanderWaal releases CHILDSTAR, a soul-baring album paired with a self-directed short film.
Grace VanderWaal’s long-awaited second album CHILDSTAR is officially out today via PULSE Records. The deeply introspective project marks a new creative era for the singer-songwriter and actress, capturing the transformation of pain into power.
On CHILDSTAR, VanderWaal offers a candid reflection on growing up in the spotlight. The album is supported by CHILDSTAR: Final Act, a striking short film co-directed by VanderWaal with Luca Renzi and Jacob Boehme. The film features five performances from the album, including the powerful “Proud.”
“It’s the desperate confusing inner battle between being controlled by the need for validation and being controlled by what instilled that need,” she explains of “Proud.” “A child who is so special. Never cries. Never asks for anything.” 
Tracks like “Brand New” confront societal objectification, while “Homesick” explores yearning for a version of the past that never truly existed. “I’m homesick for a day that never happened,” she sings with aching vulnerability.
“I felt for a long time I was a walking shadow of myself,” says Grace. “While writing CHILDSTAR, I realized, I have something no one can take away, and that’s my story.”
CHILDSTAR – ON TOUR will take Grace to six cities across North America beginning May 4, her first headline run since 2019.
Having already worked with legends like Florence + the Machine and Imagine Dragons, and starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, VanderWaal now enters her most artistically liberated chapter to date.
