Gretta Ray has shared another taste of her forthcoming album, Positive Spin.
On ‘Don’t Date the Teenager’, Ray gets candid about a failed relationship, writing with the kind of experience that only comes with extra time to reflect and become more informed about the world.
As the singer-songwriter notes, her new single is just the latest example of how music has offered her safety and comfort when she’s needed it most.
“Pop music has been such a therapeutic, rewarding safe space for me over the years,” she says. “You can take a heavy topic, add some synths and some uplifting call-and-response harmonies, and gradually, the heavy topic is transformed into a catchy, fun and healing bop, lifting you up instead of pulling you further down into that awful, weighty feeling.
According to Ray, “Don’t Date the Teenager” is a “metaphorical hand that could possibly help pull someone out of that emotional quicksand, especially due to the juxtaposition of the production and the deep self-reflection within the lyrics.”
“It is definitely the most honest I’ve ever been in a song, but the honesty I hope, will amplify the importance of the message,” she adds.
“Don’t Date the Teenager” features on Ray’s new album, Positive Spin, set for release on Friday, August 18th. The album also features previous single “America Forever”, which Ray penned a beautiful essay about for Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
Positive Spin is set to be Ray’s most honest work to date. “Being in pop music and being a woman in pop music… your perception of where you’re at can get very warped,” she says. “I’m starting to really settle into my mid-20s… I feel stronger now than I ever have.
“I am so much more equipped to do the job now, and to be this person now… I feel really empowered by the knowledge that I have gotten, over the years of experience that I have had in this industry.”
Following the release of Positive Spin this month, Ray will tour Australia in support of her album in September and October, stopping in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne (more information here).
Gretta Ray’s “Don’t Date the Teenager” is out now. Positive Spin is out Friday, August 18th (pre-save/pre-order here).
