Why Conan Gray is a rising Gen Z star you need to know: the Winner singer is besties with Oliv
His latest release? “Winner”, an emotional track that he “wrote at 2am” with “everything at the piano just [spilling] out all at once”, the singer said in a statement.
Here’s everything you need to know about the talented 24-year-old:
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Conan Gray rose to fame on YouTube
Gray is one of the classic success stories of YouTuber-turned-pop-star. Just like now-household names Justin Bieber and Troye Sivan, who found their fan base through the video platform, Gray began his journey from the comfort of his bedroom.Back in 2014, when he was 14 years old, Gray uploaded vlogs on YouTube, followed by covers of songs like Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”. Per W Magazine, his talents were quickly recognised by several big names in the industry, and he got signed by UMG subsidy Republic Records in 2018.
He went from being a small-town boy to being Halsey’s “dream collaborator”, an inspiration for BTS V’s music, and counting celebs like Noah Cyrus among his fans, according to W.
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He’s never dated anyone
Some fans would be surprised to hear that Gray, who’s known for writing songs about love, hasn’t actually been in a relationship before. But he has gone through heartbreak.
In an interview with GQ last year, the star revealed: “You will probably be surprised to learn that I’ve never actually dated anyone. It’s embarrassing! Dating makes me nervous … I’ve been heartbroken, obviously. I’ve been in love with people, but they haven’t loved me back.”
So is he ready to mingle? Maybe. “I feel almost ready to be in a real relationship,” he told the publication.
He isn’t afraid to flaunt bold fashion
Leather trousers. Red-hot jackets. Mary-Jane heels. Conan Gray rocks it all, often pairing his daring fashion looks with a touch of sparkle to boot.
But he also looks to his fans for style inspiration. Gray told Harper’s Bazaar that he interacts with his followers’ fashion choices on TikTok. “In a lot of ways, it just kind of is constantly reinforcing to me that we’re all just the same person,” Gray says of his fans’ wardrobes. “I always think that if I wasn’t there on stage, I probably would be in the crowd with them watching someone else.”
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He and his bestie Olivia Rodrigo are Swifties …
Both Gen Z artists rising up the music ranks, Gray and Olivia Rodrigo are forces to be reckoned with – it’s no wonder they’re besties too.
“We’re just pals and I think he’s so brilliant,” Rodrigo told Capital FM when describing her friendship with Gray. What else do they have in common, besides their incredible musical talents? An obsession with Taylor Swift.
Back in 2021, they were tapped by Swift to record short vids of them dancing to her re-recorded versions of “White Horse” and “You Belong With Me”, per People, and Gray regularly cites Swift as his musical inspiration. It’s unclear what their friendship is like with the “Anti-Hero” singer today, as some fans have speculated that Rodrigo’s “Vampire” song is actually about Swift after a dispute over songwriting credits.Who is Olivia Rodrigo’s hunky new rumoured BF, Louis Partridge?
Who is the song “Heather” about?
Gray’s song “Heather” exploded in popularity when it was released in 2020, as many listeners resonated with the artist’s folksy ballad with lyrics that outline the difficulties of love, beauty and jealousy.
In an interview with NME, Gray explained the roots of the lyrics, “It’s about being in love with somebody who’s in love with somebody else – somebody who’s really beautiful, but also just seems untouchable.” He delved into the topic further in another conversation with Genius, stating, “I feel like a lot of people have felt that way before, where they feel like they’re not enough for somebody else.”
Fans got so invested in finding out who “Heather” was about that they set off a viral trend on TikTok. Although Gray wouldn’t share further details on who “Heather” is in real life, he told GQ last year: “They’re just an ordinary person in college, vibing, living their life, and they have this weird subplot of me obsessively writing songs about them, which I think is funny and embarrassing,” adding “They don’t think about me at all.”
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