Check Out Greyson Grimes’ Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Greyson Grimes.

Hi Greyson, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Oh, I was born into a very conservative Christian home. My father was a Southern Baptist pastor and that consumed my family’s life quite a bit. So we were around the church and the church community for the majority of my life.

I found a passion for music and for writing music at the age of 10, I had a huge crush on a girl at church, and I asked my dad if he could teach me how to play a couple of chords on the guitar. After writing my first song for her. I couldn’t get enough of this new love for songwriting. A few years later, still in my early teens I unfortunately started wrestling with substance abuse.

Some of it had to do with the people I was surrounding myself with at the time. But I also was seeking escape from the heavy stress and expectations of being in the pastor’s family… those struggles with addiction lasted till I was 24 years old. It was about 10 years of riding music and playing music. Every chance, I could but also burned bridges and lost opportunities due to my addiction. Thank God, I had the opportunity to get clean and sober in 2016. I had no idea how amazing life could be without drugs and alcohol.

And even though I wrestled with addiction for a long time, I never stopped selling music and never stopped writing music. My music would change sometimes if it were to be with a certain band or a certain opportunity. But I’ve always written songs, trying to stir the soul of others. I’ve always sang from a place of pain hoping to have the opportunity to mourn with people through music and meet them wherever they’re at and whatever they’re struggling with. That’s what Music did for me. I remember so many times escaping to a song and listening to it on the highest volume possible to quiet the environment around me to quiet the intrusive thoughts in my head.

And since 2016, I have had many great opportunities from Tennessee to California to work with other people. Grammy award, winning producers and songwriters. A National tour in 2019. Signing my first record deal this year was very special. I am a full-time music, producer, and audio engineer in orange county California now… most importantly I have a daughter who is born in 2018, and she has only known the best of me. She has never seen me in my addiction or seen me unhealthy.

That is one of my most precious gifts. And she loves Music! I wrote a song a year ago, and she loves to ask for me to play it. She is the best audience I have ever had! And I am planning on releasing some of the best music I’ve written in my career in the last quarter of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would have to say that my struggles and wrestling with substance abuse were my biggest struggle. I could not seem to find a way to get well for a long time. I’m grateful because my family even though they were very conservative Christians.

They did a lot of work on themselves to accept me when I didn’t turn out the way they probably thought. That means the world to me. Being a pastor’s kid, people have expectations of you someday becoming a pastor. Instead of that, I was a drug addict. Quite a few tattoos. My parents meet me where I’m at today. They don’t expect me to be like them but to be my person.

In my adult life, I had to go to a lot of therapy because I needed to heal and address some PTSD trauma that happened during my childhood. That was equally as difficult as getting clean, and sober. It’s something I have to work on daily. Acceptance is the key factor in that. But also escaping to writing music is very helpful. I talked a lot about this stuff through my music.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in songwriting and composition. I have written over 800 songs. And I have recorded more than half of those! I also specialize in production and audio engineering. So a large portion of my income comes from working with other musicians and songwriters and helping them produce their music.

I am most known for making music that is emotional and sad. Music that can be haunting almost. When publishers have reviewed my music, one of their most common reviews says “haunting, vocals” probably because I sing with as much transparency and emotion as possible. And I am singing about sad things. For the better part of the last decade, I have been a part of a band called Happy to Be Here. I have not invested any time or effort into my Greyson Grimes Music until just a couple of months ago… unfortunately, the band is no longer, but the music will continue through me and I will be revamping my music under my name.

What am I most proud of? I would probably have to say I am most proud of the song. “Lying down”. It’s a song I wrote six years ago that I think is my favorite work. I just feel like I hit the nail on the head when it came to expressing what I was trying to say, and the way I sing tells the listener, all the details of what it felt like. I believe it’s one of the best songs I’ve written. But that’s just personally what I think because it’s not my most streamed song.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Being unapologetically authentic. Being as transparent through my music as possible. And sticking with it. A lot of people have wanted me to morph into other things or sound like other people.

Social media has been in my favor recently after being consistent with it. And I try to be my most authentic self as I can on social media. Even though it’s hard to! But if I can accomplish that, I think that is what is most important to my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: greysongrimes.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/greyson.grimes?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009320043052&mibextid=LQQJ4d