Grace VanderWaal has come a long way from her days as the ukulele-toting 12-year-old who captured hearts on America’s Got Talent. Now 20, she’s pushing her music into more mature, emotionally charged territory. Her latest track, ‘What’s Left of Me‘ (out now via Pulse Records), reflects growth, diving deeper into raw emotions and complex storytelling.
This new single follows her recent release ‘Call It What You Want‘. While that track explored the murky back-and-forth of a situationship, ‘What’s Left of Me’ deals with facing the aftermath. The song starts with a delicate piano melody, breathy and fragile, before evolving into a dynamic, heartfelt anthem. VanderWaal’s airy, pop-tinged vocals float effortlessly over the instrumental, building intensity as she unpacks the pain of moving forward. The softness of her voice contrasts with the emotional weight of the lyrics, creating a sound that’s both vulnerable and cathartic.
Lyrically, it’s about the scars left behind and how we wrestle with who we are after love has run its course. Grace describes it as feeling like “a breathing legacy of a fallen relationship“—a powerful reminder of how deeply relationships shape us, even after they’ve ended.
The accompanying music video shows Grace blending vulnerability with strength. She delivers every lyric with raw honesty while donning medieval-core outfits, including a chainmail look that channels the spirit of Joan of Arc. It’s a striking visual that aligns perfectly with the song’s themes of resilience and transformation.
With an album in the works and a starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ (released earlier this week), it’s clear that Grace is entering a new chapter of her career, embracing her evolution as a multi-dimensional artist.
PHOTO CREDIT: KIRT BARNETT
