On the heels of releasing her debut album, Jensen McRae gave "bedroom pop" a whole new meaning.
The Los Angeles-born singer/songwriter — whose LP Are You Happy Now? just arrived on March 22 — performed the album's lead single for her episode of Press Play At Home. Titled "My Ego Dies At The End," the song isn't exactly bedroom pop — but she did sing the thought-provoking track sitting atop her bed.
"I live the dream like I still don't know what it meant/ Who am I? I've lost the thread/ My ego dies at the end," McRae sings in the chorus. Delivering the somber track with just an acoustic guitar, the rising star makes the message of "My Ego Dies At The End" cut like a knife.
"This song is about growing up and losing yourself," McRae explained in a TikTok, in which she performed a clip of the song.
McRae inadvertently jump-started her career in January 2021 thanks to a simple tweet. It was a clever joke about a song she imagined Phoebe Bridgers might write while waiting in line to get vaccinated. After the tweet went viral, McRae decided to bring the song to life as "Immune." The 24-year-old artist followed the buzz with an EP, Who Hurt You?, that June; hardly a year after going viral, she now has a debut album to her name with Are You Happy Now?
Needless to say, after several years of performing at cozy open mics around L.A., studying music at USC, and a childhood in musical theater, Jensen McRae is ready to step into the spotlight with her heartfelt music.
Press play on the video above, close your eyes, and lose yourself in her gorgeous voice and poetic storytelling. Afterwards, make sure to listen to Are You Happy Now?, and return to GRAMMY.com every Thursday for new episodes of Press Play At Home.
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