. “I definitely am part of the generation that fully grew up on the internet,” says the 21-year-old Georgetown, Texas native.
“In my head, I was like, ‘When you finish a song, you put it up on the internet’ — it’s sort of like, when you’re done eating dinner, you put your plate in the sink. It’s what I thought I was supposed to do.”
Those early instincts have since helped Gray — and his music — connect deeply with fans through social media. And now, he’s relying on their support as he readies to release his debut full-length,“My whole life I’ve been a massive outsider: I’m half Japanese, half white, but neither one of those groups of people accepted me,” says Gray, who grew up a military brat and had lived in California, Japan and Texas by the time he was 11.
Gray wrote his first song at 12, developing his lo-fi sound on acoustic guitar and GarageBand. He joined YouTube in 2013 when he was 14 years old, initially using the platform as a comical vlog . Two years later, Gray began posting covers and original songs, which he found to be as cathartic as creating music. “The internet was my safe space,” says Gray. “I didn’t [post my music] because I wanted attention, I loved the process.”,” which he wrote about his Texas hometown.
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