Blog #3: The Case of Conan Gray

katefrey
Oct 10, 2022
3 min read

This week, we will dive into the career of 23 year-old singer/songwriter, Conan Gray. After two of his songs became popular on TikTok, Conan Gray continued to find success. However, he recently received backlash for his less than adequate performance of the National Anthem at the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby.

Due to this, his experience is being questioned and some critics have boxed him in as an “influencer.” In reality, is this the case?

Conan Gray released his first album, Kid Krow, in March of 2020. This is immediately before the world shut down due to COVID-19, putting his, and everyone else’s, plans on halt. On the bright side, this global pandemic sent everyone to their phones and the internet, leading to two songs off of the album going viral on TikTok.

If you think you’ve never heard of Conan Gray, you might have heard of the songs, “Heather” and “Maniac.” As of today (October 10, 2022), people on TikTok have made 304.4K videos using the original sound of the song “Heather.” Many other fan-made versions of the song went viral as well. “Maniac” went viral with 232.1K videos made under the sound to date. A dance trend in 2020 was a part of this song’s popularity.

In June of 2022, Gray released his second album, Superache. This album includes hits such as “Memories” and “People Watching.” Aside from Gray’s impressive vocals, his heart wrenching lyrics are what appeal to his millennial and gen Z audience.

“I wanna feel all that love and emotion, be that attached to the person I’m holding,

Someday I’ll be falling without caution, but for now I’m only people watching.”

- People Watching, Conan Gray

The vulnerability makes Gray relatable when discussing his heartbreak. This often makes the songs even more powerful when performed live.

This would suggest that his performance of the National Anthem would be just as impressive. However after the event, people took to Twitter, comparing his performance to Fergie’s notorious National Anthem performance at the NBA All-Star Game in 2018.

After Fergie’s performance, she was criticized. However, her status as a prominent artist remains unchanged. The response to Conan Gray’s performance was quite different.

Cheryl Hickey of Entertainment Tonight Canada justified Conan Gray’s shaky performance by saying that the situation would be intimidating, “especially if you are a YouTube star

— everything that you do is behind your phone, in your living room…” Hickey’s co-anchor, Sangita Patel, then explains how she, along with many others online, were not familiar with Gray before this performance. Patel suggests that due to his lack of experience, Gray was not well suited for the role.

Are they correct in their judgements? First, Gray did start by posting YouTube videos online. At a young age, in his small town in Texas, he posted covers and original videos for his music as a hobby. When one of his videos around his freshman year of college gained the attention of Republic Records, he began to pursue a professional career, releasing his first EP in 2018.

As for experience, at the time of the National Anthem performance, Gray had already appeared on many live talk shows, recorded live performances for Vevo, performed at Coachella, attended the Met Gala, and was about to begin his world tour. At the MLB game, he was even introduced as a “multi-platinum artist.”

Gray started on YouTube. He also found quick fame through social media. However, his clear focus has always been on his songs. Is he more of a “YouTube star” or a “multi-platinum artist?” Is Conan Gray an Artist or an Influencer?

Share your thoughts and tune in next week to discuss the infamous Jacob Sartorius, responsible for one of the most disliked videos on YouTube.