Almost a decade after entering the music industry at 17, Grace Carter is learning how to meet herself where she is. Her debut album, When Saturn Returns, marks a shift away from the childhood experiences that defined much of her earliest music, turning instead towards the complicated reality of becoming an adult : relationships, womanhood, autonomy, self-sabotage and the pressure to have everything figured out.
Named after the astrological phenomenon associated with the transition from your twenties into your thirties, When Saturn Returns embraces the uncertainty of this stage of life rather than trying to resolve it. On “Party Baby”, Carter questions the expectations placed on women to grow up and settle down; elsewhere, she examines escapism, self-destruction and the uncomfortable process of figuring out who you are while still becoming that person.
The album itself arrived after a period when Carter wasn’t sure she would make another record at all. Following years of writer’s block, an impromptu ten-day writing trip to Stockholm became the catalyst for a new creative chapter, with almost all of the album’s songs written during the trip. Freed from the expectation to recreate the artist she had once been, Carter found her way back to the reason she started making music in the first place.
“I’m no longer speaking from my child self,” she says. “I am a woman now.” GUAP caught up with Carter to speak about her debut release going out into the world, how she navigates artistry, and what this new chapter means for her.
Why When Saturn Returns for the name of your debut album?
I’m in my Saturn return, which is hell and borrow, and this album explores all of the challenges and feelings I have been facing in my mid to late twenties. I feel like this stage of life can feel very isolating as there is a lot changing and it’s easy to feel lost. I wanted the title to be something that people feeling similarly to me could recognise and resonate with.
Why is now the right time for a debut album?
To be honest it’s not about it being the right time. I have had a very turbulent career, a lot of the mess has happened in private and I got to the point where I didn’t think I was even capable of making a body of work ever again. Last year when I flew to Stockholm to write and came out 10 days later with an album’s worth of songs it felt like a cop out to call it anything but my debut album. The whole process of making it felt like it was meant to be, especially after years of writer’s block. This is my proudest work yet and is the best representation of me as a human and an artist yet and I couldn’t be happier with the body of work I get to call my debut album.
“Party Baby” speaks about not knowing when the party ends. What have you learnt to celebrate at this stage of your life?
We feel so much pressure at this stage of life to rush and do grown up things. Party Baby is about having children and I think something I have learnt to celebrate as I’ve got older is turning that pressure into power. I have a choice, I don’t have to follow the path someone else set out for me. I have autonomy and that is something to celebrate. Generations of women have fought for us to be able to have a voice and a choice and right now I’m running with that.
You’ve been a part of the music industry for almost a decade. What have you learnt about longevity?
It has been a while and it has been nowhere near straightforward but I think the main thing I’ve learnt is intention. The reason I make music is because I love making music, not because I necessarily want to be the most famous singer in the world (although I’d like my flowers one day haha). I think one of my biggest difficulties in this business is the fact that I have an opinion and although when I was younger I was quite easy to influence as I’ve got older I find it very hard to go against myself. I think it’s a blessing and a curse. Maybe if I said yes to more people I’d be further on than I am but what no one can argue on is my authenticity. I’m still here because I love being creative and I love creating things bigger than me.
You wrote all but two tracks during a creative period in Stockholm. Did the tracklist also present itself during this period, or did that come later?
To be honest it all kind of happened very naturally. A lot of thought went into the early stages before sitting down to write but everything about this album felt like flow state. All but 2 songs we wrote in that 10 days ended up on the album and which is pretty mental!
On “Bittersweet Escape”, a lyric struck me: “You gave me flowers, and all I could do was light it.” It feels like such a strong image for self-sabotage. Why was that the metaphor that felt right for the song?
To be honest that line has multiple meanings. I wrote Bittersweet Escape about my relationship with weed so in the literal sense it’s about that but also the whole song is about self destruction and I see that line as a metaphor for me just ruining everything nice in my life. I’m so proud of the lyrics on this album and hope that with every listen people discover new things.
You’ve described the album as capturing your “adult adolescence”. What do you think adults are most dishonest about?
Being ok. I think we often feel like we have to act like we have it all together when we don’t and that feeling is exhausting. I want the album to be something people can listen to for comfort.
There’s a tension throughout the album between freedom and expectation, particularly around growing older and womanhood. What expectations have you had to unlearn?
That one day I’ll wake up and everything will just make sense. We’re constantly learning and evolving, nothing is straight forward and that is ok. I have grown so much through discomfort and although in the moment it feels horrific I wouldn’t change any of it. Without sounding cliche I would not be who I am today if I hadn’t experienced the things I have. What is meant for me will not pass me by.
Your earlier work was so closely connected to your childhood and the experiences that shaped you. Did making this album feel like an opportunity to introduce people to Grace beyond her past?
When I was making this album I wasn’t thinking about anyone else and I think that’s why it’s so special to me. I had to make this album for myself. My first project was about my childhood and for years I have been defined by those years of my life. I went through a lot, I had a lot of pressure on me to keep creating from that place and it completely stunted me. I didn’t write for years as a result. This album has changed my life in ways I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words, it reminded me of my love for making music. I’m no longer speaking from my child self, I am a woman now and have experienced so much more than having a deadbeat dad. Now I’m dealing with wastemen, identity and my relationships with myself and others haha. I am so excited for people to hear me. Not what’s happened to me. I am proud of what I made before but I am even prouder of this.
If your younger self (17-year-old Grace who was just entering the industry) could sit down and listen to When Saturn Returns with you, what do you think she’d say, or what would that conversation sound like?
I think it would be the album me and my friends would play in my Mum’s basement on a Friday night when we were chilling. My goal for years has been to make music me and my friends would genuinely stick on. We grew up listening to solange, frank ocean, sza, erykah badu, Adele, lauryn hill and I think i’d really like listening to this album if it came out then. I think a 17 year old me would be very proud of this body of work.
What’s next for Grace Carter?
So much! I can finally see the future. My ambition is bigger than ever and I can’t wait to give people more! More shows, more music! I guess in a way 2026 has felt like starting again so I’m just excited to really solidify who I am as an artist in the years to come. Exciting times ahead