Gracie Abrams is living out every Swiftie’s wildest dreams, having gone from childhood fan to Eras Tour opener to close friends with Taylor Swift herself. With that in mind, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter can say from firsthand experience that the pop superstar is just as great a pal as she is an idol.
“She’s extraordinary, which we all know,” Abrams told TODAY Friday morning (June 28), sitting down for an interview between live performances as part of the show’s Citi Concert Series. “But she’s as extraordinary a friend and mentor as she is an artist and a writer.”
The “Close to You” singer also rehashed the viral story of how she and Swift put out a fire together after writing their collaboration “Us” at the latter’s New York City apartment, an anecdote she first told Billboard earlier this month. “She saved the building,” Abrams recalled of the 14-time Grammy winner coming to the rescue with a fire extinguisher. “She literally just made it happen. She’s a superhuman.”
“Us” appears on Abrams’ sophomore studio album The Secret of Us, which dropped one week prior to her TODAY appearance. The project is currently challenging Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department for the No. 1 spot on next week’s Billboard 200, where the “Anti-Hero” singer’s LP has reigned for nine consecutive weeks.
During her time on the Today Plaza stage, the California native also performed new song “Blowing Smoke” and older fan favorite “I Miss You, I’m Sorry.” Plus, she got the chance to interact with ecstatic fans in the audience, gifting one tearful person — who just so happened to be graduating that day as their school’s valedictorian — free tickets to her Radio City Music Hall concert later this year.
See clips of Abrams on TODAY below.
