Conan Gray Says Upcoming Superache Album Is Everything He Was 'Too Afraid to Say' on Kid Krow
Brian Ziff Conan Gray
Conan Gray has some exciting things on the horizon.
Amidst his current world tour and upcoming debut performance at Coachella — where he has teamed up with Amex for a special pop-up shop — the 23-year-old singer-songwriter has new music in store.
After gaining critical acclaim for Kid Krow in 2020, Gray recently announced that he's releasing his second studio album Superache on June 24.
"Kid Krow was just my introduction," Gray tells PEOPLE of his debut album. "I wrote it when I was a teenager and I was just saying hello and introducing myself."
As he moves into this new chapter of his career, he explains that Superache expands on everything he was "too afraid to say" on his last album. "There are moments where I had to really think, what are the things that I don't want to say? And in the end, the answer ended up being nothing," he says.
"[The album is] just about that ache of being young and sometimes dramatic about the way that you deal with pain and heartbreak and mourning."
Fully encompassing those themes, Gray's new single "Memories" details the downfall of a relationship and trying to move on from someone.
Ever the clever wordsmith, Gray explains the song is a play on words as he tells his ex to actually stay in his memories. "I wanted to flip it over and be like, 'I actually wish that you would stay in my memory. Like, stop showing up in real life. I don't want any new memories. I'm trying to get over you.' "
Gray reveals he was inspired to write the song after having dinner with a friend who contemplated texting their ex because she missed them. "I was like, 'Well, you broke up with him, so maybe you shouldn't text him. Maybe you should actually just leave him alone and let him rest and let him get over you.' It just had me thinking about all the times that people texted me that I wished they wouldn't have."
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Following the release of the new single on April 15, Gray is heading to Indio, California for his very first Coachella performance on April 16, where he's excited to perform "Memories" for the first time.
"It's going to be very, very exciting to be able to sing that song and see how people feel," he says. "Hopefully, I don't pass out from the heat."
In addition to his performance at Coachella, Gray is teaming up with Amex for their Amex Artist Shop, which will feature exclusive, limited-edition festival merchandise from both him and Billie Eilish.
"I wanted to take an opportunity to make a fun, unique experience for the fans and be able to make them a really cute Coachella custom embroidered sweater," he says of the collaboration.
The merch items — which will be open on the first day of both festival weekends and online via AmexArtistShop.com from April 15 - April 30 for Amex Card Members — will include a Billie Eilish zip-up hoodie that has been reclaimed and upcycled from deadstock, shelf pulls, retail returns, and gently used apparel as well as a Conan Gray crewneck featuring the text "your sweater," a play on the lyrics from his hit single "Heather."
"Not to make a pun, but it just felt very fitting and I wanted to kind of make it a moment for all of us," he adds.
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As Gray releases new music, he ultimately hopes to inspire the next generation of artists to follow their gut. "Make music and make art that you enjoy," he advises. "When you truly love something and have a passion for it, it's infectious and it shows, and people love to witness people doing things that they love and that they really care about."
