For Grace Leer, country music has always been personal. "When I was nine years old I sang "Wide Open Spaces" for a talent competition. I was practicing in the family room when my mom printed out the lyrics, sat me down, and said, let's read this together, word by word, so you can understand the story you're telling." 

That moment left an ever-lasting impression on Grace. "It taught me that music is more than just singing; it's about telling stories people can relate to. As a songwriter, that is the biggest honor — to write my own stories and connect with the people who hear them.”

"I grew up listening to female powerhouses of the 90s, like The Chicks, Jo Dee Messina, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, and Faith Hill. I loved their music but I also loved Whitney Houston, Selena, Aretha Franklin, and Mariah Carey.

Grace eventually landed a D1 soccer scholarship to UC Berkeley. During her freshman year, an injury left her sidelined for much of the season, and she often found herself riding the bench. ”During some games, I only played five minutes," she remembers. "I learned to make the most of those five minutes. When you're performing a song, you have less time than that to make an impression…and with American Idol, you only get a minute and a half to advance yourself to the next round.”

When Grace auditioned for American Idol's eighteenth season, she had already graduated from UC Berkeley and moved to Nashville, TN. This was a songwriters' town, and she got to work immediately, playing gigs at night and holding down a sales job during the day. "I remember crying my eyes out during the first audition," she says of her Idol experience, "because I knew it was going to change everything." And it did, broadcasting Grace's warm, West Coast twang to national audiences. Moving through the competition quickly, it was Katy Perry’s reaction to her performance of “Natural Woman” during Idols Top 40 Showcase; “she came out here and made everyone else look like they were on a talent show” [Katy Perry] which landed Grace in the Top 10! 

Her debut self-titled EP, Grace Leer, was her chapter of that ongoing story. Recorded in the wake of her career-launching run on American Idol, it's a modern record inspired by the 90s country music that first captured her attention as a young California native. Produced by Dan Fernandez and Jared Hampton (LANCO), the EP balances itself between modern melodies and the timeless influence from Grace's childhood favorites. She nods to her 90s roots with a reimagined version of Dwight Yoakam's "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere," telling her own story with songs like the fiddle-fueled "Brought A Girl" and the breakup ballad "Meant To Be." "Ones Before Me" salutes the Nashville icons who paved the way for 21st-century torchbearers like Grace, while "Nothing With You" — a duet with Logan Mize, who handpicked Grace as the opening act on his 'Its About Time' Tour. Together, these songs weave heartbreak, honky-tonk attitude, self-reflection, and empowerment into a tapestry of twang, glued by a larger-than-life songwriter whose work ethic matches her talent. 

"I didn't grow up driving down dirt roads or running through corn fields. That's not my experience, and I cannot write about something I have not experienced. I know what it's like to have your heart broken, though. I know what it's like to work hard. These songs are real — they're played on real instruments, they're based on real experiences — and that's something I'm proud of." This EP is me, and why I called it Grace Leer." 

In addition to her love of songwriting and performing, Grace has always loved acting and filmmaking. She made her acting debut in the Supporting Actress role of Riley in the Hallmark film, “Time for Her to Come Home For Christmas” which debuted on November 2023 and aired throughout the holiday season. She also wrote, recorded, and released “Star on Top of the Tree” a song that made several holiday playlists and was featured in the Hallmark Film! 

A multi-talented singer, songwriter, actress, model, and athlete, Grace heads into 2024 with more music to release another EP in the works, and perhaps more filmmaking, stay tuned. 

Leer is signed with Red Light Management, UTA, and 19 Recordings.