Written by Grey and primarily produced alongside Danny Majic (G-Eazy, One Republic), WASTED POTENTIAL finds Grey, who is known for her collaborations with Eminem, Dr. Dre, Macklemore, and Zedd, ready to step into a voice that is solely hers. The result is an intimate, coming-of-age story, with songs that read like diary entries from her working-class upbringing in Mazomanie, WI, now viewed with a newfound appreciation after decades of renouncing it.

With a voice like heaven and penetrating lyrics so acutely relatable — sometimes devastatingly so — you’d swear Grey came from a broken home or endured some kind of tragic childhood trauma. In reality, most of her wounds have been self-inflicted, born out of a fear that she’d waste away in her tiny Midwestern hometown, and a deep desire to get out and make a name for herself.

The songs journey through her most formative years – before she left home to follow her musical dreams in Los Angeles – exploring everything from sexuality and the thrill of taboo romances to spirituality, to the loss of self-worth and her mental health. Marrying emotional depth with undeniable hooks, WASTED POTENTIAL fuses her diverse influences into her most authentic sound yet. The result is a sonic collage that Grey describes as “bubblegrunge” – 90s and Y2K pop/grunge at its core, with singer-songwriter DNA woven throughout.