"As Long As There's Music, You're Never Alone"
(Artist Report)
Written by: Abigail Brown
The air in the room feels different when you’re speaking with an artist who clearly puts passion behind their work. For Cai Gray, building up to this point wasn’t a straight shot, but a series of seemingly smaller life moments; like going from plucking strings in low-key guitar lessons to advocating for his true love of percussion in the middle school bandroom. While discussing the way his music has evolved from his earlier pieces to his upcoming releases, he carries the confidence of someone who hears the personal growth in their own work. With a career built as much on community as it is on individuality, and a recent dive into live streaming, it’s apparent that Gray is building a fan base that will have more than music to bond over. In a world that’s rapidly becoming more isolated, an artist taking the time to nurture positive community and ease loneliness through music is quite contrary to the typical gatekeeping of the mainstream scene.
His musical story began at age eight in Orangeburg, South Carolina. While he initially craved the drums, his mother was hoping for a quieter household and steered him towards the guitar. It wasn’t until he moved to a school in Columbia that his persistence paid off. After six months of “badgering” his band director, he finally moved from the trumpet to the percussion section. It was here, in the wee hours of 6:00 AM, that he mastered his first drumbeat and discovered an early aptitude for the kit. The blend of community and healthy competition in South Carolina’s marching band scene aided his transition from a student of rhythm to a solo creator.
Shaping his signature sound required a dive into the emo explosion of the 2010s. Early tastes in Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars eventually gave way to a love for the theatricality of Panic! At The Disco. You can hear Brendan Urie’s Broadway-esque vocal influence in Gray’s performances today. As he matured, his palate expanded to include the alt-indie vibes of Catfish and the Bottlemen as well as the vulnerable acoustics of Shawn Mendes. Currently, he finds himself inspired by the positive messaging of AJR and the innovation of Christian French; artists who helped him go from being a bright-eyed novice to finding his own artistic identity.
Gray’s discography is a map of his own personal growth. His career began in 2018 with the self-motivated release of four tracks: “Voices,” “White Rose,” “Shadows,” and “On My Knees.” These songs were later re-imagined for his debut album, The Overgrown. This project was produced with Evan Galante and focuses heavily on mental health advocacy. His current catalog is led by the standout track “My Gravity.” This song was written during a beach trip to Edisto and explores the relationship between comfort and growth. Gray is now on the precipice of his next era with the upcoming album Synesthesia. The result will be a work that moves beyond individual relationships to tackle the broader, collective experience of being human.
The future looks busy for the currently Atlanta-based artist. Gray recently submitted his latest single, “Skipping Stars,” for a March 20th release. This will serve as the precursor to the full launch of Synesthesia, happening later this year. Beyond the studio, Gray is expanding his reach through live streaming on Twitch and building his community on Discord. Putting the artist’s face next to their work has long been considered a smart move, especially nowadays to connect recorded audio art with live performance. This next move into the spotlight is a significant milestone for Gray, who admitted that his early days back in Nashville were spent practicing quietly in a basement to avoid disturbing his neighbors, an understandable hurdle he’s cleared by his relentless determination for both career and personal growth.
Cai Gray views music not as a trend chasing part-time gig; he sees it as a tool for healing. His mission is based in the belief that music creates a universal bond felt most purely in a room full of people singing the same words. By centering his work around shared human empathy versus pandering to commercial fads, Gray ensures that his work will leave a positive impact on himself and his listeners. For him, the goals are simple: to create art that’s worthy of the time spent on it, and to provide a space where individuals can build connections with each other and bond through music that makes the human experience feel less lonely.
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Written By: Abigail Brown
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