Grimes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grimes
Grimes in 2014
Born	Claire Elise Boucher (1988-03-17) March 17, 1988 (age 37) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Other names	c
Alma mater	McGill University (unfinished)
Occupation	Musician singer songwriter record producer music video director visual artist
Years active	2007–present
Partner(s)	Elon Musk (2018–2021)
Children	3
Relatives	Jay Worthy (stepbrother)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Synth-pop electropop art pop indie pop dream pop dance-pop
Instruments	Vocals keyboards synthesizers guitar
Labels	Arbutus 4AD Roc Nation Nazgul Columbia

Claire Elise Boucher (born March 17, 1988), known as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. She also produces her own music. Her songs often explore themes like science fiction and feminism. Her music videos are known for their detailed and sometimes fantasy-like visuals. Grimes has released five studio albums.

Born in Vancouver, Grimes started making music on her own. This was after she moved to Montreal in 2006. She released two albums, Geidi Primes and Halfaxa, in 2010. She then signed with 4AD and became famous with her 2012 album, Visions. This album won a Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. It also had two popular songs: "Genesis" and "Oblivion".

Her fourth album, Art Angels, came out in 2015. Many music magazines called it the best album of that year. Her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene, was released in 2020. Besides music, Grimes voiced a character in the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077. She was also a judge on the TV show Alter Ego. She has three children with businessman Elon Musk.

About Grimes's Early Life

Claire Boucher was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 17, 1988. Her family has roots from French Canadian (including Québécois), Italian, Ukrainian, and Métis backgrounds. She grew up in the Roman Catholic faith and went to Catholic school. Her mother, Sandy Garossino, used to be a lawyer and supports the arts. Her father, Maurice Boucher, worked in banking and now in biotech.

In 2006, Boucher finished high school at Lord Byng Secondary School. She then moved from Vancouver to Montreal to study at McGill University. She focused on neuroscience and the Russian language. However, she left the university in early 2011 before finishing her degree.

Grimes's Music Journey

Starting Out: 2009–2011

Grimes started writing music under her stage name in 2007. She chose the name "Grimes" because on MySpace, artists could list three music genres. She picked "grime" for all three, even though she didn't know what the grime music genre was. Grimes taught herself how to make music and create visual art.

Grimes performing at South by Southwest in 2012

In January 2010, Grimes released her first album, Geidi Primes. This album was inspired by the Dune book series. Her second album, Halfaxa, came out in October of the same year. After Halfaxa, she started sharing her music more widely and touring outside Montreal. In 2011, Grimes released five songs on a special record called Darkbloom.

Starting in May 2011, Grimes opened shows for Lykke Li on her North American tour. In August, her first album was re-released on CD and vinyl for the first time. In 2011, she also worked with DJ Blood Diamonds.

Becoming Famous: 2011–2014 with Visions

After touring a lot and getting good reviews for her first albums, Grimes signed with the record label 4AD in January 2012. Her third album, Visions, was released in early 2012. This album was a big success for Grimes. NME magazine even put it on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2013.

Visions won the Electronic Album of the Year Award at the Junos. Grimes was also nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. She won the Artist of the Year Award at the 2013 Webbys. The song "Oblivion" was named the best song of 2012 by Pitchfork. A music video for "Oblivion" was also made.

Grimes shared that she had a strict deadline for Visions. She recorded most of the album while staying alone in her Montreal apartment for three weeks. She even spent nine days without sleep or food during this time. She said making the album was "equally enjoyable and torturous." Grimes went on the Visions Tour from 2012 to 2014. In July 2012, she toured with Diplo and Skrillex. In August 2012, Grimes appeared on American television for the first time on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

In April 2013, Grimes wrote about her experiences as a female musician. She felt that her feminist views were sometimes misunderstood. She prefers to produce all her albums herself. She said, "I don't wanna be just like the face of this thing I built, I want to be the one who built it." In December 2013, Grimes started working with Jay-Z's management company, Roc Nation.

New Sounds: 2014–2017 with Art Angels

Grimes performing at the Governors Ball in June 2014

On June 26, 2014, Grimes released a new song called "Go." She produced it with Blood Diamonds. This song was originally written for Rihanna but was not used. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the Best Songs of 2014. In July 2014, Grimes was featured on Bleachers' song "Take Me Away."

On March 8, 2015, Grimes released a video for a demo version of "Realiti." This song was from an album she later decided not to release. Critics loved it. On March 15, 2015, Grimes and Bleachers released "Entropy" for the TV show Girls. In the summer of 2015, Grimes toured with Lana Del Rey. She then went on her own Rhinestone Cowgirls Tour in the fall.

Grimes said her fourth album would be a "surprise" release in October. She mentioned it was recorded with "real instruments," which was different from her earlier music that used mostly synths. On October 26, 2015, Grimes released the first song from the album, "Flesh Without Blood." She also released a music video that included "Life in the Vivid Dream," another song from the album. The album, called Art Angels, was released in November. It received very positive reviews.

Art Angels was named the best album of the year by NME, Exclaim!, and Stereogum. It reached number 1 on the Billboard US Top Alternative Album Chart. Grimes won the 2016 International award at the Socan Annual Awards. She also won the 2016 Harper's Bazaar Musician of the Year Award.

Grimes performing at Lollapalooza in 2016

In spring 2016, Grimes toured Asia and Europe on the Ac!d Reign Tour. She continued touring through summer 2016, playing at music festivals. She also opened for Florence and the Machine on some dates of their tour. Grimes released more music videos for songs from Art Angels, including "Kill V. Maim" and "California." On August 3, 2016, Grimes released the song "Medieval Warfare."

On October 5, 2016, Grimes and her friend Hana released "The Ac!d Reign Chronicles." This was a series of seven music videos. They included songs by Grimes and Hana. These videos were filmed over two weeks while they were touring Europe. They were made with simple production, using only iPhones. In 2016, Grimes helped write Troye Sivan's song Heaven.

On February 2, 2017, Grimes released a futuristic music video for "Venus Fly," starring herself and Janelle Monáe. She won Best Dance Video for "Venus Fly" at the Much Music Video Awards. In 2017, Grimes won a JUNO Award for Video of the Year for "Kill V. Maim." On October 19, 2017, Grimes released a cover of Tegan and Sara’s "Dark Come Soon."

New Music and Collaborations: 2018–2021

In February 2018, Grimes mentioned on Instagram that new music would not be coming out soon. This was due to disagreements with her record label, 4AD. She later shared that she would release two albums. The first would be with 4AD, and the second with a different label. She said the first album would be "highly collaborative" and "glorious light." The second would focus on "pure darkness and chaos."

On April 10, 2018, Grimes was featured on "Pynk," a song by Janelle Monáe. On May 30, 2018, Grimes was featured on "Love4Eva" by Loona yyxy, a K-pop girl group. On June 15, 2018, she appeared in a video for Apple's "Behind the Mac" series. This video showed a preview of a song from her upcoming album. In 2018, Grimes also created the theme music for Netflix's animated series Hilda.

On October 31, 2018, Grimes was featured on "Play Destroy" by Poppy. After the song's release, Poppy said there were disagreements during its creation. Grimes responded, saying she did not want to work with Poppy.

On November 29, 2018, Grimes released the song "We Appreciate Power" featuring Hana. This song was described as industrial rock and nu metal. Grimes performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Grimes also appeared on Bring Me the Horizon's song "Nihilist Blues".

On August 13, 2019, Grimes announced on Instagram that she would release the first song from her upcoming album, Miss Anthropocene, on September 13, 2019. She released the music video for "Violence" on September 5, 2019. On October 25, 2019, an early version of the album was leaked online. On November 15, 2019, she released two versions of the song "So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth." She also performed "4ÆM" at the 2019 Video Game Awards. This introduced her as Lizzy Wizzy, a character she voiced in the game Cyberpunk 2077.

Miss Anthropocene was released on February 21, 2020. On February 12, 2020, she released the song "Delete Forever," which was partly inspired by the death of Lil Peep. On February 27, 2020, Grimes released a music video for "Idoru." On April 1, 2020, Grimes released a music video for "You’ll Miss Me When I’m Not Around." She asked fans to help finish the video, as it only showed her with a green screen. On June 17, 2022, Grimes was featured on Ashnikko's song, "Cry".

Grimes appeared on the Adult Swim show, The Eric Andre Show. Her song "Pynk" with Janelle Monáe was featured on the TV series I May Destroy You. Her song "Oblivion" was also featured on the same series. Grimes worked with Benee on the song "Sheesh" for Benee's album, Hey U X. Her song "Kill V Maim" was in the soundtrack of the 2020 film, Mainstream.

On December 11, 2020, Grimes and other artists released a Cyberpunk 2077-themed DJ mix album. It included two new songs by Grimes, "Samana" and "Delicate Weapon." On December 18, 2020, Grimes changed the cover art for her album Miss Anthropocene on all streaming platforms. The new cover art was a painting she had asked Rupid Leejm to create. On January 1, 2021, Grimes released Miss Anthropocene: Rave Edition. This was a remix album with new versions of her songs by other artists.

Recent Projects: 2021–Present

On March 5, 2021, Grimes signed with Columbia Records. On May 8, Grimes appeared on a Saturday Night Live sketch as Princess Peach. The host, Elon Musk, played Wario. Her song "California" was featured in the animated film The Mitchells vs. the Machines. In June, she appeared in Doja Cat's music video "Need to Know".

Later in June, Grimes started a new Discord server called "Grimes Metaverse Super Beta." She also started a podcast called "Homo Techno" with science communicator Liv Boeree. She used the Discord server to share snippets of new music, like a song called "Shinigami Eyes." Grimes also talked about an upcoming concept album, describing it as a "space opera."

In July 2021, Grimes became a judge on Alter Ego. This is a singing competition where contestants use motion capture to appear as "dream avatars." She also made a small appearance in the short film Discord: The Movie. On September 30, Grimes released a new song called "Love." She recorded it after her separation from Elon Musk. On December 3, Grimes announced her sixth album, Book 1, and released a new song called "Player of Games." In December, Grimes hinted at a collaboration with the Weeknd.

In January 2022, Grimes worked with the video game Rocket League for an event called Neon Nights. The event featured Grimes-themed items and her songs "Shinigami Eyes" and "Player of Games." On January 26, she released "Shinigami Eyes." A week later, on February 3, 2022, Grimes announced her upcoming EP called Fairies Cum First. In April, Grimes was featured on the song "Last Day" by the Russian band IC3PEAK. Grimes was also in the music video for Bella Poarch's "Dolls." Grimes opened for Swedish House Mafia on some dates of their "Paradise Again Tour."

In August 2022, Grimes was on the cover of Vogue Plus China. She talked about her upcoming song with The Weeknd, called "Sci Fi." She also shared more details about her new album and EP. She said all these projects would "merge into one project at the end." In January 2023, Grimes gave an update on her delayed album, Book 1. She said her music career was now a "side quest" and her children, friends, and family were her main focus. On January 31, it was announced that Grimes would be on Caroline Polachek's song "Fly to You."

In April 2023, Grimes invited people to use her voice in AI-generated songs. She said she liked the idea of "killing copyright." On June 8, Grimes released "Welcome to the Opera" with Anyma. On July 28, Grimes released "I Wanna Be Software" with Canadian producer Illangelo. On November 3, Grimes worked with Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza on the song "Nothing Lasts Forever." In December, it was announced that Grimes would work with a toy company to launch an interactive AI toy named "Grok," for which she provided the voice.

In April 2024, Grimes was a DJ at Coachella. Her performance was cut short due to technical problems. Grimes said the issues were because she had outsourced preparation work. On September 20, 2024, Grimes released a remix of "Supernova" by the K-pop group Aespa.

Grimes's Artistic Style

Musical Style

Grimes's music has many different styles. It has been called synth-pop, electropop, art pop, indie pop, dream pop, and experimental pop. It also includes elements of rock, hip hop, R&B, folk, drum and bass, and classical music.

For her fourth album, Art Angels, Grimes learned to play guitar and violin. She said she didn't want to be seen only as a "synth-pop" artist. Rolling Stone described the album as moving from "hazy synth-pop" to a unique "guitars-and-beats sound." Grimes described her fifth album Miss Anthropocene as "mostly ethereal nu metal."

The Guardian newspaper said that Grimes's music sounds a bit like everything you've heard, but overall, it sounds like nothing you've heard before. The Japan Times wrote that her music is "crammed full of hooks" that could fit alongside songs by Rihanna and Taylor Swift. Dazed magazine said she always managed to be "too pop for indie and too indie for pop."

Her lyrics are often mysterious and artistic, not always clear or specific. Grimes is a soprano, meaning she has a high singing voice. The Daily Telegraph described her vocals as "sweet, thin and hazy." She uses looping and layering techniques, especially with her voice. Many of her songs have over fifty different vocal tracks, which creates a dreamy sound.

Her songs often explore themes like science fiction, feminism, and climate change. Her fifth album Miss Anthropocene is a concept album about a goddess of climate change. This goddess is inspired by Roman mythology and villains. Heather Phares of AllMusic described the album as a "brooding embodiment of climate change."

Grimes has called her music "ADD music." She said it changes often and dramatically because she goes through phases a lot. She explained that most music with traditional song structures can be called "pop." But she feels that people often think of "Top 40" music when they say "pop," and she is not from that world. She said that Panda Bear's 2007 album Person Pitch "jumpstarted" her mind. She felt that after listening to it, music suddenly seemed simple and easy to create.

Influences

Grimes's work has been compared to artists like Björk, Julianna Barwick, Siouxsie Sioux, and Enya. She has said she loves British rock bands like Bring Me the Horizon and Foals. Tastemakers Magazine called her an "alien love-child of Aphex Twin and ABBA".

While making her third album, Grimes listened to artists like Aphex Twin, Black Dice, Michael Jackson, New Edition, Outkast, Nine Inch Nails, Burial, TLC, and Mariah Carey. She said she likes "caustic beats" and "really nice vocals with lots of tight harmonies."

Grimes considers Blink-182 an influence. She also sees Blue Hawaii as "a big part of my family in Montreal." Grimes stated that Cocteau Twins were "one of the first bands I was into that was considered alternative." In a tweet, Grimes said her recent influences included Chris Isaak, St. Vincent, and Mindless Self Indulgence. The ideas for her second album, Halfaxa, were inspired by Hildegard von Bingen.

Before releasing her fourth album, Art Angels, Grimes described one of her songs as a glam rock track. It was inspired by David Bowie and Queen. Art Angels was also influenced by Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and The Godfather movies. Early on, Grimes said that listening to the Spice Girls, Marilyn Manson, OutKast, and Skinny Puppy made her want to create pop songs using harsher sounds. Grimes considers Mariah Carey, Dandi Wind, and Beyoncé to be her female pop idols. Some of her other influences include Jedi Mind Tricks, Kenji Kawai, Yoko Kanno, Yayoi Kusama, Geinoh Yamashirogumi, Alicia Keys, Panda Bear, Kate Bush, Al Green, Salem, Marilyn Manson, Trent Reznor, Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paramore, Enya, Joanna Newsom, medieval music, K-pop, and The Legend of Zelda.

Visual Art

Grimes designs the album art for all her albums. She also creates gig fliers, comic book covers, and merchandise. She has held exhibitions to show her artwork. She has said that she "always been a visual artist." Her art is influenced by Japanese anime, manga, and comic artists. Her illustrations have been shown in galleries, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

She created an alternate cover for Image Comics' The Wicked + The Divine. In 2013, she designed a collection of t-shirts for Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent. That year, she also helped organize a two-day event at a gallery in New York City. It included an auction to help the Native Women's Association of Canada. In early 2021, she sold digital art as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for $5.8 million. In May 2022, she announced she was joining the board of Unicorn DAO. This group aims to support art and projects led by women and non-binary artists.

Grimes's Personal Life

Grimes's brother, Mac Boucher, has helped create many of her music videos. These include "Violence," "Go," "Realiti," and "Venus Fly." She and her stepbrother, who raps as Jay Worthy, worked together on the song "Christmas Song."

In 2009, Grimes and a friend tried to travel down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. They built a houseboat for the trip. After some problems, including engine trouble, the houseboat was taken by the city of Minneapolis. Grimes says that some parts of the story were made bigger by newspapers at the time. This adventure has been turned into an animated video.

Grimes has a unique lisp and does not want to change it. Grimes has shared that she is autistic. She said she was previously misdiagnosed with other conditions. She described having motor-skill issues when she tried tests with her children and performed worse than them.

Early in her career, Grimes was often called a feminist musician. In 2015, she said this "genders [her]" in a way she doesn't identify with. She added that she doesn't strongly relate to female gender identity. In 2018, she posted on Twitter that she is "personally put off by the word 'woman'." In 2021, she called herself "female-ish."

Grimes has faced some public disagreements. In 2018, fellow singer Poppy mentioned issues during their collaboration. Grimes responded that she did not want to work with Poppy.

Relationships

From 2007 to 2010, Grimes had an on-and-off relationship with Devon Welsh. He was the lead singer of Majical Cloudz. They met in 2007 at a party at McGill University. From 2012 to 2018, Grimes was in a relationship with musician Jaime Brooks.

In 2018, Grimes began a relationship with businessman Elon Musk. They met after realizing they had both made the same joke on Twitter. In May 2020, Grimes gave birth to their son. They named him "X Æ A-Xii." In 2021, they had a daughter through surrogacy. Grimes said that Go Won of the K-pop group Loossemble is her eldest son's godmother. The couple "semi-separated" in September 2021. In January 2022, Grimes described her relationship with Musk as "very fluid." She called him her "best friend and the love of my life" in March 2022. In September 2023, it was reported they had another son. Later that month, Grimes and Musk had disagreements about their children. In 2025, she distanced herself from Musk after a public event.

As of March 2024, Grimes has been in a relationship with American DJ Matteo Milleri, also known as Anyma.

Grimes's Music Albums

Studio albums

• Geidi Primes (2010)
• Halfaxa (2010)
• Visions (2012)
• Art Angels (2015)
• Miss Anthropocene (2020)

Grimes in Film and TV

Film and television

Video games

Grimes's Tours

Headlining Tours

• Halfaxa Tour (Canada, 2010) {{small|(co-headlined with [[Devon Welsh|Pop Winds])}}
• Darkbloom Tour (North America and Europe, 2011) (supported by Doldrums and Majical Cloudz)
• Visions Tour (World, 2012–2014) (supported by Born Gold, Myths, Elite Gymnastics, Ami Dang)
• Rhinestone Cowgirls Tour (North America, 2015) (supported by Nicole Dollanganger)
• Ac!d Reign Tour (Asia/Europe, 2016) (supported by Hana, Aristophanes, Lupa J)
• March of the Pugs Tour (North America, 2016) (supported by Hana, Tei Shi, Christine and the Queens)

Supporting Tours

• Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes Tour (2011)
• Diplo and Skrillex – Full Flex Express Canadian Train Tour (2012)
• Lana Del Rey – The Endless Summer Tour (2015)
• Florence and the Machine – How Beautiful Tour (2016)
• Swedish House Mafia – Paradise Again Tour (2022)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Grimes (cantante) para niños