Wrabel has partnered with longtime songwriting partner and collaborator Kesha on “since i was young”, premiered on Beats 1 as Zane Lowe’s World First. A jubilant pop celebration of perseverance that will carry the spirit of PRIDE month throughout the rest of the summer, “since i was young” pairs the powerhouse vocalists together for a cathartic ride from childhood into adulthood.
Written by Wrabel and Kesha with Stint (and released via Wrabel’s Big Gay Records), the lyrics of “since i was young” explore topics of sobriety, identity, self-love, and gratitude — a wise reflection on appreciating the journeys we all take in our lives that have led us to where we are (and who we are) today. It is the second track to come off of Wrabel’s forthcoming debut LP, following “hurts like hell”, a devastating ballad that the singer/songwriter performed on NBC’s TODAY back in February.
“Writing this song really was a dream come true — with two of my best friends, Kesha and Stint,” said Wrabel about the track. “It was our first day all together and I’d been messing around with the idea at home on my toy piano. I sent Stint a voice note of it and by the time we got to the studio, he had almost a full-on track built up that was so inspiring and powerful. The lyrics kind of just fell from the sky.”
Of his ongoing creative partnership with Kesha, Wrabel said “Kesha is like a sister to me. She’s changed my life and changed the way I want to create and showed me what it means to be an artist and what it means to celebrate life, for all of its ups and downs and all-arounds. This song was basically just a conversation on that. It’s rare to get to work with someone that’s seen you as so many things and in so many phases. From drunk and sad, to sober and still sad, to sober and in-love and happy. I cherish the day we started this song and I am so proud to share it.”
Wrabel’s “knife-to-the-heart” (Idolator) songwriting has led to him becoming “one of Hollywood’s finest songwriters for a decade” (American Songwriter), with collaborations/co-writing partnerships not only with Kesha, but also with the likes of P!nk, Louis Tomlinson, Backstreet Boys, Louis the Child, Wafia, Cash Cash, and more. His forthcoming debut LP (release date/title TBA) will continue his journey as a celebrated artist in his own right, following the release of his stripped, heart-on-his-sleeve ‘piano’ collection this past Spring and 2019’s ‘one of those happy people’ EP which had Billboard saying that Wrabel is “ready for his breakthrough”.
“since i was young” also follows the release of Kesha’s latest album ‘High Road‘ (this past January via Kemosabe/RCA Records), which was called a body of work “wise and wild in equal measure” (Billboard), that “electrifies from the inside out” (American Songwriter) and “strikes a believable balance between vulnerability and the bluster she made her name on” (Stereogum).