Harper Grace is in her feels, and she’s not afraid to admit it. The 24-year-old Texas native has made a name for herself by turning her life’s rawest moments into music, and her brand new single, “Under My Skin” (out now via Curb Records), proves she’s more ready than ever to bare her soul.
With a smoky vocal delivery that commands attention, Harper leans into the tension of a love that simultaneously drives her wild and keeps her hooked. “It’s a song about relationships and really loving somebody to the core that they like bother you, but you wouldn’t want anyone else to bother you other than that person for the rest of your life,” she tells Celeb Secrets on a hot summer day in New York City back in July. “It’s an interesting point of view, but when I turned it into my label, they freaked out and loved it. They thought it needed to be put out as soon as possible.”
The track — co-written with Michael Paynter, Michael De Lorenzis, and Zarni Devette — blends old-school country instrumentation with modern soul, perfectly mirroring Harper’s own musical DNA. She describes it as a balance of grit and gospel, pulling from her earliest influences. “I grew up singing in a gospel choir at church, and I was obsessed with artists like Joss Stone, Norah Jones, and Christina Aguilera,” she says. “But I also grew up on Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Cline thanks to my grandma. So with this song, you hear both: the soulful side of me and the country girl I’ll always be.”
If Harper Grace’s name sounds familiar, it’s because her story is one of the most infamous redemption arcs in country music. At just 11 years old, she made headlines for all the wrong reasons after a shaky national anthem performance went viral. The internet was merciless. But Harper, even as a child, refused to let the criticism define her. Seven years later, she walked back into the same stadium, stood in front of the same crowd, and nailed the song — reminding the world that the bullies don’t win.
That resilience has followed her into her career today. After signing with Curb Records, she’s stacked a string of collaborations, including her duet “Freedom” with Kelsey Hart (which recently cracked the Top 25 at Hot AC) and “Live Lonely” with Mason Ramsey. But it was her March 2025 release “IDK” — a haunting country duet with Franklin Jonas — that set social media on fire.
View this post on Instagram
The two rising artists met in Vegas through a Jonas family connection and bonded instantly over their shared love of storytelling. “We wanted to just kind of talk about our personal lives with dating and relationships and being in our twenties,” Harper recalls of writing “IDK.” “This idea of building these two characters, talking about the push and pull of love and just the unknown of relationships — that’s really where ‘IDK’ came about.”
Fans connected instantly with its honest lyrics and vulnerable delivery. “I think ‘IDK’ is just this honesty about nowadays relationships. I hope that people feel seen and understand that they’re not alone when they think love is hard or finding the one is hard,” Harper says.
The song got its biggest spotlight yet this past July when Harper and Franklin took their friendship and chemistry to the TODAY Show stage. “It was super exciting to be able to do it with such a close friend and somebody that I truly admire and think is so talented,” Harper gushes. “We got to sing the whole song and talk to all the hosts — it was just surreal. It was awesome.”
For Harper, the performance wasn’t just another gig — it was proof that the young girl who once struggled through the national anthem had blossomed into a confident artist who could hold her own on one of the biggest morning shows in the country.
Now, with “Under My Skin” in the world, Harper is setting the stage for what she calls her “truest chapter yet.” The single is a precursor to her debut album, slated for sometime in 2026, which she promises will be packed with stories from her childhood, nods to her Nana, and even a self-penned ballad she wrote alone in her closet (her favorite writing spot). “I love to sit in my closet and write. It’s my safe space,” she admits with a laugh.
And yes, Nana is getting her moment in the spotlight too. Harper reveals that she’ll appear in the music video for Harper’s rendition of “Tennessee Waltz,” a song that’s deeply personal to their family. “There’s a little feature at the end of the song that I’m so excited to show her,” Harper shares. “She’s been one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with music.”
Even as her career continues to accelerate, Harper is keeping her eyes on the goals she’s been dreaming of since she was little: performing on the Grand Ole Opry, doing late-night shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Kelly Clarkson Show, and — dream big moment — landing a spot on SNL. “I grew up acting and have always wanted to do that,” she says. “So that would be a dream come true.”
But until then, she’s focused on giving fans music that feels as honest as a conversation with a best friend. “Relationships are hard, but you’re not alone in figuring it out. That’s the conversation I want to keep having.”
With “Under My Skin” out now, a debut album on the horizon, and a redemption story that continues to inspire, Harper Grace is proving that the best way to deal with heartbreak, criticism, and doubt is simple: turn it into art and let the music speak for itself.
You can watch the music video for “Under My Skin” below and don’t forget to let us know what you think of the song by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecretscountry.
