New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Mckenna Grace's "Haunted House" is out now on Photo Finish Records. The 15 year old's impressive debut single comes timed to the theatrical release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife - in which she stars as a whip smart young ghostbuster in what critics have already called a 'revelatory, star-making performance.' "Haunted House", while not initially written or recorded for the film, is so powerfully affecting that when Ghostbusters' director Jason Reitman heard it he immediately asked to use it for the movie's closing credits. Says Mckenna of her first released track, "Over the pandemic I went through a rough time in my personal life, and I wanted to write a song about how even after someone's not in your life anymore, their memory never really leaves you. You could take it as a breakup song, but it could also be about a friend or a family member or any kind of relationship that's ended."
Today's release is accompanied by an enthralling, cinematic video - conceived by Mckenna and co-directed with
Danny Corey - filmed in an (allegedly!) haunted house in Southern California over Halloween weekend.
Mckenna Grace's star has been ascending for some time with a string of impressive performances in film and television roles, including an Emmy nomination for her work in The Handmaid's Tale earlier this year as well as the lead role in Gifted with Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer, a young
Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, and the thirteen year old Carol Danvers in
Captain Marvel. Behind the scenes, Mckenna has been nurturing her passion for songwriting. Since teaching herself ukulele at the age of 11 she has spent much of her time, on set and off, writing music. During the pandemic, Mckenna immersed herself in songwriting to cope with the isolation of lockdown, teasing out songs piano and guitar. As she generated more and more material, Mckenna also began collaborating with co-writers, constantly sharpening her process to create songs both intensely specific and undeniably resonant. Once the world opened back up, and her acting resumed, she used every moment of free time on set to work on her music, eventually inking a deal with Photo Finish Records in 2020.
"Haunted House" was written by Mckenna on her living room floor with co-writer Lily Kincade. Mckenna's debut batch of songs match the raw outpouring of bedroom pop with a fantastically unpredictable sound sparked from her highly refined and uncompromising vision. For "Haunted House," she worked with producer/3OH!3 member
Nathaniel Motte to infuse the track with a gorgeous collision of sonic elements: otherworldly textures, soul-stirring piano melodies, a wildly jarring drop at the chorus. As debuts go, this is a stunning arrival of a phenomenal young talent. Watch this space.
