Gracie Abrams Finally Drops Long-Awaited Song 'Close to You': 'I'm Really Grateful for the Encouragement'

After fans begged for seven years, the track will be included on Abrams' forthcoming album 'The Secret of Us'

Gracie Abrams fans have finally gotten their wish!

On Friday, June 7, the 24-year-old singer finally released “Close to You” after first teasing the song when she was only 16. In an Instagram post announcing the release date, Abrams previously said that, though she had penned the song so long ago, the fans “cared about it enough for us to revisit the song seven years later.”

Once the song was released, Abrams shared another message in her Instagram Stories, writing, "hiiiii Close To Youuuuuu hi after seven years hellooooooo :)."

"After seven years of sitting with the 'Close to You' demo, it finally felt right to rework and include on this album," Abrams said in a press release. "I'm really grateful for the encouragement from everyone online who let me know they still want to hear the song after all this time — it makes me want to dance with them, and I can’t wait till we get to do that."

Fans also celebrated the song's official release after waiting for so long. "Real ones have known this gem for years," one fan wrote in the video's comment section on YouTube. "This one is for the girls that have been waiting 7 years for this moment," another wrote. "WAITED YEARS FOR THIS FINALLY," one added.

Fans first fell in love with the track when Abrams posted a clip playing the song on the piano to her Instagram in 2017, and again when she posted a snippet of a demo of the song in 2018.

As followers of the “Risk” singer clamored for the song’s release — one even started an online petition — Abrams gave them new hope at a concert in 2022.

“I definitely love it, but the album I’m working on right now doesn’t sound like ‘Close to You,’ ” Abrams told fans at the performance, seen in a clip posted to TikTok. “Maybe we find a one-off situation where we can get it out there.”

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In the years since, excitement has only grown: A TikTok audio from 2023 of the “Close to You” demo has racked up over 40,000 videos, many begging Abrams, the daughter of Star Wars director J.J. Abrams, to release the song.

On May 9, Abrams finally gave in to fans, announcing that the track would be released on vinyl. Several days later, the song was listed as a “P.S.” track on the tracklist of her forthcoming sophomore album The Secret of Us.

To promote her new album, Abrams is set to head on tour across the United States, bringing with her singer-songwriter Role Model as an opener. She’ll also rejoin Taylor Swift for another North American leg of the “Eras Tour” in October after she opened for the superstar throughout the spring and summer of 2023.

Abrams made additional headlines in May when the tracklist for The Secret of Us, set to be released on June 21, included a forthcoming collaboration with Swift — on the fifth track, “us.”

Related: Gracie Abrams Says She 'Blacked Out' While Singing with Taylor Swift on Eras Tour: 'Crazy Dream'

“all i can tell you for now is that some of the most fun i’ve ever had in my whole entire life was writing this song together,” Abrams wrote of the collaboration on X, formerly Twitter, when the tracklist was released. “i am currently smiling and sweating thinking about it and i’ll never get over the shock of seeing this one on the tracklist. you know how i feel.”

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