April Grey, recording as Underscores, challenges the notion that Gen Z is emotionally detached while navigating her breakthrough year, featuring a major tour supporting Charli xcx and the release of her third album, U.
The San Francisco-born, Chicago-based musician has experienced a dizzying 2026, bouncing between arena stages and emergency wisdom tooth surgery. Her third album, U, dropped in March to acclaim, building on the underground success of her 2021 debut Fishmonger and 2023’s Wallsocket. Following upgraded headline dates earlier this year, Grey is currently sharing the stage with Charli xcx on her Music, Fashion, Film tour, forcing the producer to rapidly adapt her show for arenas.
The Breakthrough Year for April Grey
- The Album: Released her third record, U, in March 2026, pivoting toward a taut, highly focused pop sound.
- The Live Circuit: Upgraded headline venues earlier this year before joining Charli xcx on her major arena tour.
- The Next Step: Kicking off a headline UK and Ireland tour, 9 to 16 November; tour starts Dublin.
Scaling Up from Silicon Valley Roots to Arena Stages
Growing up amid the San Francisco tech boom with a musician father and a mother who sells jewellery, Grey found her calling early after discovering the American dubstep producer Skrillex when she was about 12. Skipping the traditional social rites of high school for a solitary obsession with music production, she immersed herself in the mid-2010s Bay Area future bass scene. Those formative years eventually led to the release of Fishmonger, establishing her as a critical darling before Wallsocket expanded her scope into a sprawling rock-adjacent concept album.
Reflecting on that earlier reception, Grey admitted feeling misunderstood. “I was almost embarrassed that I had accidentally made a rock opera or something – I’m not a theatre kid, I’m a jazz band kid,” she said with a laugh. That realization spurred her to try her hand at a pop record for U, resulting in a taut, compulsively listenable pop record that sounds like a mid-2000s Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation as recreated by Aphex Twin.
| Release Year | Album Title | Style and Reception |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Fishmonger | Brazenly avant-garde electronic music that turned her into an underground critical darling. |
| 2023 | Wallsocket | A sprawling, rock-adjacent concept album about three young women coming of age. |
| 2026 | U | A taut, laser-focused pop record featuring nine love songs. |
Reframing Intimacy and Generational Love
On her latest LP, Grey tried to write nine love songs, a departure for an artist who previously struggled with showing affection and intimacy. Yet she pushes back against broader cultural narratives painting her demographic as detached. “I don’t think Gen Z is a loveless generation,” she noted. “I feel like there’s a lot of love to be had. Maybe we’re having less sex because it’s scary or something. That might be true.”
That personal evolution mirrors her rising industry status. Meeting her childhood hero Skrillex at a dinner recently signaled a shift in her career tier, prompting her to realize she cannot be shy anymore. Sharing the road with Charli xcx has provided a look at a different side of celebrity and pop stardom. As she prepares to headline a run of UK and Ireland dates starting in Dublin on November 9, Grey remains unfazed by the sudden acceleration of her career. “If I think about it too long, it starts to make less and less sense,” she observed. “But I gotta be ready for anything.”
