GRACE CUMMINGS

Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings’ latest album, Ramona, is a work of raw truth rendered in its finest form. Moving away from the self-produced approach of her 2019 debut Refuge Cove and 2022 follow-up Storm Queen, the Melbourne-based artist has worked with producer Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Margo Price) and crafted a sumptuously orchestrated sound that perfectly suits the depth and breadth of her vocal prowess. With her visceral reflections on grief, self-destruction and emotional violence, Ramona brings stunning new grandeur to Cummings’ music, while refusing to soften or temper its humanity.

“In the past, I’ve wondered whether I was being too emotional or overdoing it, but this time I decided not to filter any of that,” says Cummings. “My only intention was to be myself – that is, to be extremely vulnerable in my writing and vocal performance – without having to go back and correct myself afterwards.This allowed me to reaffirm that the only way to offer the world something it doesn’t already have is to be completely yourself.”