13-year-old singer/songwriter releases first song

Thirteen-year-old Maggie Grace has released her first single with the help of Goderich’s growing music production scene. Scott Miller with the story.

Maggie Grace has a very simple reason for singing.

“I really like music because it’s fun to do, and it makes people happy,” said the Grade 8 student from Goderich.

Grace, who is just 13 years old, has turned her love of music and her family’s musical connections into her first single and music video, titled ‘I Don’t Know.’

“The song is really about, as kids, not knowing all the answers to life. And it’s okay to not know,” she said.

‘I Don’t Know’ has some very local, and very international, roots. Grace produced and recorded the single just north of Goderich at Beach Road Studios, with Juno Award winning music producer and sound engineer Siegfried Meier, but the song was written with the help of family friend, Danish pop star Tim Schou, who said the 13-year-old Grace has a special skill for songwriting at such a young age.

“It feels like she’s got this invisible friend. You know how kids will have their invisible friends over to dinner or whatever? That’s her songwriting in her songs for her. You know, maybe that’s our next song. Invisible friend,” said Schou, from his home in Denmark, where he just finished runner-up in Eurovision DK.

Meier, who opened Beach Road Studios north of Goderich 20 years ago and has worked with everyone from DMX to David Wilcox, believes Grace has what it takes to make it in the uber competitive music industry.

“She’s up there with the best, I would say. Fantastic vocal tone, character, great pitch, great timing, great delivery. Of course, it helps to have the production team she has behind her to sort of nurture her, but you got to have that talent to begin with. So yeah, I can definitely see her continuing on,” said Meier.

Vocal coach Harley Olivia is also a big fan.

“To find someone who’s so young and actually follows through and not only writes the song with music, but also goes to the studio, produces it, and has a listening party, and then keeps that ball rolling. That’s amazing. And at 13, like, imagine what’s going to happen in the future,” said Olivia, who is a Huron County-based recording artist.

Grace’s parents say they saw a gift for music early on, growing up in Goderich.

“Like, she’s not one who hears music. She feels music. So I can remember her as a little girl going up to the markets on Saturdays, and she would look for the fiddle player because she wanted to dance,” said her mom Anne Hamilton.

“It’s really just what Maggie has really grown up enjoying and loving. So, you know, 100 per cent behind her. Encourage her to follow her dreams with whatever she wants to do,” said her dad Brendan Couture.

Grace doesn’t know what the future holds for her, but is happy to have ‘I Don’t Know’ out in the world, and even more happy that she made it all happen 15 minutes from her front door.

“I think it’s very cool, because knowing a lot of connections can be very cool,” said Grace.

You can follow Maggie Grace and her musical journey at Facebook and Instagram.