Grimes is famous for many things, not least of which is her unusual relationship with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. But the 34-year-old has been a musician for over a decade and is known for pushing boundaries and making challenging music.
Grimes recently released a single, “Shinigami Eyes,” from her forthcoming studio album, Book 1. It has an unexpectedly dark inspiration.
The story behind Grimes’ ‘Shinigami Eyes’
Describing Grimes’ work isn’t a simple task, and “Shinigami Eyes” is no exception. The Vancouver native describes the feel of the song as “fairycore,” according to Vanity Fair. But what’s even more unusual about the tune is the show that inspired it.
Grimes is a big fan of anime. One Japanese TV series in particular provided material for her new single. Originally a 2003 manga series, Death Note ran from 2006 to 2007. The dark show is about a teen who finds a notebook that belongs to a God of Death. It gives him the power to decide when and how someone will die, simply by writing it down in the notebook.
If you find the premise of Death Note as compelling as Grimes does, you can catch it on Netflix, Peacock, Tubi, and more.
‘Book 1’ is an expansive project for Grimes
“Shinigami Eyes” is just one of approximately 15 songs on Grimes’ forthcoming album, Book 1. The Candian singer/songwriter calls her sixth album a “space opera.” Grimes set it in the future, where people are able to upload their consciousness into a robot and live forever.
The album is partially inspired by an idea Musk had about their relationship. He wondered if she was created — a ” synthesized companion” — to be his perfect match.
“The degree to which I feel engineered to have been this, like, perfect companion is crazy,” the mother of two told Vanity Fair. “Even just studying astrophysics and neuroscience.”
The album also has references to many powerful women in history, both mythological and real. They include Athena, Calypso, Persephone, Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette, and countless unnamed courtesans, geishas, and concubines.
“These weren’t just hot girls,” she said. “They were the smartest girls, some of the most educated women of their time.”
Claire Boucher, aka ‘Grimes,’ rises to fame
Claire Elise Boucher, professionally known as Grimes, has walked an unusual path as an artist since the beginning of her career. According to Vulture, she’s surprised both fans and critics ever since she began producing music in 2010. Grimes’ big breakthrough album was Visions, which she released 2012.
Her musical style is hard to pin down. It carries traces of genres as broad as hip-hop and synth-pop. Grimes is a prolific artist, and her fans find it annoying that so much of the media attention she receives focuses on her relationship with Musk.
“It killed me at first,” she agrees. “I spent 10 years f***ing producing, writing, engineering, every single f***ing thing on my own. And I f***ing proved myself.”
At the same time, she and Musk continue to draw attention due to their unusual life choices. They don’t live together anymore. Many media sources reported that they broke up. However, they’re still in a relationship of some kind, an arrangement Musk calls “semi-separated” and Grimes describes as “our own thing.”
The pair also recently had a daughter, whose existence was kept a secret until after her birth. Her name is Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, but they call her Y. She joins her brother, originally named X Æ A-12, who they refer to as X.
Any fan of Grimes knows to expect the unexpected. With “Shinigami Eyes” and the promise of an innovative forthcoming album, she continues to surpass expectations.
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