The Debut

"Just like a song, to know the ending, you gotta let it play." —Gracie, "Over Thinking (Trust Me)"

I don't know the ending of Gracie's singing/songwriting story, but I know the beginning, and I know she reached a milestone a couple weeks ago: her debut performance—her first live show.

Gracie has been writing music since she was around eight years old. When we moved to Mozambique three and a half years ago, she found herself with a lot of free time (probably much more than she'd have had in the States), and she became prolific. One of her first songs there was about how she missed her friends and family in the States and other missionary kids she'd met who were other places in the world ("In My Heart"). Then she wrote a song about celebrating Christmas in a place far from home that feels so different from what she was used to ("A Real Christmas"). She wrote and recorded, and we wanted her to be able to share her songs with a wider audience, so Harvey helped her start a YouTube channel.

Now almost two years later, she has around 40 videos (most of which are original songs), more than 200 subscribers, and almost 9,000 views. While Gracie had performed live in churches and in a local restaurant in Pemba, Mozambique, she had never done her own live show. So when we arrived back in Oklahoma a few months ago, Harvey (Gracie's agent/manager/stage dad) stopped by a local coffee shop, Serve Coffee and Community, and asked about the possibility of a live show for Gracie. The manager, Kendra, said they welcome local performers and would love to have Gracie. So we settled on a date, and Gracie had her first gig: Friday, August 20, 2021, at 7 p.m.

The preparations began. Gracie and Harvey put together a set list, a mix of her original songs and a few covers. Gracie and Harvey practiced. On some songs she played ukulele, some guitar; on others Harvey played guitar for her. Gracie was excited and nervous, often wondering aloud whether anyone would come, whether anyone would care about it. We assured her that many family and friends would come out to support and cheer her on.

And they did. The night of the show, the room was full—full of family, friends, and church, young and old, all Gracie's fans. Some we had never even met in person; they had only seen Gracie online. Our pastor's whole family (six grown kids and their spouses and kids) were in town and all came to watch and fellowship. The coffee was delicious (toasted marshmallow latte, anyone?), the music compelling, and the atmosphere warm and happy. Gracie was nearly flawless and the night really could not have gone better.

Of course we are proud parents and completely biased when it comes to our kids' talents. But we are repeatedly amazed by the creativity and depth of Gracie's lyrics (especially coming from someone her age) and the catchiness of her tunes. We feel honored and privileged to be a part of her musical journey and watch (and hear) her bloom and grow.

Gracie won't have another debut. But we hope that this won't be her last show, only the first of many. And we hope that she will inspire others to follow in her footsteps of working hard, taking risks, and trusting God with the results:

"If there's a shot, I'll take it. 'Cause maybe if I shoot I'll make it." —Gracie, "Nothing to Lose"

Link to a video of part of the second set here.