Gracie Abrams Tells the Full Story of the Fire at Taylor Swift’s Apartment: ‘We Did Get Burned’
Gracie Abrams is telling the whole story of the songwriting session with Taylor Swift. It ended with “Us.” and a kitchen fire.
In an exclusive clip from an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music releasing at 1 p.m. EST on Monday, the “Block Me Out” singer, 24, admitted that the duo “drank a lot of alcohol” at dinner in New York City the night of the accident, which she documented on video and shared to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
They were talking about their upcoming projects. Abrams was working on “The Secret of Us,” released on June 21. Swift was working on “The Tortured Poets Department,” released in late April. They decided to go back to Swift’s apartment to play songs for each other.
“We opened a bottle of wine and we went song for song in the kitchen,” Abrams recalled of the night. She added that they were “being theater kids.” They ran around the center island in the room and performed for each other.
Amid their antics, they began listening to “sketches” of songs that producer Aaron Dessner sent them. They heard the beginning guitar strings for their song “Us,” which appears on Abrams’ latest release and features Swift, 34.
The singer-songwriters were so inspired they immediately began writing the song.
In the middle of their wine-fueled writing session, which occurred between 2 and 6 a.m., Abrams told Lowe, 50, that she heard a “crack” from the kitchen. Swift said it was probably one of her cats.
However, when they eventually made it back to the kitchen, the “Risk” singer said there was “a bonfire on her center island…truly a huge ball of flame.”
Abrams had given Swift a candle that they’d lit and forgotten about in all of their excitement.
“It was so hot that it burst,” Abrams said, of the candle with a “tree trunk” base. “And it was on fire.”
Swift knew where she kept a fire extinguisher in her home and Abrams had been recording the process of writing “Us.” So, naturally, she took out her phone and started recording the “Fortnight” singer extinguishing the flames.
Abrams said that while she and Swift weren’t seriously injured, they had coughs “for weeks” after the fire. They also had minor burns from the wax.
“But ‘Us.’ came from that night, so that was a really good night,” Abrams said toward the end of her story.
She opened up for Swift last summer on the North American leg of the Eras Tour, which Swift is currently performing in Europe. Abrams joined her onstage to perform “Us.” during the surprise song portion on Sunday in London.
Abrams’ interview with Lowe will be available Monday at 1 p.m. on Apple Music 1.
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