--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always struggled going against the…" description: "\"I always struggled going against the grain of how pop music should be structured and the seriousness with which people approach writing sessions in Los..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg" --- # I always struggled going against the grain of how pop… ![“I always struggled going against the grain of how pop music should be structured and the seriousness with which people approach writing sessions in Los Angeles.” quote by Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg) > “I always struggled going against the grain of how pop music should be structured and the seriousness with which people approach writing sessions in Los Angeles.” [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She feels tension between pop conventions and serious songwriting in LA. **In simple terms:** She wrestles with pop norms and serious writing in LA. Key Takeaway Embrace your unique style. Themes creativity music industry authenticity Mood reflective determined Type personal artistic When to use this quote - songwriting sessions - studio work - creative collaborations Key Concepts pop structure artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you define seriousness in pop? - What risks are worth taking? A Different Perspective Balancing commercial appeal with artistic depth is hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Los angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/los-angeles/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pop music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Pop music is so structured, and I'm excited to try and challenge that in my own work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/pop-music-is-so-structured-and-i-m-excited-to-try-and-challenge-that/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I think I approach all of my writing in the same way. I mean, it's my job, and I'm committed to it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-cooper/i-think-i-approach-all-of-my-writing-in-the-same-way-i-mean-it-s-my/) [T Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-cooper/) > [My general approach to writing fiction is that you try to have as few conceptual notions as possible and you just respond to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/my-general-approach-to-writing-fiction-is-that-you-try-to-have-as-few/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“As with most things, my approach to writing has been entirely ass-backwards. I first had to become everything but a writer -- exhaust all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-r-bufogle/as-with-most-things-my-approach-to-writing-has-been-entirely-ass/) [Quentin R. Bufogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-r-bufogle/) > [My approach to writing and recording now is pretty much the same as when I started. Except now I worry even less about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckeown/my-approach-to-writing-and-recording-now-is-pretty-much-the-same-as/) [Erin McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckeown/) > [My approach to writing is, it's either going to be a personal story about me and what I've personally been through, or it's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giveon/my-approach-to-writing-is-it-s-either-going-to-be-a-personal-story/) [Giveon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giveon/) > [I don't approach my writing or my work from an academic or analytical point of view. I do it for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-don-t-approach-my-writing-or-my-work-from-an-academic-or-analytical/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) > [I think of it as the lasagna approach to writing because I'm always adding layers. I'll sometimes do it layer by layer, with dialogue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-think-of-it-as-the-lasagna-approach-to-writing-because-i-m-always/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [At the end, I cobbled scenes all together and smoothed out the transitions as much as possible. Incidentally, I would not recommend this approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-campbell/at-the-end-i-cobbled-scenes-all-together-and-smoothed-out-the/) [Liza Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-campbell/) > [There are two ways to approach the writing of a mystery novel: adhere to the rules, or break them with glee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/there-are-two-ways-to-approach-the-writing-of-a-mystery-novel-adhere/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [When I'm editing my work, I'm looking for everything to fit, to feel seamless, for every detail or line of dialogue or scene to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/when-i-m-editing-my-work-i-m-looking-for-everything-to-fit-to-feel/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [You've got to be a good reader. So whatever genre that you're interested in, read a lot of books about it and it's better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/you-ve-got-to-be-a-good-reader-so-whatever-genre-that-you-re/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [I wanted to be the girl that talks about getting a guy. I felt like that was a different approach to writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsea-ballerini/i-wanted-to-be-the-girl-that-talks-about-getting-a-guy-i-felt-like/) [Kelsea Ballerini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsea-ballerini/) > [A good book is a good book, and there are a lot of different ways to approach writing or reading one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/a-good-book-is-a-good-book-and-there-are-a-lot-of-different-ways-to/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [I struggled and I did theater for 10 years, for 15 years, I tried to get little parts here and there in TV shows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tupper/i-struggled-and-i-did-theater-for-10-years-for-15-years-i-tried-to/) [James Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tupper/) ## More by Gracie Abrams > [I don't know what successful journaling really looks like... I think it really does look so different for everyone who does it, I'm always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-know-what-successful-journaling-really-looks-like-i-think-it/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I love Muji pens. They feel good to hold, and they're my favorite pens to journal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-love-muji-pens-they-feel-good-to-hold-and-they-re-my-favorite-pens/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I really love being comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-really-love-being-comfortable/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I grew up in L.A. and started recording here first and it felt very different than when I went to Long Pond for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-grew-up-in-l-a-and-started-recording-here-first-and-it-felt-very/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I don't feel like I have the greatest memory, so finding selfish motivations for writing things down helps... I'm like, it would be really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-the-greatest-memory-so-finding-selfish/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [Heartache stings in a specific way and even when you move on or think back fondly and become wiser from it, it never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/heartache-stings-in-a-specific-way-and-even-when-you-move-on-or-think/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I feel like I've always been writing in isolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-feel-like-i-ve-always-been-writing-in-isolation/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [There's something about the scale of what Taylor has done that is unlike anything I've ever felt or known in my entire life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/there-s-something-about-the-scale-of-what-taylor-has-done-that-is/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [This Is What It Feels Like' came together in lots of fragments and pieces over different periods of time. It was scattered in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/this-is-what-it-feels-like-came-together-in-lots-of-fragments-and/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I love when a song is so specific that there's not much room for interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-love-when-a-song-is-so-specific-that-there-s-not-much-room-for/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [Being outspoken has always been one of the more important aspects of growing up with my parents. Whether it's art or politics you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/being-outspoken-has-always-been-one-of-the-more-important-aspects-of/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I'm fascinated by human behaviour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-m-fascinated-by-human-behaviour/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [My priority is being able to move and breathe the most freely on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/my-priority-is-being-able-to-move-and-breathe-the-most-freely-on-stage/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [The Internet is a funny place to call anyone names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/the-internet-is-a-funny-place-to-call-anyone-names/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [I don't read my DMs often because it breaks my brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-read-my-dms-often-because-it-breaks-my-brain/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) [Explore all 100 Gracie Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) ## More How quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [I was very lucky to get well known much later in life. You need to have flopped quite a few times to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-was-very-lucky-to-get-well-known-much-later-in-life-you-need-to/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [This is how McGregor is, waging mental warfare before the fights. There's no way that guy is going to get in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/this-is-how-mcgregor-is-waging-mental-warfare-before-the-fights-there/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [I think everyone will agree that it doesn't matter how we get to an international tournament. We are going to do whatever it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcginn/i-think-everyone-will-agree-that-it-doesn-t-matter-how-we-get-to-an/) [John McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcginn/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [Pitchers pitch differently. Hitters, hardly anyone has the same stance. That's just how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/pitchers-pitch-differently-hitters-hardly-anyone-has-the-same-stance/) [Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/) > [Everything affects hip-hop. The question is, how does it affect the money that corporations are going to invest to put out different kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/everything-affects-hip-hop-the-question-is-how-does-it-affect-the/) [will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I've never had a couch that needed to be cleaned or learned how to couch-clean in general. That feels too grown-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-ve-never-had-a-couch-that-needed-to-be-cleaned-or-learned-how-to/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) Browse all 14,172 How quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always struggled going against the grain of how pop music should be structured and the seriousness with which people approach writing sessions in Los Angeles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gracie Abrams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-always-struggled-going-against-the-grain-of-how-pop-music-should-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "How" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-always-struggled-going-against-the-grain-of-how-pop-music-should-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/gracie-abrams-5738_how_i-always-struggled-going-against-the-gra_818761.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always struggled going against the grain of how pop music should be structured and the seriousness with…” — Gracie Abrams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gracie Abrams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always struggled going against the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-always-struggled-going-against-the-grain-of-how-pop-music-should-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-always-struggled-going-against-the-grain-of-how-pop-music-should-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```