grimes/InstagramCanadian musician and producer Grimes has opened up about getting into some ‘f*cked-up situations’ as a teenager, before stating that she had ‘never killed anyone’.
Grimes – real name Claire Boucher – has hinted at some of the difficulties she experienced during her years at a strict Catholic school, admitting she wound up getting ‘in an insane amount of trouble’.
The 31-year-old singer, who is expecting her first child with partner Elon Musk, went on to liken this darker period in her life to Thirteen, a 2003 movie about a 13-year-old girl who gets drawn into a world of sex, drugs, and crime by a rebellious friend.
Speaking about her youth with Rolling Stone, Grimes said:
I was super-depressed, which is hilarious. I was so ballistic when I think about it now. I don’t even know. I was into cutting myself, but not because I was sad, but because I liked how it looked to have nice shapes cut into my skin.
I was so crazy. I’m worried about having a kid, because I’m so worried that my kid will be as crazy as me. I basically just didn’t think I would ever die. I’d drive on the highway with the lights off on the car and stuff. I was like, ‘This is cool,’ like, ‘Ha ha’.
Her brother, Mac Boucher, was also present during the interview, and told Rolling Stone how he had been shocked by her gothic style at this time, with Grimes and her pals sporting, ‘bleached hair, piercings, homemade trench coats with Sharpie all over them, and my mom’s making them all cookies’.
However, things apparently got darker from there, with Grimes – who reportedly goes by ‘c’ in her personal life – saying:
I just got in an insane amount of trouble, and in some very fucked-up situations and very traumatizing situations, and a lot of my close friends from that time actually ended up dying.
Grimes reportedly then went on to allude to having broken the law during this period, but didn’t go into any further detail as she didn’t want to upset her parents, risk her green-card status or cast a ‘bad reflection’ on her billionaire boyfriend, Elon Musk.
However, she did confirm she hadn’t gone as far as to commit murder, stating ‘I never killed anyone’.
Grimes’ fifth studio album Miss Anthropocene was released on February 21, 2020.
If you’re experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They’re open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.