Conan Gray, a 26-year-old American-born singer songwriter has spent the last 7 years writing songs in his bedroom. Despite the underwhelming set up, he has released one full EP and four studio albums. His latest one being, “Wishbone”, released on Aug. 15.
Although his first album came out only five years ago, he has quickly earned his spot in the music industry. Many of his popular songs like, “Heather”, “Astronomy”, and “People Watching”, hold a special place in many hearts around the world, especially those of teenagers and young adults. Gray is known for making strong emotional music with lyrics that are easy to relate to.
The day the album “Wishbone” was released, Gray performed a few of his songs on the “Today Show,” and spoke with host, Savannah Guthrie. “I hope that they find some comfort in it, and know that they’re not alone in their emotions” Gray states, when asked about the one thing he wanted fans to take away from “Wishbone”. I most definitely did, considering this is my favorite album Gray has ever released.
The first song I heard was “Vodka Cranberry”, one of the three singles released before the album. With easy lyrics and a catchy chorus, it seems like a really happy song. Although, when I looked a little deeper into the lyrics I realized that this song wasn’t really happy at all. Gray uses fun uplifting beats and pairs it with the most gut-wrenching lyrics. He does this often with his songs. Including other songs on the album such as, “Caramel”, “Eleven Eleven”, “Class Clown” and “Romeo”.
“Class Clown” is a song that I hold particularly close to my heart. Gray addresses his experiences in school and while growing up. He uses extremely relatable lyrics like, “Like if I get older now, I’ll let my younger version down.” Which I think is a perfect example of how it feels to get older.
Another song I love on the album is “My World”, this is one of the happier songs on the album. It shows Gray taking back control of his life. In this song, Gray embraces his sexuality and his overall freedom as a person. “My World” shows his confident side and it inspires me everyday to try and act just like him.
There are many other amazing songs on the album like “Actor”, “Sunset Tower”, and “Nauseous”. Each with their own unique story to tell. Fans have been absolutely ecstatic and in love with “Wishbone” ever since its release. It ranked number three on the Billboard charts and has the top album sales in August 2025. I am extremely grateful to be attending his concert and seeing him live this September. Overall I would recommend this album to anyone with emotions they feel are too big to handle. Conan Gray does an amazing job with making his listeners feel seen. I would give “Wishbone” a 10/10, and I can’t wait to see what this amazing artist releases next.
