Grimes says being cancelled repeatedly has left her feeling free, and opens up about her first album in six years, PSYOPERA, and its lead single ACCELERANDO.
- October 12, 2026
AceShowbiz - Grimes has released the lead single ACCELERANDO from her upcoming album PSYOPERA, her first album in six years, and she marked the moment with a surprise DJ set at the gay bar Singers in Brooklyn, where she played new material alongside classics such as Azealia Banks's 212.
In her first interview of this new cycle, Grimes sat down with the Swiftologist for an in-depth conversation covering the last six years of her life, her thoughts on pop stardom, and how AI, her personal dramas and recent American history shaped the record.
"I wanted to bring everyone into my journey of getting so dark and nihilistic," Grimes explained about PSYOPERA and its lead single.
She described the period behind the album as a dual ordeal. "I was going through the trial in my personal life, and I was also going through a trial in public. It felt like this Kafkaesque situation for literally years. I just woke up in abject terror every morning."
Swiftologist, who heard the full album, praised it as her most ambitious concept to date, describing it as a record about AI, group think and the optimization of the human mind.
On the subject of cancel culture, Grimes said the experience ultimately liberated her. Having been cancelled so many times, she explained, she now feels able to say anything. "If everything is going to be an issue then I might as well just start talking," she said. "I feel free."
A central theme of the album is the idea that pop music is the opiate of the masses, an idea she traced in part to her brother's musical about Luigi Mangione. She also cited Madonna's American Life as an influence, and pointed to the moment ABBA performed the song from The Phantom of the Opera as an example of what she loves about hyper-specific songwriting.
While Grimes said she does not identify with the term popstar and would rather be seen as a philosopher, she embraces the role of producer. "I like to channel Phil Spector," she said.
The album's most revealing lyrics have yet to be released, but Grimes previewed the record for the Swiftologist, who said the songs address what she went through over the past six years. "I really didn't want to write, I just didn't want any of this to be about Elon," Grimes said, before the host noted that a song titled PTSD carries the line, "My ex is the police." Grimes declined to elaborate further, leaving listeners to wait for the full album.
