Written by: Will Locascio – Art and Entertainment editor
Photos By: Dylan Raskay
There is a beauty and a sense of mystique when an artist’s potential energy is still coiled up, pulled back, and ready to explode at any moment. The dedication and steadfast belief in their potential is what separates a true artist from the rest of the flock. These qualities were tangible in the air as I sat down with Eliza Gregoire, also known as Crepe Girl, in the hazy interior of Mesa Theater on a chilly February night before her concert later that evening. Gregoire, a former student of Colorado Mesa University (CMU), came to Grand Junction in August of 2018 to compete for the cycling team, which was a short-lived collegiate athletic career before her true dream took over.
Gregoire described her shift of passions, as well as the story of how she began taking music seriously, saying,
“I slowly got way more interested in other things in life. I drifted away from that mentality and went to France for the summer. My family is French and I was around crepes a lot and said, ‘you know what, I’m going to start a crepe stand.’ That same week I started, my favorite artist Clairo was playing in Denver, and I decided to bring crepes down to her at the show”
Eliza reminisced on this life altering experience, as not only did Clairo accept her crepe offering, but she was able to build some repertoire with her and another favorite artist of hers, Mac Demarco.
Gregoire recalled this experience as the first time she fell in love with the inner workings of a show. This seemingly random glimpse into the music industry led Eliza to the backstage of Red Rocks the next evening, where another one of Gregoire’s musical influences, Snail Mail, referred to her as “Crepe Girl,” for the first time.
Under the name Crepe Girl, Gregoire makes floaty, somber tunes. Songs that reminisce on lost love and possibility. Her combination of guitar riffs, synths, drums, and vocals create a youthful and relaxing aura for her music and creative direction.
Two years later, Gregoire found herself back at Mesa Theater for a return show following a daring and ambitious move to Los Angeles to further her music career. “I was just grinding, grinding, grinding, making music, but I didn’t have the element here (in Grand Junction) of people. There isn’t an industry here. I need to be more inspired,” she said.
Gregoire’s show that evening also marked the release of the first single, “Racing 2 U,” from her upcoming album later this year. We dove into her writing process and what drives her to continue crafting and developing a unique sound.
“I have a lot of love inspired shit. That comes with a lot of sad stuff for me. Every time I get emotionally hurt, I end up writing my best songs,” she said
Gregoire produces all her own music and divulged that even when she’s experiencing writer’s block, she is usually inspired with the direction of sound she wants to take before she knows what she’d like to say.
“Usually, I’m always inspired within one of my things – whether it’s mixing, mastering, producing instrumentals or writing lyrics. Usually, one of them is firing. Not all of them at once sadly.”
Los Angeles is where many inspired, independent artist’s careers go to flatline after signing to a 360 record label deal, but Gregoire has no intentions of letting that happen just yet.
“Honestly, I’m not interested in giving away my royalties right now. The only way I would happily do that is if I know and I’m assured that they are going to help me out tremendously. Because a lot of the time you’re going to be signed to a roster and you don’t know if you’re going to be a priority of theirs,” she said.
Instead, Eliza is interested in building up a team for herself – a manager, a booking agent, and a publicist to help advance her career and get the word out about Crepe Girl and her art.
Gregoire’s goal this year is to build her image, make more theatrical and interactive concert designs, and consistently release music. Her Mesa Theater show was fleshed out with an opening video, a narrative tracklist, and a few covers she performed from songs by her favorite artists. There was a supportive energy in the air as she glided across the stage and performed with admirable confidence and personality. She appeared invigorated by the energy of the town she began making music in, while also moving with a newfound appreciation and inspiration from her first few months recording and working in Los Angeles. She reflected on the whirlwind her life has been since she moved out there saying,
“I was expecting to get there and feel extremely low. I was expecting to. But I felt great. There’s a space for everybody there. I feel heard, I feel like I’m being seen by people I would never expect to be seeing what I’m doing, and it’s so rewarding to me,” she said.
Gregoire’s friends from Grand Junction have supported her music career in a beautiful way, encouraging her to take these drastic measures to follow her dream. Ben Tuka, a friend of Gregoire’s who supported her move to Los Angeles spoke on this decision saying,
“She was terrified of the move; she was always turning to her friends like ‘Am I doing the right thing? Can you attest to the fact that this is what I should be doing?’ And all of us, myself included, believed that was the best option for her and it was admirable too,” Tuka said.
It will be interesting to see how Gregoire’s year continues to progress as she prepares to release her debut album. Grand Junction will likely see more performances from her in coming months as she continues to grow and establish herself in Los Angeles while sticking to her roots.
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