Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Grimes
How Grimes built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Claire Elise Boucher, professionally known as Grimes, is a Canadian musician celebrated as a singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is known for experimental music blending various styles including electronic, pop, R&B, and hip hop. Grimes's lyrics often explore science fiction themes and feminist perspectives, and she is known for elaborate music videos with fantasy elements. She has released five studio albums.
2006: Moved to Montreal
In 2006, Grimes moved from Vancouver to Montreal and began releasing music independently.
2007: Started Writing Music as Grimes
In 2007, Grimes began writing music under the name Grimes, choosing the genre 'grime' on MySpace without knowing what it was.
January 2010: Release of 'Geidi Primes'
In January 2010, Grimes released her debut album, 'Geidi Primes', which is a concept album inspired by the Dune series.
2010: Release of 'Geidi Primes' and 'Halfaxa'
In 2010, Grimes released two albums, 'Geidi Primes' and 'Halfaxa', on Arbutus Records, marking an early stage in her music career.
May 2011: Opened for Lykke Li
Beginning in May 2011, Grimes opened for Lykke Li on her North American Tour.
January 2012: Signed with 4AD
In January 2012, Grimes signed with record label 4AD.
January 31, 2012: Release of Visions in Canada
On January 31, 2012, Grimes released her third studio album 'Visions' in Canada through Arbutus Records.
February 21, 2012: Release of Visions in the US
On February 21, 2012, Grimes released her third studio album 'Visions' in the United States through 4AD.
March 2012: Collaboration as Membrain
In March 2012, Grimes collaborated with Cop Car Bonfire's Tim Lafontaine under the name Membrain and released an EP called, Sit Back, Rewind.
March 2012: Release of Visions Elsewhere
In March 2012, Grimes released her third studio album, Visions, in various locations outside of Canada and the United States.
May 2012: Featured on Blood Diamonds' Song
In May 2012, Grimes was featured on Blood Diamonds's song 'Phone Sex'.
August 2012: American Television Debut
In August 2012, Grimes made her American television debut on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
2012: Release and Success of 'Visions'
In 2012, Grimes released her album 'Visions', which led to her rise to prominence and won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year.
December 2013: Employed by Roc Nation
In December 2013, Grimes employed the services of Jay-Z's management company, Roc Nation.
2013: Design and Curation
In 2013, Grimes designed a capsule collection of t-shirts for Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent and curated a two-day event at the Audio Visual Arts Gallery in New York City.
June 26, 2014: Premiered the track 'Go'
On June 26, 2014, Grimes premiered the track 'Go', produced by and featuring Blood Diamonds, which was originally written for Rihanna. It premiered on Zane Lowe's radio 1 show.
July 2014: Featured on Bleachers' Song
In July 2014, Grimes was featured on Bleachers' song 'Take Me Away' from their album, Strange Desire.
August 19, 2014: Featured in Haim's Remix Music Video
On August 19, 2014, Grimes was featured in the music video for the remix of Haim's My Song 5.
March 8, 2015: Released 'Realiti' Demo Video
On March 8, 2015, Grimes released a self-directed video for a demo version of 'Realiti' from an abandoned album.
March 15, 2015: Released "Entropy" Collaboration
On March 15, 2015, Grimes and Bleachers released their collaboration, 'Entropy' for the HBO TV show Girls.
October 26, 2015: Release of Flesh Without Blood
On October 26, 2015, Grimes released 'Flesh Without Blood', the lead single from her upcoming album, along with a two-act music video featuring 'Life in the Vivid Dream'.
2015: Release of 'Art Angels'
In 2015, Grimes released her fourth studio album, 'Art Angels', which was named the best album of the year by several publications.
January 19, 2016: Released 'Kill V. Maim' Music Video
On January 19, 2016, Grimes released the music video for 'Kill V. Maim' (Act III) as part of the Art Angels music video series.
May 9, 2016: Released 'California' Music Video
On May 9, 2016, Grimes released the music video for 'California' (Act IV), featuring a remixed version of the song for a better visual/auditory mix.
August 3, 2016: Released 'Medieval Warfare'
On August 3, 2016, Grimes released the song 'Medieval Warfare' as part of the soundtrack of the 2016 superhero film, Suicide Squad.
October 5, 2016: Released 'The Ac!d Reign Chronicles'
On October 5, 2016, Grimes and Hana released 'The Ac!d Reign Chronicles', a series of seven lo-fi music videos shot on iPhones during their European tour.
2016: Ac!d Reign Tour and Summer Performances
In 2016, Grimes toured Asia and Europe with Hana on the Ac!d Reign Tour and performed at various music festivals across North America, opening for Florence and the Machine on select dates of the How Beautiful Tour.
February 2, 2017: Premiered Venus Fly Music Video
On February 2, 2017, Grimes premiered the high-budget futuristic music video for "Venus Fly" on Tidal, starring herself and Janelle Monáe.
February 9, 2017: Uploaded Venus Fly Music Video on YouTube
On February 9, 2017, Grimes uploaded the "Venus Fly" music video on YouTube.
October 19, 2017: Released Cover of "Dark Come Soon"
On October 19, 2017, Grimes released a cover of Tegan and Sara's "Dark Come Soon" with Hana, as part of Tegan and Sara's The Con X: Covers album.
February 2018: Clash with Label
In February 2018, Grimes indicated a delay in releasing music due to a clash with her label, 4AD, and revealed plans for two upcoming albums.
April 10, 2018: Featured on "Pynk"
On April 10, 2018, Grimes was featured on 'Pynk', the third single from Janelle Monáe's album, Dirty Computer.
May 30, 2018: Featured on Loona yyxy's Song
On May 30, 2018, Grimes was featured on 'Love4Eva' by Loona yyxy, the lead single from South Korean girl group Loona's third sub-unit's debut EP Beauty & the Beat.
June 15, 2018: Featured in Apple's Behind the Mac Series
On June 15, 2018, Grimes was featured in a video for Apple's Behind the Mac series, previewing her song "That's What the Drugs Are For", later released as 'My Name Is Dark'.
October 19, 2018: Featured on Jimmy Urine's "The Medicine Does Not Control Me"
On October 19, 2018, Grimes was featured on Jimmy Urine's "The Medicine Does Not Control Me" from the album, Euringer.
October 31, 2018: Featured on "Play Destroy" by Poppy
On October 31, 2018, Grimes was featured on 'Play Destroy' by Poppy on her album Am I a Girl? Shortly after the release of 'Play Destroy', Poppy accused Grimes of bullying during the making of 'Play Destroy'.
November 29, 2018: Released "We Appreciate Power"
On November 29, 2018, Grimes released the single, "We Appreciate Power" featuring Hana, which was described as an industrial rock and nu metal song.
December 11, 2018: Performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
On December 11, 2018, Grimes performed the song 'We Appreciate Power' on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
2018: Grimes accused of bullying
In 2018, singer Poppy stated she witnessed Grimes bullying songwriters into signing NDAs.
August 13, 2019: Advertisement for Adidas by Stella McCartney Fall 2019 collection
On August 13, 2019, Grimes posted an advertisement on Instagram for the Adidas by Stella McCartney Fall 2019 collection and announced she would release the first single off her upcoming album, Miss Anthropocene, on September 13, 2019.
September 5, 2019: Release of "Violence" Music Video
On September 5, 2019, Grimes released the music video for "Violence", featuring i_o.
September 13, 2019: Upcoming album announcement
On September 13, 2019, Grimes was expected to release the first single off her upcoming album, Miss Anthropocene, following an advertisement for Adidas by Stella McCartney.
October 25, 2019: Leak of unfinished album online
On October 25, 2019, an unfinished version of Grimes' album, Miss Anthropocene, was leaked online.
November 15, 2019: Release of "So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth" and Video Game Awards Performance
On November 15, 2019, Grimes released two versions of the single "So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth" and performed "4ÆM" at the 2019 Video Game Awards as Lizzy Wizzy, a character in Cyberpunk 2077.
November 29, 2019: Release of "My Name Is Dark"
On November 29, 2019, Grimes released the single "My Name Is Dark".
December 13, 2019: Release of "4ÆM"
On December 13, 2019, Grimes released the single "4ÆM".
February 12, 2020: Release of "Delete Forever"
On February 12, 2020, Grimes released the single "Delete Forever", which was inspired by the death of Lil Peep and the opioid crisis.
February 21, 2020: Release of Miss Anthropocene
On February 21, 2020, Grimes' album Miss Anthropocene was officially released.
February 27, 2020: Release of "Idoru" Music Video
On February 27, 2020, Grimes released a music video for the song "Idoru".
April 1, 2020: Release of "You'll Miss Me When I'm Not Around" Music Video
On April 1, 2020, Grimes released a music video for the song "You'll Miss Me When I'm Not Around" and asked fans to help finish the video due to its incomplete nature.
June 17, 2020: Feature on Ashnikko's "Cry"
On June 17, 2020, Grimes was featured on Ashnikko's song, "Cry" from her mixtape, Demidevil.
November 11, 2020: Collaboration with Benee on "Sheesh"
On November 11, 2020, Grimes collaborated with Benee on the dance-style song "Sheesh" on the latter's debut album, Hey U X.
December 11, 2020: Release of Cyberpunk 2077-themed DJ Mix Album
On December 11, 2020, Grimes and other artists released a Cyberpunk 2077-themed DJ mix album on Apple Music, titled This story is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives!, which included two new Grimes songs, "Samana" and "Delicate Weapon".
December 18, 2020: Change of Miss Anthropocene Cover Art
On December 18, 2020, nine months after the album's release, Grimes changed the cover art for her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene, on all streaming platforms to a painting by Rupid Leejm.
2020: Voice role in Cyberpunk 2077
In 2020, Grimes had a voice role in the action role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077 and was a judge on the music competition game show Alter Ego.
2020: Release of 'Miss Anthropocene'
In 2020, Grimes released her fifth studio album, 'Miss Anthropocene'.
January 1, 2021: Release of Miss Anthropocene: Rave Edition
On January 1, 2021, Grimes released Miss Anthropocene: Rave Edition, a remix album featuring new versions of songs from the original album and two remixes from her Cyberpunk 2077 Apple Music DJ mix.
March 5, 2021: Signing with Columbia Records
On March 5, 2021, Grimes signed with Columbia Records.
July 2021: Judging on Alter Ego
In July 2021, Grimes was revealed as a judge on Alter Ego, a new singing competition series.
2021: Sale of Digital Art as NFTs
In early 2021, Grimes sold original digital art in the form of non-fungible tokens for $5.8 million.
January 2022: Rocket League Partnership and Visions Anniversary
In January 2022, Grimes partnered with the video game Rocket League for the Neon Nights event and announced a 10th anniversary vinyl of her album Visions.
February 3, 2022: Announcement of Fairies Cum First EP
On February 3, 2022, Grimes announced her forthcoming EP titled Fairies Cum First.
May 2022: Joining Unicorn DAO Board
In May 2022, Grimes joined the board of Unicorn DAO to support their mission of funding and developing art and projects led by female and non-binary individuals.
August 2022: Vogue Plus China Cover and Collaboration Details
In August 2022, Grimes was featured on the cover of Vogue Plus China and discussed her upcoming collaboration with The Weeknd called "Sci Fi" and her upcoming studio album and EP.
2022: Collaboration with The Weeknd
In December 2021, Grimes teased a collaboration with The Weeknd to be released in 2022.
January 2023: Update on Book 1 and Career Priorities
In January 2023, Grimes provided an update on her delayed sixth album, Book 1, stating that her career was now a 'side quest' and prioritizing her children, friends, and family.
April 2023: AI Voice Usage Invitation
In April 2023, Grimes invited people to use her voice in AI generated songs, advocating for 'killing copyright'.
2023: Allegations of NDA abuse and non-payment
In 2023, Titanic Sinclair, Poppy's former creative director, posted a screenshot alleging that Grimes bullied her ghostwriters into signing NDAs and never paying them.
April 2024: Coachella DJ Set Technical Issues
In April 2024, Grimes' DJ set at Coachella was cut short due to technical problems, leading to what some media outlets described as the "worst performance in the history of Coachella".
September 20, 2024: Release of "Supernova" Remix
On September 20, 2024, Grimes released a remix of the song "Supernova" by K-pop group Aespa as part of "iScreaM Vol.33 : Supernova / Armageddon Remixes".
October 29, 2024: Release of Magdalena Bay's "Image" Remix
On October 29, 2024, Grimes released a remix of Magdalena Bay's "Image".
February 24, 2025: Upload of "The Fool" and "I Don't Give a Fuck, I'm Insane" Demos
On February 24, 2025, Grimes uploaded two demos to her SoundCloud account: "The Fool" and "I Don't Give a Fuck, I'm Insane".
February 28, 2025: Co-Production of Adéla's "Machine Girl" and Music Video Cameo
On February 28, 2025, Grimes co-produced Adéla's song, "Machine Girl", and made a cameo in the song's music video alongside Sofia Wylie.
2077: Themes in Cyberpunk 2077
In 2077, Grimes and other artists released a Cyberpunk 2077-themed DJ mix album on Apple Music, titled This story is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives!
2077: Future video game role
In 2077, Grimes had a voice role in the action role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077.
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