From Alanis Morissette to Sylvia Rivera: The icons who inspired Pale Waves’ Heather Baron-Gracie

For the past decade, Manchester goth-pop crew Pale Waves have been an inspiration throughout the UK scene. But who propels Heather Baron-Gracie in her own journey? The singer reveals her personal heroes – both in and out of music…

“She proved women could lead a successful rock band. She had such a powerful impact, and her success inspired so many young women to pursue careers in music. She was so unique and authentic, and her voice was truly free – she was a real artist. My dad got me into them, I listened to whatever he did growing up, like The Cranberries and Cocteau Twins. It’s hard to choose a favourite song, but I’ll say Linger because it’s timeless and you can relate to it at any point in your life.”

“She was a transgender activist alongside Marsha P. Johnson, and was involved with the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance. Her efforts to fight for transgender people in the broader LGBTQ+ movement left a lasting legacy. She was one of the first people to really create a movement and pushed to have a wider conversation. The start of it must have been horrific, and what they did paved the way for me and so many others. I feel like we have to carry on trying to do that. There’s still a long way to go. The trans community gets the most hate, and I don’t really understand it. I don’t know why people get so offended.”

“She’s one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, and she inspires people all around the world – not just through her athletic achievements, but through her courage, because she’s had such a tough career. The impact she’s had on mental health awareness has been so significant. For her to come back to the Olympics this year, after what happened in Tokyo [she withdrew from various events in the 2020 Summer Olympics due to mental health concerns], it really shows that you’re never too old to do something. I admire how strong she is as a woman, and as an athlete.”

“She’s so iconic. A lot of her themes are focused on empowerment, which is amazing, and she’s spoken about mental health and body image issues. Jagged Little Pill [1995] soundtracked many, many years of my life. You can look up the lyrics to any of her songs and get lost in them. There’s a documentary that goes back over her career when she was starting out and the difficulty she had battling a very sexist music industry. She’s such a powerful woman, and you can really hear that in her music.”

“He’s one of my favourite poets. His work is known for emotional depth, capturing complex feelings and experiences in a way that’s both profound and relatable. He has this ability to articulate what I feel, but I feel like I can’t express. It makes his poetry deeply impactful. He inspired me as a songwriter. I carried one of his books around for years, and I’ve read it so many times, but it never gets old. Whenever I’m feeling a lack of inspiration, I pick up one of his poetry books, and it really sparks something in me.”

This article originally appeared in the autumn 2024 issue of the magazine.

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