Bailey Grey’s Playful, Poetic Debut: ‘USE ME’ Leads the Way to "Love It All”

May 02, 2025

Bailey Grey’s Playful, Poetic Debut: ‘USE ME’ Leads the Way to "Love It All”

Dynamic New Jersey singer-songwriter and actress Bailey Grey is making her own way in music by fusing pop, indie-rock, and jazz into a sound all her own. With a voice that is as acrobatic as it is emotionally honest, Bailey glides between styles with ease, never once failing to include that element of truth which makes music more intimate and relatable. Influenced by iconic artists like Amy Winehouse, Sara Bareilles, Joni Mitchell, and Fiona Apple, she crafts songs that resonate on a profound level, connecting fans to open stories and uninhibited feeling.

Bailey's arts background began at a young age, as a child Broadway performer in New York City, later earning her master's in musical theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. This theatrical background is present in her music as well, in that she's drawn to material with not just catchy melodies, but also substantial stories. The latest release, "USE ME," is a case in point — a jazzy, piano-pop number featuring mischievous, dark humor about wishing that her body will be "recycled" when she dies.

Recorded by Sam Cook-Stuntz at Seattle's Homespun Audio, the song is direct in its inspirations of Sara Bareilles and Danny Elfman to write a catchy, poetic song that lingers well after its finish. "USE ME" is also the title track of Bailey's highly anticipated debut LP, Love It All, a 14-song album coming this May. The genesis of "USE ME" is a poem authored by Bailey's good friend Alex King, whose lyrics tend to ignite Bailey's own creativity. It was performed live and acoustic for the very first time as a contestant in the Planet Earth Song Competition Gala, and the song soon found its way as a mainstay on her standard setlist. One audience member even compared it to the work of Regina Spektor, a comparison that delighted Bailey and encouraged her to drop it as a single. Eager to get her fans involved, she created a fun dance to go along with the release and posted it all over TikTok, where the song took off and spawned hundreds of fan interpretations.

One of the more heartwarming moments was when a woman contacted Bailey on TikTok, requesting to use "USE ME" for her son's end-of-life celebration. The two connected over their shared experiences, finding out they were both on the autism spectrum, and Bailey ended up making a special tribute video with the song and photos of the woman's son. To Bailey, they remind her of the enormous privilege of being an artist — the power to touch people's lives, to heal, and to bring joy where it is least expected.