NN Music Video of the Week: “Painkiller” by Baker Grace

December 4, 2023 NN Music Staff

Born on the Hudson River shores of Weehawken, NJ, rising pop singer-songwriter Baker Grace is not just some girl-next-door. Loaded with talent, poise, perspective, and experience, she’s a pioneering female artist seeking to empower others with her edgy and vulnerable interpretations of these challenging times.

Raised by her musician father, Baker took to music quickly, learning guitar, piano, and vocal craftsmanship early on. She debuted in 2019 with her EP Girl I Know, signed a record deal at just 16 years old, and landed four songs on Hulu’s feature film Last Survivors. Collaborations with acts like Cautious Clay and Grammy-winning producers Dan Nigro and Scott Harris have built much anticipation for her first full length album.

In her new single “Painkiller”, Baker Grace weaves a seductive metaphor between twin afflictions of her generation: addiction and validation-seeking. Juno award winning producer Dajaun Martineau strips the mysterious musical landscape and provides a spacious setting for Grace’s sultry voice to express her subtly uplifting lyrics. She doesn’t just wallow in her mental struggles, but offers hope in self-love and presence. We’re witnessing a master songwriter in the making—somehow telling the story of addiction and recovery through a sexy lens in a little over three minutes.

And in the visual for “Painkiller”, which has been designated as our NN Music Video of the Week, Baker Grace and director Zac Stracener add a few more colors to the vibrant song. We first encounter Grace alone with a pill bottle at a diner counter, linking addiction to the consumer culture of the 1950s and 60s. She gradually comes out of the darkness and into the light her innate sense of self worth. As the Bond-theme brass starts to blare, Grace takes on more confidence, stunning us with sensuous choreography and smoky glances. The music video showcases the vital realization Baker Grace makes on happiness and self-love being the only real lasting painkillers life has to offer.