There’s two things that have made my summer this year: Daughter From Hell, the 16-song studio album released last month, and the release of Chanel’s latest perfume, Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu. What do they both have in common? Gracie Abrams, who is, without a doubt, the ultimate muse for the French maison, given she loves mentioning perfume in her lyrics.
The Grammy nominee has emerged as one of the most compelling singer-songwriters of this generation since her debut in 2019. Her musical success, combined with her the air understated elegance that surrounds her, led to her appointment as a Chanel ambassador last year. The role was inaugurated by her appearance in the house’s SS25 Pre-Collection campaign, before she went on to become a muse for the iconic Coco Crush perfume range.
And now, upon the release of Chanel’s latest fragrance today, she is continuing her story as the égérie of Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu. The intense ambery fragrance was created by in-house perfumer Olivier Polge, building on the Coco Mademoiselle lineage as the first major release following L'Eau Privée in 2020.
The fragrance profile is grapefruit and lychee fruity notes that transition into a floral heart of rose and jasmine, supported by a warm, woody base of patchouli, vetiver and vanilla. And of course, it is housed in Chanel’s signature bottle, but with a contrasting black label with gold accents and a faceted cap.
Gracie says: “It's unreal to be the new face of Coco Mademoiselle; I feel an immense sense of pride. I love that Coco is someone who leaves a mark everywhere she goes. Sometimes, I wish I could be more like her.”
I love that Coco is someone who leaves a mark everywhere she goes. Sometimes, I wish I could be more like her
As a folk singer, Gracie fits seamlessly into the symbolic lineage of Gabrielle Chanel, the founder and namesake of the Chanel brand. Though separated by a century and a half – one emerging during the Belle Époque in a Moulins cabaret, the other at a modern American music festival – I think it's clear to see how both embody the spirit of free-willed women.
Just as Gabrielle Chanel dared to revolutionise fragrance in 1921 with a scent that captured her era's craving for freedom, Gracie brings that same fiery boldness and effortless authenticity into her work as a singer-songwriter. It's this, and how sharp she is with words, that has myself, and her 36.1 million monthly Spotify listeners, tuning in to her work.
"Gracie naturally embodies the spirit of Chanel. Like Gabrielle Chanel once did, she asserts herself without artifice, driven by a fierce sense of freedom and an instinctive elegance,” states Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, Head of Creative Resources Fragrance & Beauty.
“There is that liveliness in her, that unfussy refinement, which recalls Coco's modernity. It is less a matter of silhouette than of attitude. Gracie arrives where she is not expected, always in motion, charting her own path.”
