Conan Gray has always been one of my top artists, carrying me from high school into college with his emotional, heartbroken, and raw music. His journey into the music industry, along with his expression of childhood trauma through music, is deeply reflected in his songs. What connects me most to his music is his expression of events in his life — his parents’ divorce, followed by financial instability, frequent moves, and having a feeling of isolation and displacement.
Gray released his new album, Wishbone, in August 2025, featuring nine new songs, including “Vodka Cranberry,” which was released about a month prior. In my opinion, this new pop album transcends all of his other albums, exuding raw emotion with detailed lyrics in each song. He also shot two phenomenal music videos, sharing a story between Conan Gray and Corey Fogelmanis, who many will recognize from his role in the Disney show Girl Meets World.
In the music video “Vodka Cranberry,” Gray and Fogelmanis display the ups and downs of their relationship, beginning with tender scenes of them playing in water and grocery shopping. However, tension builds up throughout the video until they end up fighting and separating, with the last scenes showing Fogelmanis leaving in the night and Gray searching for him. The song itself mirrors this narrative, capturing the pain of a couple going on a break and realizing it will never be the same after.
The “Caramel” music video follows the same storyline, sharing the two crossing paths again at a grocery store. The chemistry that they have for each other is prevalent in this video, especially in the ending scene where Gray ends up leaving and taking a bus away in the middle of the night, however Fogelmanis is waiting at the stop that Gray gets off at. Although the music in both of the videos are quite different, they both help convey the message of the story across beautifully.
A few of my other favorite songs from this album include “Nauseous” and “Actor,” however this album is personally a no-skip album. The song “Nauseous” in particular stands out to me as he shares his fear of love due to a haunting track record of people leaving him, making him feel nauseous for future love. One specific line in this song that will always hit me deep is when he says, “maybe that’s why I feel safe with bad guys,” which truly shows his anxiety for new relationships due to his previous ones.
The Wishbone album is currently on repeat for me, as this one specifically connects to me on a deeper level, mostly due to the emotional, and beautiful tone in his voice, accompanied by the incredible lyrics as well. Conan Gray will always be one of my favorite artists, and performers, and I am excited to see him flourish and grow on his Wishbone tour.