Updated

Updated · The Cut · Jul 17

Paul Mescal Co-Writes Gracie Abrams' “Imaginary Friend” for New Album as Couple Trades Lines

Updated

Updated · The Cut · Jul 17

Paul Mescal Co-Writes Gracie Abrams' “Imaginary Friend” for New Album as Couple Trades Lines

Q: Is Paul Mescal's songwriting debut a one-off project or the beginning of a serious music career?

It looks more like a one-off collaboration than the start of a serious music career. The strongest evidence is how Gracie Abrams described it. She said the song came together organically while they were “fucking around” and “trading lines” at home, not through a planned push by Mescal into music. She framed it as a natural byproduct of a “very creative home,” not a formal artistic pivot. There is also no public sign that Mescal is building a music career beyond this credit. He has not announced solo material, an EP, an album, live performances, or a broader songwriting slate. His only confirmed music credit so far is “Imaginary Friend,” a co-write on his girlfriend’s album. His recent activity around music is better explained by proximity and acting than by a career change. Mescal has long moved in indie-folk circles through relationships with musicians, and he is currently preparing to play Paul McCartney in the upcoming Beatles film project, including learning guitar and engaging more directly with songwriting culture. That suggests growing musical fluency, but not necessarily professional ambition as a recording artist or songwriter. That said, it would be premature to rule out more collaborations. Mescal clearly has access, interest, and a creative environment that could lead to additional credits. But based on the available facts, this debut is best understood as an intimate, situational collaboration rather than the launch of a serious parallel music career.

3 articles · Updated · The Cut · Jul 17

Mescal is credited as a co-writer on “Imaginary Friend,” a track from Abrams’ new album Daughter From Hell.
Abrams said on the New York Times’ Popcast podcast that the collaboration grew casually after she realized the album lacked any “strummers,” and the pair started “trading lines” back and forth.
The song centers on the absence of a past lover, with Abrams singing, “I talk to you, you don’t talk back,” framing the track as a breakup lament rather than a romantic duet.
The credit extends Mescal’s ties to the indie-folk world around Abrams, and echoes other high-profile partner collaborations such as Joe Alwyn’s songwriting work on Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore.