Small Town Fairs, Ferris Wheel Kissing And Vodka Water Bottles: Skylar Grey Brings High School Nostalgia W/ New Song

Today (5.8), 5x GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Skylar Grey shares an atmospheric pop rush of recklessness and adolescence on her new song, "Plastic Water Bottles," the final preview from WASTED POTENTIAL, her 11-track album out May 22.

Listen to "Plastic Water Bottles" here

Pre-Save WASTED POTENTIAL here

Written by Grey and co-produced with Danny Majic (G-Eazy, Jimin, Flo Rida), "Plastic Water Bottles" unspools through fragmented snapshots of a hazy high school night at her hometown carnival, an annual tradition complete with plastic water bottles filled with vodka. With imagery so strong you can almost smell the fair food and too-sweet drink mixers, Grey describes careless flirting traded for free rides on the Ferris Wheel and the taboo thrill of an older lover too intoxicating to quit.

"'Plastic Water Bottles' is a nostalgic snapshot in time, like a diary entry from my innocent yet reckless teen years, when I'd sneak vodka into water bottles, flirt with boys I knew were bad news, and chase excitement that made me feel older than I was," shares Grey on the track.

The song follows recent previews "Come " and "Black n' Blue," which also detail her exploration into early romances and finding her sexuality. She has also shared "Nirvana" and "Motivation," two tracks steeped in rose-tinted nostalgia and longing for the sleepy town she once couldn't wait to leave.

Raised on music - her mother playing Celtic harp, her father singing in a barbershop quartet and the start of her own professional music career at age 12 - Grey grew up in quiet contrast before youth brought restlessness, rebellion and the feeling of being stagnant. What once felt like suffocating small-town stillness now reads with sharper clarity in WASTED POTENTIAL, reframing her childhood into a diaristic collection told through a more empathetic lens. Grey shaped the stories into a sound she calls "bubblegrunge," a melodic hybrid of 90s grunge and her sought-after pop songwriter DNA that's helped craft No. 1 hits for Eminem, Dr. Dre, Céline Dion, Christina Aguilera, Ciara, Macklemore and Zedd and a combined catalog earning more than 19B streams.

Last month, Grey hosted intimate playback events in Los Angeles and Nashville, previewing the album to close collaborators and guests, before appearing at the Billboard Women in Music Red Carpet. This week, she announced her exclusive album release day party, happening at the Napa Valley Car Club on May 22, which fans can RSVP to here. On May 26, she'll join the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles for a conversation about her journey and forthcoming album. Get tickets here.