A timeline of singer-songwriter Grimes’ oddball life

Whether it be for her popular electronic music, eccentric fashion or questionable taste in baby names, almost everyone has seen the name “Grimes” circulate the internet at one point or another.​​ To some, she is a talented singer and songwriter. To others, she is​​ a co-parent and partner to a controversial billionaire. Nevertheless, Grimes is an enigma whose name constantly makes headlines for something outlandish. What follows is an attempt to break down the artist’s life into a digestible timeline, or “Grimeline.” 

1988 – Claire Boucher, who later became known by her stage name, Grimes, was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. 

2006 – Grimes studied what is called “neuro acoustics” or, as she described in an interview with NPR, “how the brain interacts with music” at McGill University. In the same interview, she said this knowledge went on to help her when producing music, as well as her understanding of engineering. 

2008 – Grimes decided to pursue music instead of neuroscience. In an interview with The Guardian, she reasoned, “I’m just going to do what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don’t need money.” 

2009 – With a friend from college, Grimes attempted to float down the Mississippi River in a homemade houseboat. The construction of the vessel took over a month. For food, they brought numerous live chickens and a sack of potatoes with them. They immediately ran into engine troubles and, after having to anchor down, their boat was impounded by the Minneapolis police and their chickens were seized.  

2010 – Shortly thereafter, Grimes released her debut album, “Geidi Primes.” This album did not contribute to her future rise to stardom, possibly due to the fact that the original release was only available via cassette tape. 

2011 – Grimes released her second album, “Halfaxa.” According to an album review from Pitchfork, this album was her “channeling her inner cherub.” They also described the production of her first two albums as being “dense” and “jumbled.” 

2012 – Grimes released her breakthrough album, “Visions.” The most notable tracks on the record include “Oblivion” and “Genesis.” To create the album, she claims she locked herself in a room for a little under a month with nothing but “GarageBand, Adderall, and whatever food friends thought to bring her,” Rolling Stone said.

2013 – Rapper Jay-Z signed Grimes to his management company, Roc Nation, after the success of “Visions.” 

2015 – After spending two years touring and playing music festivals, as well as opening for Lana Del Rey on her tour for “Ultraviolence,” Grimes released her first official studio album, “Art Angels.” This record further expanded her career towards mainstream fame. Pitchfork described it as “a pop vision that is incontrovertibly hers, inviting the wider world in.” 

2018 – Despite her triumphs in alternative electronic music, Grimes’ leap to fame in regards to mainstream pop culture may be due to her non-linear romantic relationship with Elon Musk. The couple’s “official” debut was at the Met Gala. 

February 2020 – Grimes releases her second studio album, “Miss Anthropocene.” Pitchfork wrote the record is “more morose than her previous work, but no less camp” and “the songs are among her finest.” 

March 2020 – Harper’s BAZAAR released a video titled “Everything Grimes eats in a day during her pregnancy.” During this video interview, Grimes relayed several bits of information about her diet that stunned viewers — most notably, she became severely malnourished from reportedly only eating spaghetti for over a year. Her description was as follows: “I was only eating spaghetti for a year or two years. I only ate spaghetti. And then I was just so sick and my hair actually stopped growing. I went to the doctor and the doctor was like, ‘You actually are malnourished from not eating vegetables or meat and just eating spaghetti for two years.’”

In the same video, she demonstrated how she often eats a meal composed of a single piece of toast that has absorbed an entire stick of butter, topped with jam. She goes on to clarify that she usually goes to bed at six in the morning, so her breakfast toast is actually consumed in the early afternoon. 

May 2020 – After the birth of Grimes’ and Elon Musk’s first child, she found herself in the limelight of social media yet again. The internet had a field day with the fact that they named their son X Æ A-12. 

2021 – During a seemingly short-lasting breakup with Musk, Grimes was spotted by the paparazzi “reading” the Communist Manifesto. It is up for debate whether this was a publicity stunt to appeal to her left-leaning fanbase or just another peculiar behavior of hers. Either way, the media’s response was generally negative.

December 2021 – Grimes and Elon Musk had their second child together through a surrogate. The couple had mostly kept the birth of their second child private, but the world does know she is named Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, or “Y” for short. From day to day, their children are referred to as “X” and “Y” Musk. 

January 2022 – Grimes released her most recent song, “Shinigami Eyes,” inspired by the anime series “Death Note.” According to Pitchfork, the song is a single from an unreleased EP, titled “Faeries C*m First.”