Why Gracie Abrams Wanted to ‘Collectively Reflect’ with Friends on NYE (Exclusive)

Gracie Abrams reveals how she important it was that she entered 2026 with friends.

In an interview with PEOPLE at the Chanel Coco Crush Dinner Celebration in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 7, the singer-songwriter reflects on how she set her intentions on New Year’s Eve — and it involves fire.

“I feel this might be a common tradition for people,” Abrams, 26, begins, before explaining what she did that helps her with “moving on.”

She continues, “We all basically stood around the fire and wrote private wishes or thoughts down — things we either want to leave behind or bring with us into the new year — so it was a great way to bring in a new year.”

For Abrams, the “highlight” of her 2025 was spending time with her friends on New Year’s Eve “and being able to collectively reflect on how lucky we are to have our health and to be together.”

“There’s so much going on in the world for all of us collectively in this moment, and everyone’s got their own personal s— going on all the time, [I love] any opportunity to be with your people and remember how that is the core of everything,” says the “That’s So True” hitmaker.

Meanwhile, Abrams mentioned that she was “beyond ready” for her new music to belong to her fans.

“I’ve never felt this way about anything I’ve made before, so it’s definitely driving me crazy in a good way,” says the “Close to You” performer.

At the moment, though, Abrams feels “calm” about the music because she’s been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with it.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the people you get to make things with and spend your time with, and that that means the most to me right now,” she concluded.

Abrams celebrated the arrival of 2026 with boyfriend Paul Mescal and friends including his Normal People costar Daisy Edgar-Jones and his Gladiator II costar Fred Hechinger, rang in the new year with the couple. In a Wednesday, Dec. 31  from

On Dec. 31, Irish actor Fionn O’Shea shared an Instagram post of the couple and a group of friends cozied up together on the holiday with the caption, “2026. X.”

O’Shea, 29, starred with Mescal, 29, Edgar-Jones, 27, in the 2020 Hulu limited series Normal People, based on Sally Rooney’s hit novel of the same name.