Glaive (musician)
Ash Blue Gutierrez (born January 20, 2005), known professionally as Glaive (stylized as glaive), is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. After posting a string of hyperpop songs to SoundCloud during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that earned him a cult following, he signed a record deal with Interscope Records and released his debut extended play, Cypress Grove, in 2020. His debut album, I Care So Much That I Don't Care at All, was released on July 14, 2023.

Early life and career
Glaive was born on January 20, 2005, in Florida. His father played polo professionally, and his family lived near Sarasota for nine years before moving to Hendersonville, North Carolina. As of 2023, Glaive is no longer attending high school. His final lesson was his first and only homeschooling lesson. Before pursuing a solo career, he was in a band.

2020–2022 Cypress Grove, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Then I'll Be Happy, and Old Dog, New Tricks
Towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, while attending high school virtually, Glaive began recording music in his bedroom. His name is inspired by a weapon from the 2016 video game Dark Souls III, in which he uploaded his first song to SoundCloud in April 2020 using the alias. He began collaborating with other hyperpop artists on SoundCloud after being introduced to them through Discord servers, and through his friend and fellow record producer, Kurtains. He quickly became popular on SoundCloud and Dan Awad, Glaive's current manager, discovered him through his song "Sick" in the summer of 2020. Soon after, he started regularly appearing on Spotify's "Hyperpop" playlist and signed a record deal with Interscope Records.

He released the single "Clover" on August 5, 2020. On November 13, 2020, he released the single "Eyesore", the fourth and final single to his debut extended play, Cypress Grove.  Later that month, on November 19, the extended play was released through Interscope Records after he wrote and recorded it in a week. The lead single for his collaborative extended play with Ericdoa, Then I'll Be Happy, "Cloak N Dagger", was released on January 21, 2021. The music video for his song "Astrid", directed and shot by Hunter Ray Barker and Charlie Grant, was released in February 2021. The lead single to his second extended play, All Dogs Go to Heaven, "I Wanna Slam My Head Against the Wall" was released in March 2021. His collaborative single with Aldn, "What Was the Last Thing U Said", was released in April 2021, as the second single to Aldn's extended play Greenhouse. In June 2021, he was included on Renforshort's song "Fall Apart" from her extended play Off Saint Dominique EP. The second single to All Dogs Go to Heaven, "Detest Me", was also released in June. The third and final single to All Dogs Go to Heaven, "Bastard" was released in July 2021. He released a second EP, All Dogs Go to Heaven, in early August 2021. In October 2021, the collaborative extended play, Then I'll Be Happy with Ericdoa, was released. Glaive and Ericdoa would then tour as a duo across North America in support of the release, touring with Midwxst, Aldn, and Underscores. A European leg of the tour was planned for January 2022, with support from kurtains, but was cancelled. Glaive followed with the release of "Prick", the lead single off of the deluxe edition of All Dogs Go to Heaven, titled Old Dog, New Tricks, which was released with four more songs on January 27, 2022.

2022–present: First headline tour and I Care So Much That I Don't Care at All

Following the release of Old Dog, New Tricks, Glaive would announce his first headline tour in support of the release, with opening support from artists Aldn and Midwxst. The tour featured multiple sellout shows from mid-sized venues in major cities, and lasted from February to March of 2022. While on tour in February 2022, Glaive announced via an Instagram story that he will begin work on his upcoming debut studio album, which is expected to drop Summer of 2023. Following his North America tour, Glaive began touring Europe as both an opening act for The Kid Laroi's "End of the World Tour",  and as an independent artist from June to July 2022. In June 2022, he released the single "Minnesota Is a Place That Exists". He also announced his second North America tour, "America Is a Place That Exists", in support of the single. The tour began in September 2022, and featured support from artists Aldn, Caspr, and Riovaz. He then released the single "Three Wheels and It Still Drives!" in late September 2022. In December 2022, he began touring in Australia with Ericdoa for the final leg of their "Then I'll Be Happy" tour, which concluded on New Year's Day 2023.

Glaive's debut studio album, I Care So Much That I Don't Care at All, was released on July 14, 2023. The album's lead single, "As If", was released on April 28, 2023, which samples Timothée Chalamet during his performance of "Prodigal Son", and is accompanied by a music video. On May 1, 2023, Glaive announced his third North America tour in support of the album, with support from Origami Angel, Oso Oso, and Polo Perks, which will take place from July 27, 2023, to August 19, 2023. On May 17, 2023, Glaive released a second single, "I'm Nothing That's All I Am". On June 5, 2023, Glaive announced his second Europe tour in support of the album, which will take place from November 11, 2023, to November 21, 2023. On June 7, 2023, Glaive released a third single, "all i do is try my best", which is the second song on the album to be accompanied by a music video. On June 30, 2023, Glaive released a fourth single, "the car", which is the third song on the album to be accompanied with a music video.

Musical style
Glaive's music has often been described as hyperpop. He has described his own music as "straight-up pop songs" with "nothing hyper about them", and stated that his music being labeled as hyperpop is a result of him being associated with other people who make hyperpop. He has also been deemed a pioneer of the digicore genre, a more underground, largely teenage offshoot of hyperpop that uses elements of trap and emo rap with a DIY ethic. His music has included elements of Midwest emo, emo, glitch, pop punk, hip hop, trap, EDM, and indie rock. He has described his music as being about "being annoyed or mad", and has stated that he is inspired by hip hop production. His lyrics address topics such as alienation and mental health.

Colin Joyce of The Fader described Glaive's songs as "genre-hopping" and "self-assured", while Pigeons and Planes wrote that Glaive took a "free-for-all approach" to his music and has "a gift for structure and melody". Vultures Justin Curto called Glaive's lyrics "painfully honest", while Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone wrote that Glaive "has a way with clear-eyed vulnerability". Billboards Andrew Unterberger called glaive a "cutting-edge pop artist"; Daisy Jones of Vice stated that his sound was "sugary, emotive and intuitive".

Personal life
During an Instagram livestream on April 27, 2023, Glaive came out as bisexual.
This came directly before the release of his single "As If", which contains lyrics about coming to terms with his identity.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Deluxe extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

References

2005 births
Living people
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American LGBT people
21st-century American male singers
American bisexual musicians
American bisexual writers
American child singers
American electronic musicians
American LGBT singers
American LGBT songwriters
American male pop singers
Bisexual male musicians
Bisexual singers
Bisexual songwriters
Hyperpop musicians
Interscope Records artists
LGBT people from North Carolina
LGBT rappers
LGBT record producers
People from Hendersonville, North Carolina
Musicians from Sarasota, Florida
Pop rappers
Rappers from Florida
Rappers from North Carolina
Record producers from North Carolina
Record producers from Florida
Singer-songwriters from Florida
Singer-songwriters from North Carolina