Songfacts®:

• Gracie Abrams throws out the Modern Romance handbook with "Risk," a bubbly ode to a not-so-available crush.
  
  Abrams told Spin that the song was inspired by "the mania before you actually even know someone, where you get it all sick and twisted in your head and feel like you have a fever and can't control your body and mind."
• "Risk" marks a turning point in Abrams' artistic journey. While her debut album, Good Riddance, explored the anxieties and self-doubt that plagued past relationships, this song showcases a newfound boldness.
  
  Tracks like "Difficult" place the blame for failed connections squarely on Abrams' own shoulders. But "Risk" throws open the window on a different perspective. Here, Abrams embraces the nervous thrill of a budding romance, diving headfirst into the unknown with a newfound confidence.
• Fresh off the whirlwind of touring with Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams returned home with a head full of stories and a heart hungry for connection. Those tales exploded into vibrant songwriting sessions with her childhood bestie and housemate, Audrey Hobert.
  
  "We would spill every detail of our lives in the time that we had," Abrams shared with Spin. "There was a real urgency to our storytelling, and it very naturally led to us songwriting together. We were like, 'We know how this night went down, but how do we amplify it or make it so dramatic that people want to scream it when we're all at a show together?'"
• Taking a hands-on approach, Abrams co-produced the track alongside her frequent collaborator, Aaron Dessner (of Taylor Swift fame).
• The music video, also directed by Audrey Hobert, is a visual extension of the track's spirit. We open on a dark suburban street where Abrams chases her crush. The night then takes a boozy turn as she crashes some unsuspecting dude named Doug's birthday party.