Grace Potter Celebrates Women in Space for NASA's 60th Anniversary

Grace Potter
Musician Grace Potter debuts new music video celebrating past and present women of NASA. (Image credit: NASA)

Grace Potter struck a chord with music lovers and space enthusiasts alike when she performed with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Pops at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to celebrate NASA's 60th anniversary earlier this month.

Potter, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, is an unparalleled presence on stage. NASA asked her to perform as part of "NSO Pops: Space, the Next Frontier," a musical series in which the NSO, alongside guests like Potter and Coheed and Cambria, performed space- and science-fiction-inspired pieces to celebrate NASA's big anniversary.

Potter'svoice soared over the orchestra as she performed "Look What We've Become." Her vocal prowess and passion were evident in her performance as she honored women in space and science with her heartfelt song. [Grace Potter Makes NASA KSC Pit Stop During 'Midnight' Tour (Gallery)]

In 2016, NASA invited Potter to Johnson Space Center in Houston to collaborate on a music video for "Look What We've Become." The song and video highlight women at NASA and their contributions to engineering, science, aerospace and spaceflight. Potter performed this song at the anniversary event because it honors women in space and science.

In the video of the performance, it's clear that Potter is as comfortable performing with an orchestra as she is on stage with a rock band. Her striking voice carries with effortless power.

"And they always told us we would be nothing; look what we've done … And they always told us we would be nothing, but look what we've become," Potter belted over the orchestra. Her lyrics are shaped by the hard work of women at NASA from the past, present and future, and it's clear that the song was written to inspire and empower the next generation of women interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.  

In a video interview with Space.com, singer-songwriter Grace Potter discusses her thoughts on the current state of space science, its effect on human consciousness and how it's intertwined with music. (Image credit: Space.com)

Potter has supported space and space-scienceefforts for years. Besides running the "Space_Potter" Instagram account, on which she posts space and science imagery, she has been known to talk about space news on stage. In 2015, Potter even spoke with Space.com about how space influences her and her music.

To follow Potter and her musical, cosmic adventures, visit gracepotter.com.

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Chelsea Gohd
Senior Writer

Chelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd and @foxannemusic.