American singer-songwriter Conan Gray is known for his heartbreak ballads and soft yearning melodies, from his latest album, Wishbone, all the way back to his 2018 EP Sunset Season. His first album, Kid Krow, which celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this year, shot him to stardom with the track ‘Heather’ reaching two billion streams in 2025. 

On May 22, Conan announced the release date of his latest record, Wishbone, via Instagram, with a heartfelt message. He said this album was “the slivers of myself I’d always been, but never faced. The songs I’d always been writing, but never singing”. 

‘This Song’ was the first single and music video to be released during this album cycle, and introduced the fictional characters Wilson and Brando, played by Conan and Corey Fogelmanis, respectively. Corey Fogelmanis is known for his role in the TV series Girl Meets World and will soon star as Ben, a non-binary teen, in the upcoming coming-of-age film I Wish You All the Best. 

The music video for ‘This Song’ is an ode to queer love, and follows the two characters as they begin to explore their feelings for each other across a hazy Texas summer. Brando initially struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for Will, but the music video ends with the pair sharing a romantic kiss. 

The lyrics are equally uplifting, as Conan sings “you know that I love you” and “I wrote this song about you”. Fans jumped to social media to celebrate the song, joking that it is the “first love song” from the artist, known for his devastating lyricism. 

The two characters returned for the ‘Vodka Cranberry’ music video, the second single from the album, which was released July 11. The music video follows the breakdown of Will and Bran’s relationship, as Bran begins to push Will away. 

The music video storyline is paired with gut-wrenching song lyrics, where Conan sings, “speak up, I know you hate me”. 

The final music video was released alongside the record on August 15. Wilson and Brando returned for ‘Caramel’. 

This unique storytelling format is reminiscent of Troye Sivan’s heartbreaking Blue Neighbourhood trilogy. Only for Wilson and Brando, there is a somewhat more positive ending. 

‘Caramel’ sees the pair run into each other at a grocery store and rekindle their romance. The song explores the concept of looking back at a toxic relationship with rose-tinted glasses, with a catchy chorus, “you burn inside my memory so well, you caramel, you’re caramel”. 

All three music videos were directed by Danica Kleinknecht, who is also credited on Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Nonsense’ music video. The Wishbone videos were all shot in Texas, Conan’s home state. 

Wishbone has been the artist’s highest-charting record yet, marking his first No.1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. As of August 26, the album is at No. 9 on the Irish Album Charts. 

When it comes to touring this album, Conan Gray has announced the US and Mexico leg of The Wishbone Pajama tour, which kicks off in September. Fans are hoping a world tour will follow shortly, as Conan toured Europe for his last album, Found Heaven, in the autumn of 2024.