With reflective lyrics and an upbeat rhythm, “Boyfriends” serves as the comeback single by American singer-songwriter, Grace VanderWaal, following the release of “Lion’s Den” an a year earlier. It was released on July 21, 2023.

The track was first teased at somepoint in 2020, on an Instagram Live, where the title of the record could be seen behind the artist on handwritten paper that listed in order the songs that would make onto the second volume, which was never released, of her duo-project, LETTERS.

Almost three years later, “Boyfriends” was performed live for the first time at the Purgatory in Brooklyn, New York, on June 7th, 2023, and again at the Sleepwalk Bar three days later. During both shows, VanderWaal gave a little backstory of the song.

The song doesn’t really make sense. It’s really catchy and cute. I kind of wrote it because I was thinking about the relationship you have with casual boyfriends. And it’s kind of that surface-level emotional relationship, where you are never fully letting your guard down and you are tied up, even if it’s a little subliminal, making sure that they are still enjoying their time with you. It’s not like that real friend. And I was like – fuck, all the girlfriends I have are like boyfriend relationships, you know. They were so surface level, but I still felt the pressure to keep them around and keep them happy. There wasn’t that sense of friendship vulnerability there. I’m, mending the fires of these friendships. And I have all these fucking boyfriends I’m managing.

Grace’s speech before singing “Boyfriends”

At the end of June, the artist started hinting the release of the upcoming single through her social media accounts with behind-the-scenes pictures of the promo shoot for the song. The official release date and artwork were revealed on July 12, 2023.