Be Sweet To Me: Violet Grohl is more than just her surname

It’s hard to hear the name Violet Grohl and not find yourself immediately thinking about her dad, the superstar drummer from Nirvana and Foo Fighters founder, Dave Grohl. It’s undeniable that Violet has reaped the rewards of having a world-famous father; since the age of 12 she has been making professional appearances alongside her dad, notably performing an array of Jeff Buckley songs at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts in London and California. 

Although she’s received a big leg up in life, it’s pretty hard to deny that Grohl is extremely talented in her own right. In 2018, Violet performed Adele’s ‘When We Were Young’ with Grohl at the Notes & Words benefit concert, an impressive feat for any 12-year-old. Violet’s talent has been undisputed for years because of showcases like these - it’s not surprising when one incredibly talented musician produces another - but she has only been recognised for it in a light separate to her father more recently. 

Violet released her debut album Be Sweet To Me in May 2026: a beautiful look at anxiety, the paranormal, love and the beginnings of adulthood. Singles ‘595’,‘Thum’, and ‘Cool Buzz’ first showed off Grohl’s talents as a singer-songwriter and attracted the attentions of both new fans and Nirvana/Foo Fighters listeners who had been eagerly awaiting to hear the musical outcome of Dave Grohl’s protege. 

While Grohl continues her family’s legacy of rock music, she also levels up her sound with ‘90s grunge influences; elements of The Breeders, PJ Harvey and Hole can be heard on the album, layered with gritty guitars, amp feedback and heavy drums. Violet doesn’t shy away from showcasing her influences, in fact she invites them into her sound and creates a blend of artists that is true to herself.  Be Sweet To Me is a convincing imitation ‘throwback’ album, an almost authentic ‘90s grunge & alt-rock sound that could slot in with Queens of the Stone Age or even early Foo music. Grohl’s self-assured vocals lay beautifully over Justin Raisen (producer and songwriter for the likes of Kim Gordon, Charli XCX, John Cale) and Anthony Paul Lopez’ production, shining especially bright in ‘Last Day I Loved You’ and ‘Plastic Couch’. 

With compliments also comes criticism, something Grohl has arguably been plunged deeper into as a result of her high-profile surname. When speaking on the ‘nepo-baby’ commentary circulating around her, Violet said: “I don’t care – I really don’t. I’ve heard that since I was 13 years old. So call me a Nepo Baby all you want. It’s ‘whatever’ to me. I just hope that eventually people will give me a shot.”

Grohl’s persistence to continue performing and creating music after an almost 10-year-long warm-up to her debut album and her genuine love for music suggest it’s more than a ‘nepo-baby’ taking the easy way out. Violet has adopted a ‘take no prisoners’ mindset to her career, with passion being her leading drive to block out the background noise of her critics: “Come listen to my music and then you can decide for yourself if I’m worthy of this career or not.”

Words by Beth Hibbard, she/her