>>128320552
I guess lots of factors were involved there.
Grimes began making music while studying at University in Montreal, using GarageBand. She was deeply prolific - writing and recording constantly, developing her sound quickly through trial and error rather than formal training. Eventually she had to sacrifice her education in the exchange for music career.
Montreal's DIY scene at the time was highly supportive, collaborative, and art-focused. Literally all of her friends were GOOD musicians (or at least somehow involved into making art), so she had many constantly available sources to learn from. Claire's first official appearance on a music label is her being one of back vocalists for the album of her friend.
Then, after Halfaxa, she got lucky enough to get noticed by Gorilla vs. Bear and Pitchfork which were powerful tastemakers in the indie music industry.
Her distinct aesthetic (ethereal, sci-fi, anime-inspired), iconic DIY videos and self-made artworks helped her stand out visually and aligned with emerging internet culture. It was great timing for the rise of Grimes as she became a part of a new wave of internet-native musicians whose identities matched the emerging aesthetic of the web.
Also, drugs of course. It's a risky destructive tool with bad consequences, but in her case it helped efficiently to speed up her work, especially for Visions - two weeks on amphetamines, self-imposed isolation period, she barely slept or ate, and used stimulants to stay awake while producing so she could meet the deadline. The reward for that was her first truly polished record, acceptable for releasing on 4AD.
Her road to 4AD could have been even shorter, if Arbutus' label manager wasn't such a selfish asshole and scammer, but that's a different story.
