From the hills of Ohio, singer-songwriter Alexandra performs indie pop music. She recently relocated to Dallas, where she is currently working hard on writing her next EP. She developed a confidence in the openness and artistic release of songwriting as a singer growing up. To finally share these tales with the world, Alexandra hopes to combine her enduring passion for live performance with layered vocals and compelling lyricism. She hopes that the listeners will be familiar with the harmony between upbeat melodies and straightforward storytelling, which will help her to paint a compelling picture with introspective imagery. In the end, she wants to produce music that fosters a sense of community, an amazing live performance, and lyrics that make you feel like youโve made a new friend.
A few months after the 2020 and 2021 releases of her first two singles, she came up with โBonnie & Clyde.โ She used this period to concentrate on her healing, her reflection, and her intense clarity regarding the genre of music she wanted to represent her and this period of time in her life. That is what this song is. It embodies a sense of awareness, but also humor and perspective regarding challenging love. It also looks at what happens when we meet someone who makes us want to abandon our reputation for being cautious. Itโs a catchy summer song about blindly getting into the shotgun seat if the driver can make you believe it will be the ride of your life through charm. Check out her latest single โBonnie & Clydeโ and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
ALEXANDRA: Sure! Iโm originally from a small town right on the Ohio/West Virginia panhandle line. I got started in lessons when I was 3 after seeing my oldest brother in lessons and just never really stopped. I got myself involved in anything and everything performance-related in my community and found a little home for myself within the arts.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
ALEXANDRA: I have about 13 years of formal piano and vocal training under my belt. I was with the same teacher from ages 3-16. She taught me everything I know. She was part of my family after teaching both my brother and I for so long. I also did some different intensives, camps, and workshops where I got to get out of my bubble and train with some really amazing people from all over the world. I did teach myself how to play guitar when I was 12 or 13. My parents got me a guitar for my birthday and I spent every single night in my room memorizing chord shapes and playing my favorite songs. Getting a guitar was the biggest catalyst into my songwriting for sure. I had never written a song before I got my guitar, but once I did, I was writing like 5 a day. It was insane.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name โALEXANDRAโ?
ALEXANDRA: Itโs funny because my roots are actually in musical theatre. Those big, female-fronted, musical ballads were what my voice teacher and I worked tirelessly on, so my earliest memories will always be singing those songs with her. Iโve always been drawn to female, powerhouse-y, solo artists and the charisma and strength it takes to carry the weight of a performance on your shoulders alone. I remember driving with my mom and asking her to put on her Cher or Faith Hill CD. Those women, though totally different genre-wise, were absolutely showstoppers, you know? I still feel a wave of power and motivation every time I listen to โOneโ by Faith Hill because I remember being a little girl, totally inspired by her performance on that track, singing in the car with my mom.
Speaking of my mom, I chose to be โAlexandraโ because itโs my real name hahaha. My friends and family call me Lex or Lexie, but my mom calls me Alexandra. Itโs a family name. Itโs a special name. I never decided to go by โLexieโ because I didnโt like โAlexandraโ; I actually never decided at all. My brothers did. As toddlers, โAlexandraโ was a little tricky to annunciateโฆ so โLexieโ I became. But when I am making my music or performing, I feel like the most genuine, authentic version of myselfโฆ like my true self. So it feels it total alignment to be using my real name while I am doing it.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
ALEXANDRA: My songwriting, definitely. I am most proud of my ability to write lines that are thought-provoking, yet digestible. I want to write lyrics that make the listener feel seen, like when a friend gives you advice that makes you say โoh, I never thought about it that way.โ Or when you wear something you just bought and a stranger compliments it, knowing exactly what it is and where itโs from. Itโs that feeling of โI see you, you see me, thereโs a common thread connecting us here.โ
I feel like my sound is a personification of that common thread. Thereโs a warmth and familiarity in the songs that Iโve released. While my most recent release โBonnie & Clydeโ feels a bit different than my first release โBad Stuffโ or my second โWinterโ, I think they all would sit in the same friend group. Thereโs this indie pop undertone consistency riding under my music that manifests in those catchy guitar licks or the layered BGVs. I want to create things that donโt fear the boxes of genreโฆ I just want to create tracks that feel good.
ALEXANDRA:
Hmmโฆ what a great question! Frankly, I never want to get to a point where I feel like Iโm done learning or observing. I still very much so feel like a sponge. Iโm surrounded by really amazing artists but more so, really amazing, colorful people. My friends and I are constantly sharing things that push me into a place of inspiration and eagerness to learn. I feel grateful for my nature because I do fear complacency. Even from a young age, I always wanted to have my toes dipped in a million things. And as Iโve moved through making this music, Iโve just been taking clippings from my experiences and putting them up in this metaphorical potluck of a moodboard. For me, itโs invigorating to submerge into new waters. I think thatโs why my Iโm taking my time releasing this music. My taste is constantly changing. I feel different genres and styles bleeding into my music constantly. So, yes, while thereโs definitely these pop undertones to my songsโฆ thereโs also different flavors introduced as my palette has expanded.
6. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
ALEXANDRA:
I think music can be all of these things, or some of these things, or just one of these things. There are no boxes. No rules. Music is infamously subjective. Some people feel very passionately about needing their favorite artists to release songs that vocalize their political, culture, spiritual, etc. beliefsโฆ and on the other side of that, some listeners want to use music to escape from those thoughts entirely. My other pals who make music and I have talked about this before. You go back and forth between โwho do I think I am? Do I even feel like I have the right to make music about this?โ And โthis is a no brainer, I have to write about thisโ. Thereโs this feeling of obligation some artists must feel, especially now with the age of social media, to be making be owning the responsibility of your voice. Luckily, it feels very natural for me to use my music as a vessel for these very nuanced topics. I struggle to write light-hearted songs haha. But, I try not to tangle myself too far up into who I might owe my opinion to or what is expected of me. Honestly, I just write songs about whatโs sitting on my heart. The night Roe V. Wade was overturned, I wrote a song about thatโฆ but I didnโt write it out of feeling some sort of obligation to society. I donโt necessarily owe anyone anything at all. I wrote it because I was unbelievably angry.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
ALEXANDRA:
Oh manโฆ Iโm sure I could lie and say that I am satisfied with where I am at. Truth is, I totally am not. Donโt get me wrong, I am so proud of what I have done, especially in the last few years. But, I always want to be playing this music to more people. I always want to be putting out new songs. But, I donโt ever feel like the work is in vain. I feel no resentment towards this process. It sounds so dramatic, but this is my lifeโs work, you know? It is the joy of my life. And I am here for the long haul. I genuinely want to see this journey shift and change. The older I get, the cooler I am with it being sometimes more than I asked for and sometimes way, way less. To be frank, I just simply donโt want to do anything else. So short answer: Am I satisfied? No. But am I fulfilled? Absolutely.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
ALEXANDRA:
Ahhhh yes, the creative process. Well, itโs usually just me. Itโs always been just me, but I did my first co-write with my producers and dear friends Cali and Gabe on the latest single โBonnie & Clydeโ.
Weโve worked on all of my music together, but actually didnโt write together until this year. It was amazing because us writing together was super similar to how I write when Iโm alone. Iโll usually boil down a concept into a hook or a one-liner that I love. Then, whether itโs on piano or guitar, Iโll find a chord progression and just start humming around until I find a melody. Recently, Iโve been writing a lot more on guitar but my first two releases were written on piano. What stays consistent, though, is that all of the songs Iโve written have came out in one swipe. If I leave a song and say Iโll come back to it, I wonโt. So I just finish it, even if it sucks. Then Iโll send a voice memo of it over to Gabe and we start the whole production process together.
9. What has been the most difficult thing youโve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
ALEXANDRA: I think the last two years of my life have been filled with enormous grief and immense transformation. Beginning of 2020, I was in the thick of heartbreakโฆ and then we were all thrown into the pandemic. I had to endure this pain in a new apartment, in a new city, with no friends, no family, and barely a job. I was just teaching online at the time. I was too devastated to write. I couldnโt even pick up my guitar. I had to completely rebuild my life from scratch. It was difficult, but I somehow started doing so a day at a time. Iโm still doing it a day at a time!
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
ALEXANDRA: I think Iโm currently sitting in that point in my life. Iโm incredibly proud of my accomplishments this past year. Sometimes I forget that Iโm fully self-managed. Every gig, every interview, every playlist placement, etcโฆ Iโve spearheaded that effort and Iโve seen it through. I have amazing friends who show up for me in a million ways. I have a small, core team that have a lot of ownership in this success as well. And people have floated in and out to help with either distribution or social media and Iโm very, very grateful for that help, but at the end of it all, itโs been me keeping this train going. On a personal level, I have really persevered despite the many curveballs thrown my way. I feel like I have navigated a complicated path with grace and braveryโฆ and it feels like such a triumph when I look at it all. These last two years encompassed both the best and worst times of my entire life. Ultimately, Iโm grateful for it all. So so grateful.
KEEP IN TOUCH:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
