I absolutely love "Playing with Fire"! Can you talk more about the inspiration behind the song?
Alex: Thank you so much, I'm so excited about it! The song is about holding on to a past lover when they've already moved on, just so you can keep the good parts a little longer, even though it's painful. I was going through a breakup with a guy and we stupidly agreed to be friends. He moved on really quickly and that was hard to watch, so I prossessed my emotions the only way I know how; I wrote about it.
What is the best part of songwriting for you?
Alex: I live for the storytelling, I want to paint a picture and tell a full story with every song. The older I get the more I realise that the human experience is pretty homogenous. Despite sharing so many of the same experiences we somehow manage to feel alone in the hardships we go through. I want to write songs that make people feel like someone has lived through what they're going through, and that they're going to be ok.
Your first single, "Gone (are the days)" came out back in September. What has the response to that song been like?
Alex: The response has been really good! I'm a very new and small artist and don't have the biggest reach yet, but the people I did reach really seemed to love it! People still reach out to tell me they loved the vibe and the message and it brings me to tears every time.
What advice would you give to listeners who are caught up in difficult relationships like the ones described in your songs?
Alex: Personally I think we hold on to those types of relationships when we don't get closure, and we fault the other person for not giving it to us. Ask yourself what the lesson is. Difficult relationships in my experience - whether it is friends, lovers or family - inspire growth. Every challenging experince comes with a lesson, and through them all it's been up to me to decide if I'm ready to learn that lesson. I think that's when you get closure, when you've learned and grown from it.
What kind of music did you listen to growing up and how has it inspired your work?
Alex: I was a true y2k-kid, and my mp3 player was loaded with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child and Black Eyed Peas. I think I lived on the cusp between pop and hip-hop and really appreciated a good beat. These days I still reference back to my y2k-playlist in the studio when I'm looking for a specific sound or vibe, and still value a good production.
When did you first know you wanted to be a musician?
Alex: This makes me giggle, cause I can clearly remember announcing to my mom that I would be the next Britney Spears when I was about five years old. Music has been a big part of how I define myself from a really young age, but I don't think I realised that I wanted to do it professionally untill I was in high school. Since then it's been a really bumpy and challenging road, but I'm commited to it now, and will ride out this wave as far as it takes me.
Interviewed By Tessa Brainard
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