Hello Lexie how are you?
Hello!! I’m pretty good, I hope you are well too!
I’m good! Thankyou for asking!
Congratulations on the release of “We’re Not Lonely Anymore”. How does it feel?
I’m honestly buzzing, it feels like it’s been in the works for a lifetime so I’ve been building up a bundle of nerves and excitement for a while now and it just feels like a relief to have it out in the world !
What’s the story behind it?
I wrote it quite a while back- January 2020, so pre-covid which is mad. I had also just turned 15 and am now nearly 17 so it does feel like a different person who wrote it yet I have the same excitement about it as I did back then and it’s still so special to me. It definitely wasn’t a personal experience song- I think I was pretty lonely at the time I wrote it haha, but I had this image in my head of a very movie-like scene of meeting someone at a party you don’t want to be at with people you don’t like and then heading outside to chat under the stars where it’s quieter but still with the distant sounds of the party fading in and out of the background. It’s about connecting with someone and it just being really easy to talk to them even though you’ve only just met. Now being in a very different place I think the chorus in particular means a lot to me because it just makes me think of all the people I’ve met recently and feeling like a part of something,I guess that’s why it has retained such a soft spot in my playlist of demos for so long.
It’s from your forthcoming EP, what was it like recording it?
The EP was recorded with a couple of different people in different places but for this song I worked with Dan Swift who was amazing. We did the whole thing over emails and zooms just sending back and forth logic sessions. For the other songs on the EP we were able to do in person sessions as the world opened up again after covid, and those days recording were just so much fun.
What were the challenges and the positives you faced recording it?
I think working online is a really interesting process- it’s pretty cool to have made something without even having to leave the house and I think it meant I could have even more input into the track as I’d work on and try things in my own time. that being said it’s also very strange and you definitely don’t have quite the same energy as you do in a room with someone obviously and it can be hard to fully get your opinions and ideas across. Dan was so patient though so I’m very grateful for that and I’m so happy with what we ended up with.
What’s your favourite track from it?
I think it’s probably the last track- the sky looked nice today. it won’t be coming out for quite a while so I feel mean saying that one but it’s definitely the song that was the most personal and emotional.
You’ve worked with some incredible producers on it whose credits include Aqualung, Biffy Clyro and Kasabian, what were the biggest lessons you learned from those sessions?
I think I learnt a lot about how to craft the production around the core of the song, it’s so cool how they would find things to fill up missing spots in the texture and pitch to ensure the track sounded full and complete. Dan also taught me a lot about squeezing hooky earworms into songs wherever you can!
You’re a singer songwriter from London how did it all begin for you?
I don’t really know why I started writing songs but I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making up bits and pieces. I think I wrote my first song when I was about 8 years old after I started learning guitar.
What did you listen to growing up?
I was a big fan of One Direction growing up!! but I think my love for Ed Sheeran was probably what inspired me to write and then when I was about 11 I discovered Dodie on YouTube and her songs influenced me SO MUCH.
You have been placed highly in the Song Academy Young Songwriter Competition three years running, congratulations. What’s your usual approach to writing songs?
I have a running list of random lyric ideas in my phone that I’ve normally come up with at very randoms times. Then when I feel like sitting down to write I’ll pick one and play some chords and sing it in different melodies and just experiment until I think something sounds nice and then the rest of it should flow from there but I’ll often get very stuck and have to leave it alone for a while.
COVID impacted the creative industry in a big way, what kept you motivated?
I think for me I wasn’t in a place where covid affected my music making massively which I’m very grateful for as I had always just been doing stuff on my own and hadn’t started playing live properly yet so it wasn’t a huge change. It was definitely much harder to find things to write about though!!
2020 was a time to reflect what did you learn about yourself?
Before covid I would always have said I was the biggest introvert in the world and being at home all day everyday was my perfect situation but I definitely learnt how much we all need connection with other people and to experience things out in the world.
Did you pick up any new skills?
Ooh I did a lot of embroidery which was fun. I really like arts and crafts!!
What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m loving Holly Humberstone’s new EP that just came out, she is incredible. I also love Maisie Peters, Cavetown and Leith Ross at the moment!
What are you looking forward to next?
I’m just so excited for the rest of this EP to come out and we’ve even started on some stuff to come out after that! I also can’t wait to play live more!
