Interview: Arden Alexa

Interview by Brigid Young

Bay Area based rising star Arden Alexa has been releasing music since 2021, but her musical journey began much earlier. From being in choir as a young child to performing in musicals in high school, Arden has been surrounded by music for most of her life. At just 18 years old, the summer after graduating high school, she became a full time musician. For being so early in her career, Arden Alexa is already making a name for herself in the industry, amassing tens of thousands of streams on Spotify.

Her latest single, “Stupid Boy”, was released on March 31st. When asked about how she feels about the response to the track so far, she reveals that the night of the release was a bit different than she had planned. 

“The night of the release was really chaotic. There were some technical difficulties on our end, so we were really scrambling. I was really stressed out. But, after all of that, I was so excited to release this song. I’ve had it in my back pocket for a long time. I was always really proud of it. It’s always a little nerve wracking to put stuff out into the world, but the feedback I’ve gotten has been nothing but positive.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

“Stupid Boy” has been a long time in the making, penned by Arden about a year ago. She writes from her own experiences, so the song is about a real situation that occurred in her life.

“That was a super fun facetime, like hey, I wrote a song about you! I wrote it around the time of prom, which is what it’s based on. When I went into the studio with my producer around September or October, we put the song together, among a couple of others. This was actually a really tough one to put together, it just took a lot of time. It was one of those songs we had to sit with. Some songs come together really quickly, and it just works, but with this song we had to try a bunch of different things. There was a lot of back and forth. But, when we finally finished, it was so exciting. It was almost more satisfying, since we had to work at it.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

Arden Alexa credits her parents for introducing her to music, as her dad is an opera singer, as well as a rock music composer. Her mom took her to music classes as a toddler, so she has truly grown up being involved in music for as long as she can remember.

“I always loved it, but I wasn’t always good at it. My parents put me in voice lessons as a child, because I would sing all the time. That was the start of it all. I was such a musical theatre kid for a long time, I was in everything. I started writing songs when I was in middle school. I entered the first song I had ever wrote and finished into a local art competition, and won the grand prize. That was a moment for me, where I realized that this was something that I could share with other people. Before that, I was the kid who would be sitting in the theatre playing the piano at lunch. But, I wasn’t playing for anybody. I wasn’t sharing it. I’m so lucky to have had great teachers, and that my parents were so supportive. It was amazing. I went to a super academic high school, which was a super interesting moment for me. I was living two separate lives: on the weekends I was playing music, and at school I was a total nerd. When it came time to apply to colleges, I wasn’t sure it was exactly what I wanted to do. I had released two songs at that point and had gotten some good feedback, and I loved being in the studio more than anything. I felt like it could be something. So I sat down with my parents, gave them a heart attack, but once they got over the initial shock, they were super supportive. It’s been 9 months of me doing this full time, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in my life. I’ve met so many cool people and have done so many cool shows! It was a journey to get here, but it’s been really amazing.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

Writing all of her own music, songwriting sessions for Arden Alexa often look quite different depending on the song.

“Every song comes out a little bit different. I play the piano and the guitar, so those are my two go to instruments. Depending on what I’m feeling, I’ll go to one or the other. It’s always been a very solitary experience for me, which was interesting when I first started co-writing with other people. A lot of it is trial and error. I always write from things that are going on in my life, or things that I’m feeling very strongly. Often I’ve written songs when I’m crying, or while I’m yelling at somebody via text, just having strong emotions. Every song has a life of it’s own, sometimes it takes 15 minutes and sometimes it takes 15 days. That’s what makes it exciting.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

Her first single, a gentle, groovy track titled “The Coast” was released in 2021. Since then, she’s released several other singles, as well as a six track EP. Her sound has evolved and matured over time, evolving alongside the artist herself.

“It’s been an interesting journey, both writing and being in the studio. I think it’s easy, when you’re young, to be easily influenced and let the producer do it. I didn’t have that much say on what “The Coast” sounded like, I just showed up with the lyrics and the melody. It was super influenced by the other artists and producers in the room. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I want to be involved more in the sound. Every time I go in the studio, I learn a lot more, and have gotten so much better at understanding production. Especially with the latest songs I’ve produced. “Strawberry Pie”, my single before this one, I was super involved. I even got to play some of the instruments on the track. My music has evolved because I’ve gotten so much more in the process.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

When it comes to inspiration, Arden Alexa has been influenced by a wide range of artists.

“I’ll always say Taylor Swift! She’s the artist I grew up listening to, who inspired me to play guitar and write songs. Even from the business side, she’s such a powerful person and influential artist. I will always love her. I love Harry Styles, I love his individuality. We live in a society where it can be frowned upon to do your own thing, but he owns it. That’s really inspired me as an artist, but also as a person. I listen to so much music, I love Fleetwood Mac, I love SZA. The list could go on and on forever. Taylor Swift and Harry Styles though are like, my idols.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

Connecting with listeners is Arden Alexa’s main goal with her music, and hopes that she can bring listeners a sense of comfort.

“I want people to feel heard, and like they aren’t alone. There have been times in my life where I’ve felt lonely, or like nobody knew what I was going through, but then there was a song. A song that I felt heard by, and connected to. I think music has gotten me through so much during my life, especially during the pandemic. At the end of the day, that’s what I want to do for people. That’s all I ever really want.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

Following the release of “Stupid Boy”, Arden Alexa has more in store for her fans later this year. Without giving away too much, she shared a bit about what’s to come.

“I will say that the two singles I’ve released in 2023 are off an upcoming project. I won’t say too much about what it is, but I’ve been working very hard. There’s lots of new music coming out this year, that I’m so proud of, and I think it’s my best work yet! Be on the lookout.” - Arden Alexa for Tongue Tied Magazine

Be sure to listen to “Stupid Boy” here and follow Arden Alexa on Instagram!