Alexa Givens wants to make music that lasts. Raised on jazz standards and vocal powerhouses like Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, Givens strives to create “vibrant colors” with her music, exploring dissonant harmony, crunchy chords, and vocal stacking. “Music is a time capsule for different eras of life,” Givens says. “I want to be able to teleport people.”
Growing up in the suburbs of Maryland, Givens got her start singing in church, eventually becoming a vocalist for the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Youth Orchestra. Her various influences, combined with her natural instinct for harmony, create the timeless sound of her first single “Broken Record”: A featherlight pop song with hints of R&B and a youthful glow. “I’m trying to chase that tingly feeling I get from hearing certain pieces of music,” Givensexplains. In 2022, Givens was a featured artist on a Grammy-nominated project, and was accepted into Berklee College of Music on a full Presidential Scholarship. The 18-year old singer-songwriter-instrumentalist makes music with unabashed joy, and breathes new life into the genres she grew up on.
Here’s what Alexa had to say about the track: “Broken Record is the perfect pop romantic daydream about being ridiculously head over heels in love with someone in the most casual, comfortable way. It’s a Saturday morning dancing around in the kitchen with your partner as you cook breakfast and play all of your favorite records”, Alexa said. “I wrote it on a road trip to Philly in the summer, pondering what my ideal romantic relationship would look like. I was inspired by a 70’s soul song I had on my playlist called ‘Would You Rather’ by The Georgettes”.
Who inspired you to make music?
Well music was always a pretty intuitive thing that I just did and never thought about as a skill; even as a little kid I remember making up songs bored in the grocery store with my mom and sing them all the time, or playing inside of the cabinet with the pots and pans whenever my mother was making food in the kitchen.
Definitely Michael Jackson as a performer and artist– he was my first (and forever) celebrity crush and I was probably the most depressed 8 year old on the planet when he passed, but I was also 2010’s kid and Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande were girls that absolutely dominated the decade that I was fascinated by and aspired to be for as long as I can remember. I remember being obsessed with their personalities and their albums, and it being the first music that I downloaded on my first iPhone 4. I would always copy Ariana’s melodies and put my own witty, cool lyrics over top like Taylor. I also had a lot to talk about too because I had a super mean 3rd grade teacher and I loved to vent about her in my journal and absolutely destroy her Taylor style. My dad introduced me to Joni Mitchell around 14 and she really got to my core; she inspired me as I got older to be vulnerable and gave me a sort of ~permission~ to speak confidently about my different outlooks on common topics like love being unromantic, happiness not being complete joy, and loneliness at times being a comfortable and freeing thing.
What is your creative process like?
Well it happens differently every time. Sometimes it’s melodies first without lyrics, sometimes lyrics without melody, and sometimes just an array of harmonies that I’ll be hearing inside. Working by myself, I normally start with my guitar or piano. I’m constantly coming up with melodies and lyrics in my head throughout the day so my notes and voice memos app are always handy. As I begin to branch out from my bedroom and collaborate with other artists more often, I do find that I have so much fun writing to tracks! I still am an extroverted introvert though and It’s still a very personal and intimate thing when I write, even if I am with others. If I’m writing in real time, I always have to retreat for a minute and come back to the room later after I’ve processed things alone.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Oh my goodness, probably Taylor, Ariana, Jacob Collier, or in the most perfect of worlds, Joni Mitchell and Amy Winehouse.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
I really admire Jacob Collier, Amy Winehouse, Joni Mitchell, and Kanye West. Some odd combinations, yes, but I respect and admire all of them so much for their creativity, intelligence, and talent.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
From Kamala Harris, to always dream with ambition, and to never give up at the finish line, from my dad.
Who are your main musical influences?
I learned how to play guitar from Joni and Taylor so I have a lot of folksy, country influence with that instrument, piano comes from my imitations of everyone and everything i listen to which is a lot of pop, jazz, and folk progressions, and vocally i’m heavily influenced by the powerhouses like Mariah, Whitney, Ariana and Amy Winehouse.
What are your plans for any future releases?
Everything I have released and will release within the next month or two have been pretty upbeat and happy pop songs, but I’m secretly a verbose, complex and sad-song songwriter who has an affinity to sad, suspenseful, dark chords. I don’t find that to be a bad thing though, it’s actually a side of me that I’d really like to showcase in the near future because it feels the most true to me. It’s vulnerable and I think there’s an inimitable beauty in that. I’m not happy and bubbly all the time– I feel the not-so-good things too and I want to be honest about it.
What is the most useless talent you have?
I don’t think I have a useless talent? Nothing goes to waste over here!
What would be a good theme song for your life?
River by Joni Mitchell
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Saniyya Sidney!
If you were a member of the Spice Girls, what would your spice handle be?
Maybe Baby Spice?!
If you were talking to a younger version of you, what advice would you give yourself?
Don’t be so hard on yourself, it will never be perfect. You do your best and that’s all you can do.
