Alexandra James - From Jazz Roots to Country Roads
- Grace Angelique
- Apr 15, 2024
- 6 min read
Alexandra James is a vocalist and songwriter based in New York City. Graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and further honing her skills through New York University’s Graduate Program in Songwriting, Alex's music blends neo-soul and R&B influences with her jazz background.
As a fellow alum of Idyllwild Arts Academy and a fan for over a decade, I'm thrilled to introduce her music to my readers. In our conversation, Alex shares insights into her album "Ascension" and its live recording process, her genre-shifting collaboration on "Free," and the profound impact of the pandemic on her personal and artistic growth.
Can you tell us a bit more about "Ascension" and its unique live recording process with other musicians? What was the inspiration behind the album?
"Absolutely! The music on Ascension was all written throughout my time at New England Conservatory getting my undergrad degree. I always felt a bit like a black sheep there. I didn’t do very well when I first arrived. I was behind everyone else in a lot of ways - I didn’t know how to read music when I arrived and most other students had been reading music since they were kids. I was actually on academic probation for 3 semesters, I failed solfege 1 twice. Despite all of that, I found my own path and worked my ass off to graduate on time despite being so behind on credits. Ascension was my collection of stories of my experience finding myself and who I was. Failing, succeeding, overcoming, learning to love and connect with others - all of that good stuff.
As far as the recording process goes, tracking with a live band was the only way to go with me. I laid down scratch vocals and the rhythm section was all in the same room with each other while they recorded each tune. I think that was so special and resulted in such real, live, and communicative music. I still approach the music I write and record today in that way. I’m obsessed with live, real instruments. Nothing against virtual or electronic instruments and music, but that’s not the sound I personally love and envision for my music. Live instrumentation, especially recorded at the same time vs. one by one, is magic to me."
Reflecting on your collaboration on the song "Free" with Gael and Billa Joints, which involved a genre shift from Jazz to Hip Hop, who are your biggest musical influences and how have various artists or genres influenced your music?
"Honestly, the genre shift into hip hop for that collaboration was born out of opportunity and convenience. Billa Joints was one of my roommates at the time and he came to me asking if I wanted to collaborate and I loved the music so I agreed! I love hip hop and rap, but I’ve never been motivated to sit down and write in those genres on my own. So I jumped at the chance to make it happen with them. At that time I was also trying to broaden my writing portfolio. I think one of the main ways to become a successful songwriter is strengthening your ability to be versatile and write in many genres.
I have so many musical influences… so hard to narrow it down! I also tend to go through deep love of different musical icons depending on what phase of my music journey I am in. Off the top of my head for my life right now, these are the biggest: Shania Twain (my first concert), Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Dolly Parton, Linda Rondstat, Stevie Wonder, and Stevie Nicks. Shania Twain is a fucking icon. She is such a badass woman who paved the way for every country-pop musician after her. I know every word to the album Up - I remember wearing out that CD on my silver plastic discman when I was a kid. Enough said. Nina Simone is another pillar of female rage, strength, and badassery. The way she emotes through her voice and piano playing is so inspiring for me - she is the epitome of realness and rawness. She is everything I hope to be. I am so inspired by people who are unapologetically themselves, I think that list of influences reflects that. Nothing is more inspiring to me than the reality of life. I love artists who pour it all out, put everything on the table."
When it comes to live performances, how do you approach them? Do you adjust your songs or stage presence according to the venue or audience?
"I’ve been a performing and gigging musician for over a decade now. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to just be authentic and real and reflect that in my performances. I’ve experienced pretty much everything that could possibly go wrong on a gig - from broken speakers and microphones, to forgetting lyrics, to having audience members spill drinks on me, to being ignored, to drunk and belligerent people trying to play my guitar while it’s in a stand or trying to grab my mic. All of that sucked hahaha, but it’s given me the confidence to know that I can always land on my feet. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve also experienced so many magical and amazing moments in performing. I’ve made a room full of people so silent and intently listening to me that you could hear a pin drop. I’ve had people tell me that I inspire them, that my music has moved them deeply. I’ve felt the beauty and joy that comes from locking in with a band so tightly that you have ultimate trust in each other and you can just purely create together. Those are the most cherished moments I have and why I continue to do what I do. There is nothing like performing music live."
How did the pandemic affect you personally and professionally as a musician? Did this period of uncertainty and isolation inspire any new songs or influence your creative process in any significant way?
"Looking back on it now, the pandemic was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, personally and musically. When lockdown went into effect, I was completing my last semester of grad school at NYU. I was 25 and so sure that I was on the precipice of beginning my life and my dream career. Then the world shut down, I graduated on F-ing zoom, and all of my NYC friends and community I had spent 2 years cultivating moved out of the city. I had a brand new masters degree from one of the top schools in the country and was suddenly scrambling to get unemployment because I couldn’t pay my rent. Plainly said; I was fucking pissed off.
I quit music for about 5 months. I didn’t practice, write, sing, or even listen to music. I thought, what was the point? I did all the right things, and now I am broke and my career is moving backwards. I was so, so bitter. Then, somehow, I started writing again. And what happened? I underwent a huge genre shift and started writing country music. There was no pressure (we were all still locked inside and literally fearing for our lives), no assignments, nobody asking me to create anything. I was writing for me and me only, for the first time in my life. It felt like I finally found my place. I grew up on country music and I’ve always had a deep love for it., but at jazz conservatory - everyone trash-talks country music. It’s not 'cool' because it’s 'simple'. So, I shifted away from it and stopped listening to it. But when I was finally in a space where I was creating for myself, that’s what immediately poured out of me. And now I’m a country artist! I am so grateful to have been able to discover and find myself and my artistry. That time and that music has set me on the path that I am today."
Looking ahead, what can your fans anticipate from you in the near future? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or performances that you're particularly enthusiastic about sharing?
"My fans, current and future, can expect so, so much. I am currently working on an EP of my new music I’ve written during and after the pandemic. It’s taken me insane amounts of time and energy to get here, I’ve had the worst and the best times of my life the past 3 years. All of that will be present in my new music. I’ll be vulnerable in a way I’ve never been before, and I am beyond excited to share all of it with the world. I’m hoping to release this music by the end of this upcoming summer, so stay tuned!
I’ve never been on tour and I’m hoping to be able to do so with this new music. Even if it’s a small east coast tour, I want so badly to share this music with strangers in cities I’ve never performed in before. I want to be able to be vulnerable in that way. I want to experience being on the road and connecting with folks I’ve never met before who have never heard of me. I’m 29 years old and I feel like I’m just starting to truly meet myself and become who I am. What incredible inspiration will I find as I continue on that journey? That is what I’m most excited about experiencing and then sharing with the world through music."