Q & A with Social Media Music Star Turned Singer/Songwriter, Alexandra Kay
You may know her as the “coffee girl” on TikTok, but Alexandra Kay is a force to be reckoned with in country music. From gaining her first viral video on social media in 2020 to going on tour with Tim McGraw just two years later, Alexandra has figured out a fun and interactive way of reaching her audience.
Q: Can you give our readers a little background and how you got started?
A: I had been doing musical theater for a long time, voiceover work, commercials and other smaller projects but I was really ready to get my voice out to the world as an artist. I met a few guys through work that were recording hip hop, so I told them that if they ever needed a female voice, I’d record tracks for free. My name started getting passed around and I just recorded with everyone I could. I did that for the first year of my career and ended up getting my first record deal from doing that. I actually signed an R&B record deal and had the opportunity to work with Nelly and a lot of other amazing St. Louis artists. My music career took off from there!
In 2015 I started sharing videos of me singing my favorite country songs on Facebook, sitting on my parents’ staircase. I gained over half a million followers on Facebook just from that. I had a video of me singing Jolene by Dolly Parton go viral and I ended up getting a Netflix series gig from that! I went to LA for a couple years for the filming process and after everything was done, I decided to go back home and really put my nose to the grindstone to get back to songwriting. One day my friend Ryan Robbinette brought up TikTok and I was fairly apprehensive about it, thinking it was an app for kids. He sold me on it, convincing me it was a great platform for sharing music, so I created an account. The thing about me, my art and the way I go about doing things is I’ll try anything that’s within the character of my brand. If I see an opportunity to reach my audience, I’m going to give it a try and see what I can do with it. At first my videos didn’t really produce anything, but then I finished writing “I Kinda Don’t” with Ryan Robbinette and Tana Maz, posted it on TikTok and it went viral! It was my first song to chart #1 on iTunes completely independently (without a record label) and it charted on Billboard as well. This was at a time when independent artists weren’t yet hitting the charts. I was only the second person to independently do something like that, with Priscilla Block being the first.
Q: What have you learned about sharing your journey online?
A: Social media changes every day and people change every day. I feel like I learned a lot about myself along the way as well. You can ride a wave of content going viral but then it hits a different demographic and all of a sudden people hate it and leave negative comments. What I’ve learned is that the negative comments have thickened my skin and made me grow. It’s allowed me to believe in myself and be okay with the people who don’t necessarily love what I’m doing. It was tough to get there and there are still times when I have a bad day and need a good cry, but overall it’s helped me learn how to be alright through the negativity.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your platform?
A: I’ve been able to collaborate with a lot of incredible people through TikTok. It allowed you this unique access to celebrities that you don’t get anywhere else. I hope to be able to collaborate with some of my musical heroes through the app and I can’t wait to see where that journey takes me!
Q: What advice do you have for other creators?
A: Consistency is key. You have to stick with it and keep posting! When something you post flops, you have to just take it for what it is, know that it didn’t work and try something else tomorrow. Remember that hate comments mean that you’re reaching more people. You’re not going to be for everybody and that’s ok. Try not to let ignorant people and hateful comments get you down. When you get constructive comments and criticism, take it! Evaluate it and if you agree, grow from it. If you disagree, try to grow from what your audience is telling you. Get to know the people who are listening to you! It’s the easiest and most overlooked part of this whole business. The people who are consuming your art are people, the same as you! Get to know them as humans and always make sure to appreciate them and make sure they know they’re more than just a like, comment or share on your posts.
Alexandra Kay is excited to announce that she has a new project coming up the end of this year amongst continuing to tour with other artists and as a headliner. Be sure to follow along on all social media platforms for new music and tour dates!
This article was created for the Fall Issue of the Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine which was released in early July. You can catch this article and many more by checking out the full issue. For more information on Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine, visit the website here.
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