Los Angeles Artist, Sad Alex, fuels her artistry with her emotions from a candid and human stance that leads listeners and viewers back into themselves. In celebration of the release of “All The Way Over”, I caught up with Alex for a great chat about taking time to dig deeper into herself as a human being, choosing to not sugarcoat her life experience or thoughts, being in tune with reality beyond the digital world, being signed to Red Bull Records and much more.
Congrats on the release of your new single, “All The Way Over”. Tell us about the message that you intended to portray throughout the track.
Thank you! I’ve been really happy with the response. I texted my manager a rant once about the meaning behind this song which I think depicts it pretty accurately:
“Sometimes the worst thing about being heartbroken is when you aren’t anymore. It’s better to cry-drink a bottle of wine and overshare about the breakup sex to a bartender than to admit it’s over, right? It definitely feels safer. But then time passes and you start dating a barista/model/aspiring screenwriter/uber driver and you start to forget about what came before. well SHIT. I’m moving on. Does that mean you’re moving on too? does that mean we are actually, finally, ALL THE WAY over?”
Though a broad question, what have you learned about yourself and what skills have you developed through working with Red Bull Records so far?
I feel like I am having to learn more things about myself every day as I focus on my artist project. What do I wear? What should this artwork be? What is my voice? What do I stand for? Who am I trying to reach? Are drops still cool? Luckily, I’ve had a few years now to focus on these questions and feel much more in command of them than I ever have before. That being said, I still struggle with what to wear. and drops. We’ve been focusing a lot on content this year: video promos, photoshoots, voiceovers for spotify and social media ads. So, I actually feel like I’ve really had to tap into my acting chops a lot. It has been unexpectedly fun and rewarding; I audited an acting class because I was having so much fun with it. I think it’s really important to strengthen performances, music videos, photoshoots, etc. Lots of all those coming soon!
Showcasing the human in you, what is a challenging thought that you recently had and were able to overcome over time?
I think the inadequacy demon has a funny way of showing up over your shoulder even at the times when you should feel like your on top of your game. It whispers all the fears to you: “How will you have longevity in your career? What if you aren’t good enough? What if you don’t write a good song today? What if you never write a good song EVER AGAIN” and you’re just like WOAH BRO, I’m eating tacos can you take it easy? The battle of social media convincing us we are both superheroes and simultaneously not enough is also a very difficult path to navigate. Recently, I’ve been trying to practice a bit more compassion, dedicate time to just be a normal human, read more….weed helps too.
What is your perception of the digital world that we live in and social media culture?
It’s both a nightmare and the most powerful tool we have. Some of my most notable achievements so far this year have been in the digital space: the “All The Way Over” game available in the app store, the campaigns we’ve been running on Instagram and Spotify, and the coverage so far for the latest single on the dsp’s to name a few. I have a lot of new fans reaching out via Instagram from the Spotify + YouTube coverage we have received (thank you Mr. Suicide Sheep and everyone else supporting!) and those are some of the most rewarding messages I receive- people truly connecting with the music and wanting to know more about the project. I am doing my best to keep up and connect with all of them because I truly love that aspect. However, it’s important to maintain a separation and remember that there is a real LIFE happening all around us, at all times. That’s way cooler than life on our phone. So, I try to disconnect as often as I can and focus on the human stuff.
No career path or number of followers negates the fact that you are a human being that has feelings. Tell us about some parts of you beyond being a musician that you take pride in.
I take pride in being as real, blunt, and honest to a fault as I can. I don’t want to sugar coat anything. I’m over trying to make it look like I’m killing it when I just took the bus to my session cause of a lyft surge. I definitely am doing better now than I ever have, but LA is expensive AF and the music industry is tough. My goals now are more to enjoy life and what i do and who I’m with. Hopefully success and wild riches comes with that, but at least I have a good time.
As you are exposed to tons of stimulus and explore throughout the new release and beyond, how do you proactively take care of your mental and emotional health when you’re out on the road?
I think the key is to remember to take time for yourself. I am so excited to go on tour; I have been rehearsing with the new band and am stoked. I’m down to have fun but i also want to have a voice after show. I value my alone time hella and even if I need to cover myself with a blanket in the tour van for 20 minutes to get my head right I will do that so I am not overwhelmed with the social aspect of tour.
If you could trade existences with your favorite cartoon character growing up, who would you choose and why?
Danny Phantom was hot AF. And had a pretty cool secret life situation going on. And prob got laid a lot; sounds cool.
Last but certainly not least, any closing messages for your fans?
People ask me how I chose my name, and I think a lot of people think I arbitrarily chose “sad” to jump on the emo train or something. My last name is actually “saad”, which is palestinian and pronounced with a long a, but has been mispronounced as sad since I was a kid. I was called saadface, saadski, and saad alex for as long as I can remember. On top of that, I obviously struggle with my own share of mental health issues, and for a long time my songs were mostly sad too, so the name change stuck. But a lot of my upcoming releases are also tapping into my sarcasm and humor, which is also part of the meaning of “sad” for me. The name allows me to be more honest about my personality and also connect with my heritage. Shout-out DJ Khaled– fellow Palestinian, hit me up let’s make another one.
London Alternative Pop Band, Flawes, are in the midst of a whirlwind of excitement as they continue to spread their wings and challenge themselves to become the best that they can be as musicians and human beings. I caught up with the guys to discuss the upcoming release of their debut album, ‘Highlights’, always having someone to talk to while on the road, the importance of taking time away from your phone, learning to enjoy the moment and more.
Congrats on the upcoming release of your debut album, ‘HIGHLIGHTS’. Tell us about the message that you intended to portray throughout the new album.
Thank you, ‘Highlights’ represents the journey we’ve taken as a band over the last three years. Our sound has naturally evolved and we couldn’t be happier with where it has ended up. These 12 songs are quite literally the highlights from the writing process.
JC: The album features a series of open letters to myself as well as a few songs about love and heartbreak. I like to let the listener attach their own sentiment to the music so a lot of the lyrics are fairly ambiguous.’
Though a broad question, what have you learned about yourself and what skills have you developed through working in the music industry.
JC : I always struggle to enjoy the moment, i’m always concentrating on the next thing. One of the songs on the album ‘Take This Slow’ is all about telling myself to slow down. It’s a work in progress!
Showcasing the human in you, what is a challenging thought that you recently had and were able to overcome over time?
JC: Another song on the album ‘Don’t Count Me Out’ was all about a time where I was unfairly written off. Instead of giving in, I decided to fight back and prove them wrong. Everytime we play the song live I take myself to that time and place. Sometimes I get a little carried away!
What is your perception on the digital world that we live in and social media culture?
FE: I think it’s easy to live your life through your phone, reaching to your pocket when you’re at a gig instead of appreciating it in the moment. I’m always trying to use mine less but it’s super hard to do so, especially when you’re on a tour bus for hours and hours! I’m definitely an advocate of using phones less.
No career path or amount of followers negates the fact that you are a human being that has feelings. Tell us about some parts of you beyond being a musician that you take pride in.
FE: I’ve recently fallen in love with cooking – I never thought I’d enjoy it as much as I do! There is something very satisfying about cooking for friends or family, especially when the food goes down well. I also love keeping fit and reading, I’m clearly the old man of the band.
As you are exposed to tons of stimulus, how do you proactively take care of your mental and emotional health when you’re out on the road?
FE: One of the benefits of being in a band (as opposed to being a solo artist), is that you have friends around to talk with. Hearing different perspectives is a really helpful way of getting out of repetitive negative thought patterns.
You have toured with a wide variety of musicians over the past years and have played at some major festivals. Tell us some words of wisdom that you collected along the way.
HUSS: Treat people how you’d like to be treated, be polite & friendly to everyone you meet and most importantly, enjoy doing what you love.
Last but certainly not least, any closing messages for your fans?
HUSS: Thank you for having such great taste in music, this is only the beginning.
