Alexandra Kay On Growth, Grit & Finding Her ‘Second Wind’ [Interview]

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Alexandra Kay.

Alexandra Kay is ready to move forward with her sophomore record.

After losing record deals, a viral TikTok breakout, an independent album and over 350 million streams, the Illinois native is finally taking a deep breath on her major-label debut.

For Kay, Second Wind represents a shift in both sound and spirit. Her 2023 debut, All I’ve Ever Known, was an intimate, self-written document of heartbreak.

“The first project was a healing journey through my divorce. I didn’t know who was going to hear it. I wrote it for myself, my heart and my healing. I wasn’t even going to put it out until some friends heard it, and it ended up being really good. I’m always going to sing [those songs], but I’m ready to go into a new chapter, and Second Wind is that,” Kay shares with MusicRow.

The Andrew DeRoberts-produced project marks a new chapter in Kay’s sonic journey. “He led me to ride the line where it’s still very much me, but I’m giving the fans a new sound, and I’m feeling very experimental in the creative process. It wasn’t just me bleeding on a piece of paper this time, which is what I’ve been doing since I started writing songs.”

Across the album’s tracks, Kay collaborated with a mix of longtime friends and new creative partners, including Ava Suppelsa, Maggie Champman, Lauren McLamb, Allison Veltz-Cruz and Jon Nite, among others.

“With Allison, it was very, very easy. I just started opening up to her, and I just knew that she kind of got me. She just kind of gives me that Taylor Swift writing style, which I am in love with and always have been. Jon Nite is the other end of the spectrum. Everything I’ve written with him is fun, but not in a cliche way. He is always making melodies feel fresh and pushing for tempo.”

Of the 14 tracks, Kay chose to cut two outside songs that she felt fit seamlessly into her world. “When I heard ‘Straight for the Heart,’ I was like, ‘That’s a banger,’” she laughs.

The second outside cut felt like a full circle moment “I heard ‘Old Me,’ and it just feels like something I would’ve written. Then I found out Shane McAnally wrote it and I thought ‘of course!’ That was my first write ever in town, so it was full circle for me to cut one of his songs.”

Choosing a favorite changes daily, but two tracks stand out as reflections of her current life. “The whole album is personal, but ‘Second Wind’ and ‘What He Does, ‘” she says. “My partner is so open and so loving and so generous. I’m reminded of that every day. And, ‘Second Wind’ makes me think about what my life could have been if I’d stayed somewhere I wasn’t growing. Those two songs mean a lot.”

“Second Wind” was born from a writing session with Kay’s partner, Rocco [Beall], Cheyenna [Rose Arnspiger], and Kevin Thrasher [Gruft]. “That day I knew we were going to get a love song,” Kay recalls. “We started going in a different direction, and then Cheyenna said ‘second wind.’ The title itself hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, second album—that could be the title. It describes our love story. [Rocco] completely brought my spark back. I didn’t think I’d ever be the same, much less a better version of myself than I’ve ever been.”

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After spending the summer opening for Brad Paisley, she’s currently amidst her own headline run, which kicked off just ahead of the album’s release.

This run marks the first time she’s toured an album that wasn’t released at the time. “We’re not going to slam the audience with a bunch of songs they’ve never heard,” she explains. “We’ll play a lot from All I’ve Ever Known and then the songs that are out from Second Wind. The set is absolutely beautiful. It’s all floral. I’m on this big five-foot cylinder. I tried to get them to let me rise up. They said no,” she laughs.

The album also marks her first label release since signing with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. “I definitely haven’t taken my foot off the gas by any means,” she quipped. “They’ve been great to us. They look at what we’ve done independently and ask, ‘How can we add fuel to the fire?’”

Kay’s schedule stays full between touring, social media, and running her coffee shop in her hometown of Waterloo, Illinois. “I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not afraid of saying no to things,” she says. “I take the time when I need to take the time.”

Alexandra Kay at The Coffee Girl

The café, The Coffee Girl, grew naturally from her viral “coffee covers.” “Ever since I did that and it became such a huge part of my brand, I wanted my own shop,” she explains. “The opportunity came up in my hometown and I said, ‘I’m your girl.’ I got to retire my dad, and now he’s the GM of the shop. Eventually, I want to bring a Coffee Girl location to Nashville.”

If there’s one thing she wants listeners to take from Second Wind, it’s growth. “I hope they just feel hope for themselves,” she says. “I always think of the fan that listened through All I’ve Ever Known and that got them through their divorce. I want this to be their second wind. I want them to realize they’re strong enough to have it. You just have to reach out and catch it.”

Kay will continue on her “Second Wind Tour” through November.

Lauryn Sink
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