I’ve followed Lexie for a little while on TikTok and have loved the haunting yet comforting vocals on if i built my home from paper. At only 17 her songwriting is beautiful, it’s not hard to imagine the vivid career she’s going to have.
Lexie! You talk about how you wrote the song for your mum which is incredibly wholesome. How did the song come about?
I had the first bit of the verse and then the main chorus bit in my notes for a while and then I went to my pal Jack Hardmans and we worked the rest of it out. He started playing it on piano and the lyrics all seemed to just pour out!! It’s a topic I’ve wanted to write about for a while and building upon all the fairytale-y imagery was so fun so it just came out very speedily.
"I just hope everyone has someone they can think of who is fiercely in their corner supporting them."
How did you get into music?
I feel like I’ve written bits of songs for as long as I can remember but then I started guitar lessons when I was 8 I think and that’s when I started writing proper structured songs with chords. My guitar teacher, Al, has always been so supportive of me writing and very much kept me going with it!
You also create your own artwork too which I love, you give me some mega Keaton Henson vibes. Who are your greatest inspirations?
Ahh thank you! I think (like pretty much everyone at the moment) my biggest inspiration is Phoebe Bridgers, I’m just in awe of her songwriting and general sound. Maisie Peters inspires me so much too- I love how she can go between big pop tracks and the more soft folky stuff and it is all just so HER and so wonderful.
"Women and gender minorities are quite good at downplaying ourselves but if you can write or produce or whatever, keep shouting about it!"
What do you want your listeners to take from the song?
That people are able to listen and relate to having a special person whether that’s a mother or a friend or whoever. I just hope everyone has someone they can think of who is fiercely in their corner supporting them.
What is your favourite thing about the music industry?
I love that I get to do all my favourite things at once. It's the most hectic but exciting thing- you get to create a whole world around your music with your artwork, gigs, videos, etc. It’s so creative and EXCITING. (also very scary!!)
Who is your dream collaboration?
The dream would be to make something with Cavetown, his lyrics are just the BEST and I also really like the way he produces. He’s just amazing!!
"I think non-male people should be so much more encouraged to write and produce, the industry is so dominated by men even now, I naively never would have expected that before I started doing sessions and meetings and things."
What advice would you give to a woman or gender minority entering the music industry?
I think just be as confident and loud about your abilities as possible. Women and gender minorities are quite good at downplaying ourselves but if you can write or produce or whatever, keep shouting about it! Your ability to do what you do is the reason you’re able to enter the industry so keep letting that shine through and make sure the people around you are amplifying that, not talking over it.
How would you like to see the music industry change for women and gender minorities?
I think non-male people should be so much more encouraged to write and produce, the industry is so dominated by men even now, I naively never would have expected that before I started doing sessions and meetings and things. It's actually quite shocking! It’s also always bugged me how there's so much emphasis on women's appearance and styling whereas most male artists can just rock up in a t-shirt and jeans and nobody cares!
What qualities are you most proud of in yourself?
Well after my rant above I think I should say I’m proud of my writing haha. It’s the one thing that I believe wholeheartedly in. It’s my favourite thing to do, it’s carried me through most of my life and I’m proud that I can put random stuff in my head down into music. It’s quite cool when you think about it!!
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