11 Questions with Alexandra Leaving

If you could share one thing with an audience before they first tuned into your music, what would you say?

I’d want people to know that this isn’t background music. I grew up loving artists who weren’t afraid to take up space and tell the truth, and that’s what I try to bring to my own music. My songs can be loud, vulnerable, angry, or tender, but they’re always honest.

What’s a non-music thing, a book, a place, a random job, a conversation you overheard, that actually changed how you create music?

Nothing has completely changed how I write music, but a few years ago I made a big life change that transformed how I make it. I quit a corporate job in London that was burning me out, moved in with a friend, and stripped a lot of distractions from my life. That’s when Alexandra Leaving was born. The name came from a Leonard Cohen song. Admittedly, my music sounds nothing like his, but I’d like to think he’d approve of female-fronted, rageful indie rock!

Give us a song origin story. Where did the idea come from, and did you know straight away that it was something, or did it take a while to reveal itself?

‘My Sunshine ’ is a song about my childhood. In my family, “You Are My Sunshine” has always been our anthem, so that lyric runs through it. It took a long time to reveal itself, with certain memories and flashbacks finding their way into the song. I remember finishing the demo, going into Tesco, and immediately seeing someone wearing a “You Are My Sunshine” T-shirt. I was like WTF, this must be a sign!

Pick a song that you’ve released that could only have been written at that exact moment in your lives. What was going on, and is there any part of you that wishes you could still be in that moment?

‘Conversation Killer’. The lyrics are pretty cutting to that one. There was a situation that had got to me deeply. I barely slept and the next morning got up and wrote that song in about 30 minutes. It was one of those moments people talk about where the song just arrives fully formed. I felt like I was just a vehicle for it.

Tell us about a gig that went somewhere unexpected: a night where the room, the crowd, or just something in the air made it feel like more than a show. What happened?

We played for the first time in Manchester last year supporting Permanent (Joy) and The North. It was an awesome night; the crowd were really with us! I remember these girls at the front going mad dancing to ‘Conversation Killer’, and I was obsessed with their energy! It was a real moment for me seeing them scream the line “I’m the Conversation Killer”.

What’s going on in the world right now, nothing to do with music, that’s quietly making its way into what you’re working on?

I mean there’s a lot going on… where do you even start! Injustice is everywhere. I’m working on new material that looks at that divide – how there’s often a lot of preaching from the top, but not much accountability for the people actually affected. I think a lot of us are pretty jaded by politics and questioning the system right now. If you’re not picking up on that as an artist, you’re probably not paying attention.

There’s a sound, an instrument, a texture you haven’t used yet, but it’s there in the back of your head. What is it, and what’s it waiting for?

FUN question! I think I’m actually regressing musically haha. I’ve been listening to classic rock – things like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. I love the guitar worlds and how simple some of those songs are. I want to explore more analogue sounds and that timeless feel, ya know?

Which artist, alive, dead, from any era, would you most want to play your music to?

If I could choose, I’d go out with Ellie Rowsell (absolutely love her). We’d head to Ellie’s Bar in Dalston, have martinis, then I’d take her out to the smoking area and play her one of my songs. If Ellie wasn’t available, I’d go with Sinéad O’Connor and tell her how much of an icon she is.

Forget the big moments. If your music was the soundtrack to one small, ordinary moment in someone’s day, what would that moment look like?

Going to the shop for milk and walking out with a Buzzball.

What’s next for you? Tell us what you’re working on and if you have anything exciting in the pipeline.

We’ve got a run of shows scattered across a few places, which is exciting – starting with Birmingham (the big one), then Stratford, Southampton and Sheffield. There might also be some new music on the way soon…

Any final words to leave us with?

Well thanks so much for having me! These questions have been fun. For anyone who’s reading, get your butt down to our Sunflower Lounge show on the 10th July! We’ll have some brand new merch and support from local rockers Talking Horses. Can’t wait.