Lexi Anand is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter based in Naples Florida. Lexi’s mature lyricism and rich tone quality gives a perfect contrast to the youthful nature that she naturally exudes, making her incredible mix of modern pop and rhythmic blues striking to the ear.
Lexi’s debut single “Summer Love” is the perfect charming pop ballad that features incredible musicality and storytelling with her relatable lyrics as well as rich vocals. Originally having written and recorded the song in the summer of 2019 before the pandemic, the release of this single is long awaited. “Since COVID, I feel like the industry has been so silent. I’m excited for things to start opening up,” she adds, “and I feel like it's perfect timing now that everything is opening up.” Her new song, “Summer Love” is now available for pre-save and will be released this Friday, August 27th on all platforms.
Lexi also has a 7 song EP that will be unveiled very soon. The release will include collaborations from amazing artists such as Kathryn Gallagher, Lil Eddie Serrano, and David Rush. According to Lexi, the project is best described as “a diary of a 15 year old,” and she sums up the sound of her new EP in three words: “pop, relatable, storytelling.”
At such a young age, Lexi already has quite the impressive resume, having performed at incredible venues across Florida, California, Nashville, and New York. She has already gotten her name out in the industry, having amazed audiences as a part of iconic events and festivals such as Supergirl Pro music festival, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, and the New York Pops Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall.
We sat down with Lexi just recently and discussed her musical influences, creative process, and the experiences she has had so far in her career. The talent present in the vocals and storytelling of this promising young artist speaks for itself, and Lexi Anand is a name you surely won't want to forget! View down below to read the full interview and pre save Lexi’s single “Summer Love.''
Walk me through the process of writing this song. What is your creative process like?
“I actually have a whole seven song EP coming, and I did that whole project at Grey Noise Studios in New York City. So, I came to this session with a hook. There were two other writers, Hans, Christina and then there was the producer, Vinnie. We were all in the room, and I played that hook. We actually didn't end up using the hook, but we took the chords. The hook is actually used in another song that's on the EP, but we just took the chords. And then we got the chorus from there. Then, we made the verses and finally the bridge and we cut vocals as we were writing. The studio is in the heart of Times Square, so the windows were open and you could hear all the noises. Writing that song is probably one of my favorite memories ever. We were all in the studio crammed together and we were all just dancing to the hook of 'Summer Love.' You could hear all of the taxis and everything outside, and it was just such a good experience”
"Writing that song is probably one of my favorite memories ever. We were all in the studio crammed together and we were all just dancing to the hook of 'Summer Love.' You could hear all of the taxis and everything outside, and it was just such a good experience”
Did you have a vision when you went into producing the song, or did that more so develop as you went through the production process?
"Well, the idea I had was completely different. So when I came in, I kind of did a complete 360 and we kind of got “Summer Love”. And so then, Vinnie started creating something that was very acoustic because it made sense with the intention of the song and the body of work that I had already created. It kind of fit the vibe of the whole project. We didn't want to veer too far off, but we also wanted to do something new."
I also want to know what inspires you as an artist. What kind of music do you listen to? What artists would you say inspire you the most?
"I listen to so much music of all genres. My favorite artists change every day. Right now, I'm listening to Andy Shauf. I love his music. Also, Kacey Musgraves' new song, I've been streaming. But I guess since forever I have taken a lot of inspiration from the Beatles. I feel like they helped me kind of learn how to write songs just through listening to them. Taylor Swift, I take a lot of inspiration from her. I really like Lennon Stella and her sound. Also, I love Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and all those 70s songwriters who I also take a lot of inspiration from. I'm all over the spectrum."
Would you say that you try to emulate the sounds and styles of those artists you mentioned?
"Yeah definitely. I like how Andy Shauf writes. All of his projects are like chapter books, and I feel like each song is a chapter. I really like his style and so I tried to emulate that more recently, its kind of a new thing I’ve been trying to pick up. I definitely try to take inspiration from Taylor Swift's storytelling. I like how she tells a story where it's specific enough that you want to know more about her life, but it's also general enough that you can relate to it. So I keep that in mind when I'm writing, and that's definitely from her and from listening to her my whole life."
Did you grow up in a musical household? Is that what encouraged you to start writing music?
"Actually, I am not from a musical household. It's interesting, because my first grade teacher noticed that I really liked to write, just write in general, so she got me this journal to write in. Those journal entries just kind of evolved into song entries. She really developed my passion for writing, and it helped me dive into songwriting because I was already singing at that point. So I just kind of combined the two passions and I started writing the songs."
What is your favorite part of the songwriting process?
"My favorite part is definitely after you write the hook and you play it for people, and you just look at their reaction. If it's a good hook, and I see the reaction of the people and it's a good reaction, that's my favorite part. Performing the song too, and just seeing how the reaction is to it and building off that energy. Seeing how people relate to it or how the song affected them. All of that really shows the power of music."
"Performing the song too, and just seeing how the reaction is to it and building off that energy. Seeing how people relate to it or how the song affected them. All of that really shows the power of music."
Is there anything that you actively try to communicate through music or that you hope your listeners walk away with after listening?
"Well, I just hope that the lyrics are relatable or that people feel less alone and know they have a friend. I feel like when I listen to music, the thing I look for is that I can relate to the lyrics. When you listen to songs and you relate to the lyrics, you are like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my favorite song,' and I always want people to walk away from my music feeling less alone and that I kind of hit what they were thinking."
"I always want people to walk away from my music feeling less alone and that I kind of hit what they were thinking."
Was there an "aha" moment in your life where you realized that you wanted to become a recording artist?
"There was no 'aha' moment. When I was little, I just always said that I wanted to be a singer and songwriter, and I've just kind of stuck to it and kept going with it. But, I think there's been certain moments that have kind of motivated me even more throughout my career. There are certain performances that I'll watch, and I'll think, 'this is exactly what I need to be doing.' So I think I've always known but then there's certain moments throughout my career that keep me going and keep me motivated."
As such a young artist, you have a really impressive resume so far. Is there any performance or experience that you've had that has stuck out to you a lot?
"Yes. I sang at the Bitter End in New York, which is this rock bar that's had all the artists perform there. I think I was in middle school, and I did this 30 minute set of all my original music. When I finished, everyone was so supportive and appreciative of me for sharing my music and this guy at the bar pointed to the wall and said, ‘You belong up there’. He pointed to the wall with all these iconic artists, and I always think about that as like, the pinnacle of my career."
You have worked with some amazing artists so far in your career. What was it like writing with these people? What did you learn from those experiences?
"They're all so lovely and so talented. It's funny because the idea that we didn't end up going with from the 'Summer Love' session, we ended up going with in the Kathryn Gallagher session. It was so fun and we wrote that song I did with her super fast. She was so easy to work with. She's really talented, so of course it makes the process super quick and fun. I really admire her lyrics because she was very poetic in her songwriting and I took that note from her to put it into some of my songwriting. With David Rush, he was also so talented. That session was so fun and he had so many ideas. I think what I take from all those artists is that they're very quick. I admire them and how quick and skilled they are in their craft. I think that's something I hope to achieve one day."
"I think what I take from all those artists is that they're very quick. I admire them and how quick and skilled they are in their craft. I think that's something I hope to achieve one day."
What is the best advice you have gotten from someone about working in the music industry?
“I guess this is more life advice, not just music advice, but someone told me to never be the person to tell yourself no. Let someone else tell you no. I think that's a really good piece of advice to live by. Never restrict yourself and just go for it always. The worst people can say is no.”
What can people expect for your upcoming EP?
"Yeah, so it's a pop, seven song EP. It's like a diary of a 15 year old, with all of the predicaments that you could expect from a 15 year old in high school. Pop, relatable storytelling I guess is how I'd sum it up. David Rush is on it, Kathryn Gallagher, Lil Eddie, a bunch of incredible artists I got to collaborate with on that project. So I'm so excited to kind of put it out. The first song we did was in the spring of 2019, and then we wrapped it up in the early winter of 2019. We were going to release it, but we kind of postponed it due to COVID. "
Do you plan on going on tour in the near future?
"I definitely want to tour this. I'll be performing again at the Bitter End in the winter, so I'll be performing some songs from the EP there too, but I hope to go on a tour after all of this."
Is there going to be some music videos that we can look forward to seeing in this EP?
"There is a “Summer Love” music video. It'll be coming out a couple weeks after the release. And, there'll be a couple more music videos with the EP as well. I filmed it in my hometown in Naples, Florida, and it was just super fun. I was on the beach and singing the song, and yeah, it was a lot of fun. I'm so glad it didn't rain though, because that’s Florida. So I'm glad we got our summer sunshine."
Make sure to pre-save "Summer Love," and learn more about Lexi Anand by visiting her website and stay up to date by following her on instagram (@lexianandmusic).
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