Interview: Hope You’re Watching Arden Alexa
Interview & Photos by Yising Kao
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Los Angeles based pop artist Arden Alexa released her phenomenal debut album HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING this year. With her vibrant and energetic style, she combines cinematic elements and old Hollywood glamour into her expressive songs. Alexa is a perceptive artist who stays true to herself and she’s definitely making a name for herself in the pop scene!
I love how your music is cinematic pop and how you’re inspired by the golden age era of Hollywood. What are some films or aspects from the glamourous Hollywood universe that inspire you?
I have been waiting for someone to ask me this question! I think about this all the time, like when I sit in the shower I think about if someone asked me what my favorite movies are, I have a list. So my number one favorite movie is Pride & Prejudice. All of the movies have insane soundtracks and I think for me, as a musician, that is definitely something I gravitate towards. So Pride & Prejudice is number one. Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, it’s so visually beautiful. I’ve watched it probably like over thirty times. Anytime something bad happens in my life, you know, Pride & Prejudice, you know?
Your comfort movie!
Yeah, comfort movie hands down, my favorite of all time. I watch it with my mom, it’s so good. The soundtrack is impeccable. Also, the whole Pirates of the Caribbean trilogoy. I’m a big Hans Zimmer fan and as you know, a big Disney fan.
Love the ride!
Love the ride, love the music. Honestly, I think Hans Zimmer has been in my top five artists on Spotify Wrapped for the past five years. I love Hans Zimmer. And also, Phantom of the Opera. That’s my other favorite movie. I grew up watching that movie, first movie I’ve ever watched. Again, insane soundtrack. No matter how many times I watch it, I cry every time. It’s so good. Those are my top three. I love the storytelling I think in all of them and the storytelling especially in the music. And that’s something that really inspires me and my own artistry, in my own songs. I really try to tell the story not just through the lyrics but also through the music and the, you know accompaniments and the instruments. So those are my top three. Thank you, I’ve been really wanting to answer that question!
Yeah I love both film and music so that’s amazing how you intertwine those.
You’ve mentioned your Lebanese–Syrian heritage plays a defining role in your music. How do your parents inspire your work and how have you shaped your identity as an artist based on your background?
So my dad grew up in Damascus and came here when he was seventeen. And I think what really speaks to me about his story, because he grew up singing Opera back in Syria and then came here and started exploring rock music and now he has his own rock band – I think that has been super inspirational for me to see and to just hear about how music for him, it crossed boundaries and crossed cultures, you know? It actually was what he says helped him learn English. He would listen to English songs and that translated to him, leaning how to speak English. So for me, music is the through line. His story is so incredible and inspirational. I think that music has really been a consistent thing for him that has crossed a lot of boundaries. And that to me is what I try to do with my music. I really want to unify people, and I really want to cross whatever differences we have you know, when we’re listening to music and when I'm sharing music with people, I hope that we can connect. And it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what language you speak, you know. It’s like, we’re all here, we’re all sharing an experience, we’re all feeling the same thing, even if we have completely different backgrounds. So that, I think has been kind of the biggest impact on me, even as a kid, being able to see how music can bring people together and cross cultures and languages and borders.
That’s so inspiring to have your dad as your role model.
Honestly, his story is crazy. It’s really inspirational.
And music is truly a universal language. I hear about so many K-Pop fans and American fans learning the language just because they love the music.
Totally!
Over the years, there has been a lot of People of Color and Women of Color who are artists. I’d love to hear about your opinion on how that community has shifted over the years or if you have any favorite Women of Color who are artists. I have so many, like Griff, Beabadoobee and Olivia Rodrigo.
I mean I think it goes back to what I was saying about how music can cross cultures so much and I think it can bring awareness about different cultures and different backgrounds, and I think there’s so much beauty in that. All those artists that you just said, love them all. I love Rei as well, obviously Beyoncé. There’s too many to name. And I think you know, women have had to really struggle to find a place in the music industry. And even now, I still feel it when I walk into a lot of rooms and I’m the only woman, I’m the youngest, you know, in a room full of white men. It can be really intimidating and so I think it’s so awesome to see all of those female role models and a lot of them have really inspired me to be confident going into those rooms and being like, “I know I’m going to be the only woman, I know I’m going to be the youngest. And I’m ok with that and I’m going to still share my opinion and still share my ideas.” So I think it’s really beautiful, all of the female role models that I’m lucky enough to have because probably fifty years ago, that was not the case.
Definitely, it’s been so inspiring to see over the years, not only female artists but behind the scenes in the music industry too.
Yes, the producers, the managers.
Yeah, and songwriters. I’m glad there’s more women working in the music industry now.
And we always need more!
Congrats on release HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING! What do you hope to take from this album and what was your creative process like writing it?
I think for me, this album was really about authenticity. And I think that’s something I always strive to be, is I try to be authentic. But you know, I think it can get hard with so many external voices and opinions and on social media. I think it’s easy to fall into insecutirity and fall into trends and trying to fit in because it’s scary to kind of stand out and be authentic. So with this album ire ally wanted to just be really true to myself and depict my journey across a couple of years. I started this album when I was seventeen or eighteen and it came out when I was twenty one, so it was a long time for me. But I think a lot of it was my growth, you know? And telling my story and telling the good parts and the bad parts. And the album is named after the song, “HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING” which was written at kind of a low point in my life. But also, I think, a point of resilience and a point of reflection for me. So I think this album really helped me be authentic and that song “HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING” became a message kind of to everybody that had instilled some doubt in my and had made fun of me, because everyone gets made fun of, right? For a long time, I kind of let that control me and so this album and that song specifically was a moment for me to break away from that insecurity and that fear and just be like, “No this is what I’m doing, you better watch.” So that’s the album, hope you watch and enjoy!
I love that. Just being yourself is so important nowadays because so many people just try to be like others. You gotta stay true to yourself.
Totally, it’s like the scariest thing but it’s also the best thing.
Yeah you shouldn’t care about what anyone else thinks.
Honestly, it’s so true.
And you also have the “Crush!!!” (The Remixes).” What made you want to do a remix for that song?
Well, I won’t say it’s my PR team *laughs*
It’s a bop!
I love “Crush!!!” It was just a silly, goofy, fun song and it did seem to really resonate with people which I was like, “Ok sick, the girlies love it.” The remixes kind of became a fun way to explore more and to kind of try something new, you know? I’ve never really delved into the dance world at all. So we were kind of just like, why not? Let’s see what happens and if we hate it, we don’t have to put it out and if we like it, then we can. That’s the beauty of music is that there’s no one way to make a song, there’s no right way and there’s no wrong way. We were just experimenting, and it ended up being, you know, being a bop. Literally, we had nothing to lose.
Love that, it’s so fun trying new things.
Exactly!
I love your music videos. The “Crush!!!” video is amazing and inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’s. And the “Break My Heart” video” has a classic Hollywood style. What’s your creative process like planning out these videos and directing them yourself?
The creative part that includes the music videos, the visuals, the photoshoots, is so fun. It’s so different from making songs in the studio, it’s a totally different aspect of a song. And I think it’s so fun, I mean, if you can’t already tell, I love dressing up. I love getting dolled up and doing things. So really, music videos are just an excuse for me to get dressed up. Like I mentioned with storytelling, I think that really important to me and what I love doing. I love getting to tell the story more and getting to play with different visuals and different stories and you know, different aspects and characters. I have a lot of fun with it. The past couple of music videos for “Crush!!!” And “Break My Heart” I filmed with my older brother. He filmed it and co-directed it with me. And my friends are involved, my boyfriend was in the “Crush!!!” video, my cat was in the video. So we just had a lot of fun and I think you know, that’s what I hope comes across in the videos, is that we’re just having so much fun. And really, I just get to get dressed up and then do stuff with my friends.
I love when artists direct their own videos and actually have a creative concept. We need to bring those videos back. Because anyone can just like, sing in front of the camera, you know? But I just love the creative aspect of music videos.
Yeah, I love putting all the easter eggs and telling the story. I also love being in charge.
You’ve performed at some SoCal Swifties events. I’ve been to a couple! So, I have to ask, how does Taylor Swift inspire you and what’s your favorite Taylor album or song?
That’s so fun, when worlds collide! I was into Taylor Swift like, all growing up as a kid. But I think when I started to be super inspired by her was with the reputation album. And I got to go to that tour and see that show. And I remember sitting in the seat on the car ride home and being like, “What? That was like the most insane thing I’ve ever seen in my life, I was blown away.” I was like, “That’s a performance. That’s a show.” That’s not just me standing up on stage with a microphone singing.
A whole production.
It was, it was a production. And so that was really the first time actually that I was like “Oh, I want to do that. That’s awesome.” Taylor has been really inspiring to me in a lot of ways as a female artist, as a songwriter, you know, as a business woman. I think she’s a really smart, really talented business woman in addition to being a really incredible artist of course. I think it’s hard to navigate the world of music on the business side, especially as a woman. It’s been really inspiring to see how she handles herself in those situations and has really made me want to learn more about the industry side and really feel confident in that and really kind of stand on my own. Not just being an artist, but also being on the industry side, and be my own independent business.
Especially as an independent artist, you gotta know everything.
It’s so true, you gotta know everything, you gotta do everything. I mean, I’m literally every job. I think just being able to do that as an independent artist, as a woman, I think it’s such a skill. So Taylor definitely kind of inspired me to learn those things. I mean, we love her.
What upcoming projects or shows can we look forward to?
I do have a couple of shows coming up this summer. One of them is at the Republic of Pie in North Hollywood and it’s going to be a cutesy little acoustic set. It’ll actually be the first time I’m playing the album front to back live. And I hear they do have really good pie there too so don’t come for me, come for the pie. And I also have a show with We Found New Music at Bar Lubitsch in Hollywood on August 27th. That will also be really fun. So, the new music is so good. Not to toot my own horn here, but it’s really good. I’m really excited. I’ve been talking a lot about storytelling and I think I’m trying to take storytelling kind of to a new level and do new things with it that I haven’t done before. And I’m really, really just trying to push myself creatively and you know, just conceptually, and emotionally, honestly, really just trying to push myself with what we can do with this next project. I have a lot of ideas flowing so it’s still very early in the works. But I’m very excited, it’ll be fun, it’ll be party vibes, it’ll be dramatic, it’ll be the whole thing.
Amazing, we’re ready to hear it!
