Music Bugle Exclusive – Q & A – Alexa Givens

By Nicholas Jason Lopez

Raised on jazz and R&B powerhouses like Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey, Alexa Givens uses her music to paint a vibrant picture of a place in time; a capsule for life’s different eras.

After some time spent as a church singer, Givens hasn’t disappointed, as the young songwriter already has a Grammy nomination under her belt and was also accepted into Berklee College Of Music on a full Presidential Scholarship.

The Music Bugle had the chance to talk with Givens about who she’s currently listening to, what makes her proud about where she comes from and much more, which you can check out below.

Music Bugle – How does it feel to be known as a Grammy-nominated artist?

Alexa Givens – Quite unreal still and I’m immensely grateful to this day that I even got to be a part of something of such magnitude, but I must say that at the time when I found out, it was a weird experience. School became a stressful environment because there, I was just “Alexa The Singer,” doing what I always did and then all of a sudden, I was a pariah. Teachers, staff and some kids were all very proud and supportive, but so many kids really didn’t like me. I was never bullied, but every day in class and in the hallways, I felt their thousands of eyes glaring at me and it made me want to disappear. I had doubts about how I would fare in the future once I really came into my own and I questioned whether I was really cut out for it, but the second I landed in Vegas and hit the rehearsal studio, I knew that it was exactly what I was meant to do.

Music Bugle – What was your earliest experience with music and how did it shape what you do now?

Alexa Givens – When I was 4, the children’s choir director at my church saw something in me and wanted to give me the opportunity to show the church what he saw in me the next Sunday. He made a piano arrangement to the song I insisted I would sing, which was “I Am A Promise” from VeggieTales. It was my first time performing and singing to someone other than myself. I got slightly nervous when I started and had to start over. I was too short to reach the mic and no one could hear me, so he put me up on a small step stool from backstage and I felt better. Then I just sang. That was when I fell in love with performing. I learned to be fearless and confident and trust myself in everything I did, even if something didn’t go perfectly. Now when I am creating, I try to give myself grace to create things without judging them so fiercely, because I know that it’ll always turn out right.

Music Bugle – What comes to mind when you think of your style?

Alexa Givens – I think of a 90’s R&B diva with a sensitive heart and soul of a 60’s flower child who met a catchy, addictive pop star and rode off into the sunset on an acoustic guitar and piano keys.

Music Bugle – What are some subjects you hope to write about in future songs?

Alexa Givens – More about romantic love because that never stops evolving, being a young adult, being a middle-aged woman and the state of the world at every phase of my life.

Music Bugle – What inspired you to put together your debut single “Broken Record”?

Alexa Givens – A song called “Would You Rather” by a 60’s girl group called The Georgettes and being my 16-year-old self daydreaming about romantic love which I had never experienced.

Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?

Alexa Givens – A lot of Amy Winehouse and Joni Mitchell, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, SZA, Jacob Collier and Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack.

Music Bugle – What makes you the most proud about where you come from?

Alexa Givens – I’m really proud of my Black culture, especially the fact that Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad runs all along the state of Maryland. She’s one of my favorite historical figures who I look up to so much as a symbol of bravery, courage and restlessness and I get to claim her being from Maryland! I’m a pop artist coming into a largely White-dominated category right now and although I do reside in that space, I want people to know that I will always represent and take pride in my Black culture.  

Music Bugle – What’s the next step in your career?

Alexa Givens – I’m looking forward to releasing more music, performing and getting some merch going! I started writing as my own form of therapy – as a means to process and observe my own life – and I pour all of myself into everything I make. All I can ever hope for is that someone likes it and finds their own connection to it. The fans are the reason I get to do this and I’m so thankful for that support with “Broken Record.”

Music Bugle – What has been your happiest moment in your career, to date?

Alexa Givens – Definitely the Grammys and releasing “Broken Record.” It gave me a taste of all that I can become as I continue to grow and come into my own as an artist. I’m grateful and I’m so excited for my future because there’s so much more that I have to offer.

Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?

Alexa Givens – “Dream with ambition.” I heard Kamala Harris say that once. I’m a firm believer in having the ability to do anything you set your mind to, but I also know that dreams are just dreams unless you consistently work hard to put some fire beneath them. I stand on that every day, especially in my times of doubt and weariness.