Dec 24, 2021
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with country singer Alex Key. Claiming that he learned to sing before he could talk, the young artist speaks to us about how he developed his distinctive country baritone and found early fame in 2019 doing gigs at Myrtle Beach.
He then discusses his songwriting process, why he decided to lean into classic country after a period of experimenting between the classic and pop varieties, and how he came to form his first band.
Alex dives deep into the process behind his latest song, We Want You Back. Alex refers to its character as “country music being country again”. The song is a celebration of simpler times as well as that “small town” sound that many Americans are aching for today.
He goes farther by saying that he aims to “embody country music in a new way. I can’t go back to being a 90s country artist; but, I can create a sound that is for people over the age of 25. It’s a familiar sound. And for people under the age of 25, it’s a sound they’re not very familiar with. So, it’s both new and old at the same time.”
Alex’s brand as a musician, ultimately, is an embodiment of classic country translated into the 21st century.