Interview with Musician Alexa Britt

Every once in a while you meet someone and think to yourself, “They’re going to be famous one day.” For me, that person was singer-songwriter Alexa Britt.

Alexa and I first met at Marist College, where we were both studying Communications and Public Relations. We instantly hit it off, making jokes about a few of our fellow classmates (we’re bad, I know!) and working on group projects together. Alexa is super creative, funny and has a great personality. I remember her vividly stating- within just a few days of knowing each other- that while college was great and all, what she really wanted to do with her life was become a rock star. And with that mentality and drive, I expect nothing less.

I caught up with Alexa during a very exciting point in her musical journey. Here’s what she had to say about college, making a music video and her upcoming EP.

So how did your whole “musical journey” start?

 I have been singing since I can remember. I’ve always told myself to sing from the heart. I’ve never really seen being a musician as a “job” to me,  it’s more like a hobby. I’m slowly learning that it takes a lot of hard work and commitment- so it’s like a full time hobby!

Who are some of your musical influences?

My musical influences include Taylor Swift, Michelle Branch and Sheryl Crow. The list can go on forever, but those are my main three. Right now, I’ve been getting into old Switchfoot. I never really analyzed their stuff, but it’s genius. From the lyrics to the melodies, I can only aspire to one day be like them.

I mentioned earlier how we met in college, where you pursed a degree in Communications even though you wanted to become a singer. What was going through your mind during that time?

When I was in college, I knew I was doing the right thing- getting an education just in case my music career didn’t turn out as planned. Although it seemed pointless at the time to get my education when I really wanted to be a musician, I know in the end I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to better myself as a musician. Not only did I write songs about my experiences in college, but I also learned about a side of the music industry that most don’t learn about- publicity!

So are you trying to purse a career in Communications/PR or are you solely focused on your music career?

As of right now, my end goal is to become a professional musician. In the future, if that works out, great! If not, I want to settle down and find a job that I can possibly incorporate my degree as well as music. I think regardless if I get a “real job” or not, I’m still using what I learned in school. I learned a lot about utilizing the internet and press and I can apply that to my music career as well. I also learned a lot about the communication that I may have with interviewers- what to say, what not to say- things like that.

Speaking of college, how has life been treating you- including the job market? Was it what you expected it to be?

I have applied to about 6 communication/marketing jobs, all of which I wasn’t really interested in. As far as life after graduation, I guess I had in my mind that I would have more free time, but I don’t. I’m working very hard on my music career, while also trying to make money to pay back student loans.

Tell me a little bit about your recording your debut EP.

Recording my EP was so much fun, I can’t even begin to describe it. Basically I got to record songs that I wrote about things that meant a lot to me in my life. Watching my songs grow from acoustic to full band and hearing my life played through speakers is just so surreal to me. Along with recording my EP I had a photo shoot and music video shoot, which were both great and fun experiences. I got to meet so many talented people who I still talk to.  As far as my EP, as we speak I’m in the process of ordering physical copies! Within the next week I will have an official release date! It will be available on iTunes as well as buying physical copies from me or at my shows.

To go along with the EP, you’ve released a music video for your single “Please Don’t Leave”. Tell me a little about what that was like.

The music video was so much fun. The people I worked with were amazing! To start off, I met up with my director Michael Dispenza to discuss the treatment (that’s basically what we would call a storyboard). It has all the ideas my director thought about for all the parts of my songs. Then we figured out my wardrobe, found extras that we needed for the shoot and then went from there. The day of the shoot we drove into the city, I got my hair and makeup done and then we started to shoot! We did full band shots, solo shots, shots of me with my on-screen boyfriend. It was just a great experience!

What advice would you give other aspiring singers?

One thing that I’ve learned to live by is passion. Without passion, there is no real drive to complete your goals. My passion with my music just comes so naturally that I could never imagine my life without it. For anyone who is trying to pursue any sort of career, my words of advice are to make sure that you are truly passionate about it. It makes it so clear to me that music is my passion, because without it, I feel completely empty.

Lastly, what are the next steps in your career? What does the future hold for you?

Right now I’m working on getting my EP all set to go and playing some local acoustic shows. I’ve been pretty busy with getting my website up and everything else that goes along with that. So my next step is basically to publicize myself.

For more information on Alexa, visit her website, twitter, Facebook and YouTube channel — and make sure to tell her I sent you!

Here are a few more pictures (isn’t she so pretty!?)

*All images were taken by Christopher String and can be found on Alexa’s Flickr.