A Conversation with Alix Page
20-year-old Alix Page is an up-and-coming singer and songwriter (and a USC student). GEN-ZiNE's Campus Editor, Cecilia Pou, sat down with Alix to discuss her creative process, inspirations, and upcoming tour with Gracie Abrams. Her EP "Old News" was just released last night and is available for streaming.
Cecilia Pou: From what I understand you began to realize your musical talents at a young age. Were either of your parents or perhaps a friend or another family member, musically oriented as well? If so, or if not, how did your family support and encourage your growth to become the artist you are today?
Alix Page: Neither of my parents was really into music, but my grandma was! She sang classical voice in beauty pageants as a teenager and into her 20s. My aunt on the same side was also super musically inclined, she had perfect pitch too. I can definitely thank my parents for introducing me to 80s music and the lost treasure that is the “Adult Alternative” genre of the early 2000s-2010s. As a kid, I was just set on pursuing music and was pretty confident about it for whatever reason. It wasn’t like I had huge expectations for fame or anything, I just knew I was going to make this work in one way or another. My parents have been super helpful and supportive; they encouraged me to take piano and voice lessons, go to an art school, and eventually start recording.
CP: Given you are only twenty, how have you balanced your musical career with other academic and social responsibilities of this age?
AP: Honestly, it hasn’t been super easy. Doing my second year of college in person for the first time was a huge adjustment. No one really prepares you for the little things, like remembering to eat, do laundry, and live as a self-sufficient human for the first time. I romanticized “adulting” a lot when I was doing freshman year of college online from my childhood bedroom and it took a bigger toll on me than I thought it would. Also, no one prepares you for how draining creative work can be. Being independent and having complete creative freedom for my projects is amazing, but it is a lot of decision making, back and forth phone calls, edits, and highs and lows that all fall on me. TL;DR: Being twenty is hard.
CP: How did it feel to learn you would be touring with Gracie Abrams? What city are you most excited to perform in?
AP: Unreal. The offer came out of left field; no one on my team even really knew it was being discussed-- that I might get the spot. I’m seriously so grateful and haven’t quite wrapped my head around it even now. I’m pumped for both New York shows! I’ve only been to New York twice, once for a school trip and once with my family, so I’m really excited to be there with my band and team and for the purpose of playing music. The first one is also on Valentine’s Day so that’s gonna be really special.
CP: Can you tell us a bit more about your soon-to-be-released EP "Old News?" What was the inspiration behind creating "Old News" and what emotions do you hope to evoke in listeners?
AP: I wrote one of the songs when I was 16, so in a really cool way, I feel like the other three came along in 2020 and filled in the blanks for this storyline I’d been writing since 2018. It’s about looking for answers and reassurance during a heavy and confusing time.
CP: What is your creative process like? What spaces, times of day, or environments are most conducive to your optimal creativity?
AP: It changes all the time. One of my best songs was written on my bathroom floor in 20 minutes, one was in my notes app at red lights during one car ride. I always feel most inspired when my daily routine gets shaken up a bit and I go somewhere new or spend time with new people.
CP: Many of your songs are centered around heartbreak. Do you find writing songs to be a healing process for you?
AP: Definitely. At this point, I basically write songs instead of reaching out to exes for closure (lol). A lot of them end up being a summary of everything I wish I’d been brave enough to say to that person when I had the chance. It feels good to know you got something out of a really difficult time, that you didn’t go through it for nothing.
