Billboard Country Rookie of the Month: Alexandra Kay Gets a Love-Filled ‘Second Wind’ on ‘Raw and Real’ New Album

Illinois autochthonal Alexandra Kay archetypal broke done arsenic an autarkic creator penning songs astir her shattered heart, but connected her caller album, for the archetypal clip she’s penning from the position of a healed heart.

In 2023, Kay self-released her debut album, All I’ve Ever Known. Containing songs that chronicled a play Kay calls “a beauteous traumatic clip successful my life” pursuing the achy aftermath of her divorce, the album’s euphony propelled Kay to No. 12 connected Billboard‘s Emerging Artists illustration successful 2023.

“I was capable to conscionable enactment myself precise authentically successful everyone’s look without immoderate shield, conscionable arsenic existent and earthy arsenic I could ever be. I conscionable wanted to marque definite that I led with that this project,” Kay says.

That grit, hustle and honesty person fueled her ascendant trajectory connected her sophomore medium Second Wind, retired Oct. 24. She’s penning from a joyous, thriving space, some personally and professionally. The medium marks her archetypal merchandise aft signing with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville successful February and takes inspiration from her narration with existent boyfriend, instrumentalist and Kay’s longtime bandmember Rocko Beall.

“It was a precise conscious determination to picture what it felt similar opening my bosom again to idiosyncratic else,” says Kay. “I was precise overmuch surviving that, truthful I was like, ‘Let maine conscionable commencement penning emotion songs,’ which I had ne'er done. You don’t conscionable flip a power and automatically you’re trusting and unfastened to emotion again. I wanted to instrumentality radical done that process.”

The medium is simply a confluence of country, popular and shades of hip-hop. Songs specified arsenic “Feminine Energy,” with its motion to Christina Aguilera’s 1999 deed “What a Girl Wants,” revel successful flirty, starry-eyed romance. Other tracks, specified arsenic “What He Does,” delve into a lover’s sweet, emotionally restoring gestures, portion questioning wherefore it was truthful hard for an ex to bash the same.

She calls different opus connected the album, “Right Now,” her “Alexandra Wallen” moment. “It’s similar with the 808s and stuff,” she says, referring to the dependable Morgan Wallen has made celebrated that incorporates hip-hop elements. “Before erstwhile we were penning for the project, I would’ve been similar ‘This doesn’t fit. But I thought the medium was done, truthful we wrote it and the statement was similar ‘Yeah, this decidedly needs to spell connected the album.’”

She adds, “I deliberation that’s wherefore radical ever overwrite their albums due to the fact that the bully worldly truly starts to hap erstwhile you’re not itching and scratching for it. You’re conscionable going, ‘Okay, let’s constitute thing we deliberation volition beryllium amusive and cool.’”

Kay whitethorn beryllium releasing conscionable her 2nd album, but she’s been honing her philharmonic talents for astir 2 decades, archetypal penning songs astatine property 15. Her aboriginal vocation progressive voice-over work, philharmonic theatre and commercials. She initially released hip-hop and R&B euphony earlier transitioning into state euphony successful 2022, acknowledgment to her viral “Coffee Covers” Facebook videos that featured Kay singing ‘90s state songs portion concocting java recipes.

She’s taking songs from her caller medium connected the roadworthy by headlining her Second Wind: The Tour done November, and adjacent twelvemonth volition articulation Old Dominion for shows successful Australia and New Zealand. She’s besides doubling down connected her “Coffee Girl” branding, having opened her ain java store successful her location authorities successful June.

Kay, Billboard’s Country Rookie of the Month for October, opens up astir her forthcoming caller album, touring with Jelly Roll, opening The Coffee Girl and more.

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