Stu Watts chats with Alex Lahey, who is an LA based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer from Melbourne, Australia. Despite studying jazz saxophone at university, Alex hit her stride with her distinctive brand of infectious indie rock as showcased through two successful albums released on Dead Oceans in US/Europe and via her imprint Nicky Boy Records in Australia/NZ, where she’s been ARIA Gold certified, has charted in the ARIA Top 20, and has had multiple songs in the Triple J Hottest 100 over the last 5 years. Her third album, ’The Answer Is Always Yes’ released in 2023 was critically acclaimed by Pitchfork and The New York Times and has seen Alex tour the album across the US, Australia, Europe and the UK.
An engaging collaborator, Alex has become a go-to writer and producer for artists looking to straddle the pop and alternative worlds, providing unique lyrics paired with accessible yet imaginative sonics. Her own songs have become a favorite across the film/tv and advertising landscape, with prominent placements in shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Ramy, The Bold Type and Supergirl, video games such as the relaunch of Tony Hawk Pro Skater, advertising campaigns for Lidl, and original composition for film including the theme song “On My Way” for the Oscar-nominated animated film The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:08 About Alex Lahey
00:02:35 Alex's musical upbringing
00:04:41 Alex's teenage years
00:10:11 Alex's mentors
00:12:05 Expectation vs. Reality of the music industry
00:14:45 Work ethic & professional development, finding the fun in the work
00:18:36 Songwriting process
00:22:07 The creation behind the songs "Isabella" and "Newsreader"
00:27:16 How to push boundaries when writing "simple" music
00:32:31 The collaboration process
00:37:10 PayPal donation link
00:37:35 The challenges of marketing an artist
00:43:43 Alex's favourite hardware & software
00:47:33 Using effects as part of the songwriting process
00:50:23 Is there anything you would change or do differently?
00:52:21 Ways to combat burnout
00:54:18 Alex's advice for Producers/Engineers and Artists
00:57:13 What's on the horizon
00:58:31 Conclusion/Outro

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