Effortlessly talented Alix Page found her voice early in life. The 20-year-old California born songwriter has found starting success through her gift for writing hauntingly beautiful tracks such as ‘25’, ‘Radiohead’ and ‘Frank’. Many of the experiences Alix writes about took place within the four walls of her high school, which happens to be the set of the music video for latest single ‘Radiohead’, lead cut on her debut EP ‘Old News’ – out now. Amongst releasing her debut EP, Alix is preparing to travel around North America, opening for Gracie Abrams on her sold out tour.
“Releasing music is such an adrenaline rush,” Alix says. “I feel so fortunate to have landed myself amongst such a great group of people who have been able to guide me throughout this experience – not everyone gets to release their debut EP a week before touring”. Alix’s fortitude to express thanks to the team of people who have helped her break into the industry speaks to her thoughtful and kind nature, but the music she has created is completely down to her. Alix wrote the entirety of the mesmerising EP at home in Orange County, Southern California.
Speaking of those early singles, Alix articulates how varied the creative process can be; “’25’ took about three months to write. The first verse was written whilst driving past an ex’s house and then it seemed to evolve over the next few months. Whereas ‘Radiohead’ was the opposite; I wrote the first verse and chorus super-fast one morning and then went home and finished it that night”.
Reflecting on her introduction to music, Alix reminisces on her time at an arts school and growing up an hour south from LA, which she refers to as “the big, bad scary city of dreams” and how she navigated the belief that she needed to move there to make music.
“My family and I would go LA for day trips and take pictures against the pink wall on Melrose, as a kid it intimidated me a little. But growing up in California didn’t affect me to much [as a musician] until I went to high school. I went to an arts school, my entire high school experience was really inspiring and influential into who I am as an artist. I felt safe writing songs there and exploring writing for the first time”.
Thinking about her time at arts school opens a floodgate of earlier memories for Alix. “Looking back, I think I always knew I was going to try music” she says. “I grew up listening to pop music, which is how I started paying attention to melodies and the importance of being able to sing along to something. My parents loved the Killers and U2, so I grew up envying singers like Brandon Flowers and Bono who have such strong emote voices. But when I found artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde and Phoebe Bridgers, that was life changing for me as a female artist”.
One of the earliest covers Alix posted online was Gracie Abrams’ ‘I miss you, I’m sorry’ which resulted in Gracie asking Alix to join her on tour. The tour begins next week just after the release of ‘Old Days’. Looking to the future, Alix says: “I’m just so excited for everything and looking forward to spending time amongst great people who are excited about great music”.
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‘Old News’ EP is out now.
Words: Isabella Miller
Photo Credit: Dillon Matthew
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