Q: You talk about being in a confused headspace in your new single, “Need to Know.” For someone looking to exit their unwanted thoughts and make room for better ones, what advice can you give? How have you utilized this advice to your own advantage?
CABRAL: One thing I’ve taught myself to do is to just do whatever makes me happy. If I’m focused on something positive, that puts me in a good mood, and I’ll lose the bad and lingering thoughts and replace them with better ones, even if it’s just driving down the street to go get Dunkin or buying that shirt I really wanted. This has never failed for me, and I’ve been doing this ever since I started overthinking too much.
Q: You are currently a contestant in The Music Room vocal competition and have made the top 12. How has being a contender revved your engine for your next musical project?
CABRAL: Yes! After seeing my cover on “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals in one of the rounds of the competition, someone was very interested in making covers of old rock/blues songs that many have not been able to “make their own.” I’m planning on recording some new covers with them soon and will be releasing more details on the project soon.
Q: Along with being a solo pop artist, you are the lead vocalist in not one, but two rock bands, “Synco” and “Catching Arrows.” Is it difficult to switch from one genre to another?
CABRAL: I’ve been working with different genres for my whole life, so I’m very much used to having to switch genres. The competition I was recently in, also opened me up to doing songs from different genres and gave me a lot more experience and confidence in learning a variety of songs under pressure and within short timeframes. One requirement for most of the rounds was to sing songs I had never done before and in many rounds the contest selected the genres.
Q: As a rising artist, it is important to find the proper foundation for your creativity to evolve. How has working with a music producer amplified your career as opposed to making and releasing music on your own?
CABRAL: Working with a music producer has opened me up to more connections in the music industry and has allowed me to work with bigger and more creative people rather than on my own. I have also noticed that my songs that are made with a music producer do a lot better than the ones I release on my own. They also sound more professionally produced and engineered, because of their depth of knowledge and expertise of their craft.
Q: Your pop anthem, “Sleep all Day” is contagious in its message about proclaiming self-esteem. Was there a particular person or incident that inspired your lyrics, “I know it’s frustrating, you can’t fix it for me. I hope you won’t hurt me. I hope you won’t desert me?”
CABRAL: I’m often an observer rather than the person that undergoes the pain, but even just being an observer can hurt. I’ve watched a lot of my friends suffer through toxic relationships and heartbreaks and have even seen targeted attacks on social media that I think are terrifying and messed up. This conflict inspired me to come up with the song’s emotions, and I knew they were very relatable.
Q: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? What would be your most anticipated exchange of creativity with them?
CABRAL: I would 100 percent love to collaborate with pop artist Tate Mcrae. She inspires me and so many other young artists. If I had the chance, I would love to make a song with her, even if this means that I would collaborate with her on a song, or that she would help me. She’s super famous, so of course this isn’t guaranteed, but it would be an honor and a dream to work with her.
Interviewed by Molly Byrne
FOLLOW ALEXA CABRAL:
