Country Music's Alexandra Kay On Spotify: Mic Check

You never know where the podcast -- Spotify:Mic Check -- will go next. The podcast spotlights music from around the world and shares the personal stories of those artists who make that music. This most recent episode is no exception.

The newest episode of  Spotify: Mic Check, features an in-depth interview with country sensation Alexandra Kay. 

Known for her popular covers on social media and starring in Netflix’s Westside, Alexandra Kay joins Spotify: Mic Check to discuss her personal successes and pitfalls as a singer-songwriter, the cancellation of Netflix’s Westside, and losing her first major record deal at the same time. She also shares more about her unique mentor/mentee relationship with Randy Travis and has a special message for Dolly Parton, whose music made Kay an internet star.

Available to stream for free exclusively on Spotify, please see below for interview highlights in the episode: 

Alexandra Kay on growing up in Waterloo, Illinois, and dipping her toes into the entertainment industry at a young age. “Waterloo was a very quiet – I guess, kind of a larger small town. I really didn't see how I was going to use it as a jumping-off point when very early on decided that I wanted to be in entertainment in some way. So, of course, watching Disney Channel growing up, and I really wanted to dive into acting and that whole thing. And so I got my first agent pretty early, and I did some commercial work, and I did voiceover work on the radio, and I dove full-swing, head-first into musical theatre. And so that was my first love in the entertainment business.”


Alexandra Kay on getting her start in music and cutting her first few tracks. “I was a hostess in the restaurant. And so I had met some guys that also worked at the hotel that were in hip hop and R&B, and I made friends with them, and I would go down to like the smoking lounge when they were on break, and I would go down and talk to them and be like, “Guys, I'll sing for free on your tracks. Just give me a chance.” Like I would be singing for them in the parking garage on my break. And these guys were bedroom musicians at this time. I mean, Smino was one of them, and he's huge now out of Chicago. I was begging these guys to give me a chance. And when they did, I mean, I was going to every apartment, every bedroom studio. I was in closet recording booths every single weekend for free, recording on these hip-hop tracks. And then my name kind of got around, and they're like, Oh, this girl's dope, and she'll do it for free. And then one thing led to another, and then I ended up in the studio with Huey. I ended up in the studio with Nelly, and that's how I got my first record deal in 2013.”


Alexandra Kay on her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and going viral on social media for her covers. “That came at the perfect time because I had just left my first record deal, and I was kind of deciding what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be, and what my next step was going to be. And so I said, okay, well, I'm just going to start recording songs that I love and sitting on my parents' staircase. And one video led to another led to viral video after viral video after viral video. And I started to gain a big following.”



Alexandra Kay sends a special message to Dolly Parton and credits the icon’s music for her start in country music. “Thank you for letting me cover your songs, because I don't know that I'd have a career. I thank you for all the inspiration to every woman in this business.”


Alexandra Kay on losing her record deal and the cancellation of Westside. “At the same time that I was putting my application in at a bar called Tinhorn Flats in Burbank, California, my face was getting painted over on Sunset. And as I had a mop in my hand, you know, a couple of weeks after we found out we weren't getting a second season. And so that was a turning point in my life. And then, I believe it was a week later that I lost my record deal. And so everything kind of came down on me at once. And when I think that I can't make it through something, I think about that moment, and I'm like, I made it through that. I had to look people in the face every single day, and they were like, “Aren't you the girl from the Netflix show? Why do you work here?” And I'm like, “Because this business is tough. What can I get you to drink?”


Alexandra Kay on first encounter with Randy Travis. “His publicist, Zach Farnum, called me, who became a really good friend of mine, and asked if I wanted to come over and make coffee with him. And I said I would love nothing more. And he was. Like, When are you free? I was like, Whenever. Anything. I'll cancel it. Just tell me when you need me there. I was so nervous because I've been a fan of his my whole life, and he's a huge reason why I loved country music and the genre that I'm in. And I walked into his house and was instantly calm. I'm just calm. As soon as I felt his presence, I met Mary, his wife, and they were so comforting. And instantly, it was like we'd known each other for years.”

 You can listen to the full episode here.