Q&A - Alexander Romance

Alexander Romance is an avante-garde artist taking inspiration from the genres of midwest emo, pop, hyper-pop, rock, hip hop, trap, drum and bass and electronic. Since releasing his raw yet catchy debut single 'Lovesick City' in January 2022, Alex has created a storm of curiosity around his name in Scotland and further afield. Known for his energetic live performances and strikingly beautiful aesthetic, Alex is a future icon who naturally attracts others to him due to his fearless self-expression and natural ability to stand out. Unashamedly wearing his heart on his sleeve both in his writing and performance, Alex is a strong advocate for positive mental health. Often heard speaking candidly about his own experience with depression, anxiety and addiction, Alex seeks to inspire others to overcome their struggles and lead the life which they were truly born to live.

Photo Credit: RXN

Make sure to check out his new single ‘Break!’ and read out Q&A below:

1. How long have you been making music and how would you describe your sound?

I've been making music for 2 years now, I spent 2021 writing and literally learning everything from scratch and I released my first song 'Lovesick City' in January 2022. I would describe my sound as inherently emo, and it can go a few ways from there, some of my songs have more of a pop vibe and some are more hip hop, rock etc. I don't like to box myself in too much and I've got a drum and bass song in the works right now that I'm really excited about. I always want to keep one foot in pop culture because ultimately I want to make a career out of music so I never want what I create to be too niche/alternative that it puts people off.

2. What's it like trying to break into the scene being from a small village in Dumfries and Galloway (St John's Town of Dalry)?

Honestly I think it depends what you make of it, if you push hard enough and put yourself out there you meet people in Glasgow for example and further afield, although in Scotland Glasgow is definitely the hub of the music scene. There are less distractions for me here, and the people I've made connections with in Glasgow are great people who have totally accepted me and helped me to integrate and thrive. I have a long term relationship with Steg G, he's always had my back from before I even released a song, people like that. And more recently Richy Muirhead who runs the SAMAs, he has been really good to me.

3. Your new single 'BREAK!' was out 27th Jan. Tell us about your process creating this track?

'BREAK!' is a song that was made last summer with my long time collaborator Squiggles (producer), we worked together for about a year from mid 2021 to mid 2022, many of my songs are produced by him and he's a very talented and good person. The song is mixed and mastered by Gubbins and it showcases what I see as the more delicate, intricate and possibly fragile parts of me that I don't get to express that often in day to day life, but am often found expressing through my music. What I love about this song is the soft, gentle vocal preceding the drop in which I scream at the top of my lungs 'I CAN'T! BREAK! BREAK!', so really this song was about showing all parts of myself, even if I am fragile I can't break, even if I am weak, I am strong.

4. You have quite a striking appearance, especially on stage, what is the thinking behind that?

I have always expressed myself through my appearance ever since I was young, but now I'm older and I am more aware and conscious of who I am as a person, I think I have flourished even more in that regard. For me I just love to be creative with my appearance, because that's what it is, when you create an outfit, you are creating a persona, 'how do I want people to perceive me?', and this is always changing too, so maybe 6 months ago I'm wearing colour, whereas now I'm in all black, it changes, but I also think I am maybe settling down a bit in that regard, by that I mean as I find myself more, my style changes less, as I become more of who I really am, does that make sense? At the moment I am getting really into make-up so stand by for some eye-catching looks.

5. What are your goals within music this year?

I want to cement myself as a solid player within the Scottish scene, I just got my first booking with DF Concerts supporting Lil' Mariko at The Garage (The Attic) on the 8th of February and I want more of these types of opportunities, so I've been working super hard in preparation. I want to hoover up as many showcase opportunities as possible, such as Pitch and Resonate and I've just submitted my application for the Wide Days development programme so fingers crossed I get that one. I'm always looking to strengthen my team as well, currently I have no manager or booking agent, but that could all change soon. I've just started working with Vic Galloway's 'One to watch' producer $1000 Wallet, super excited to see what we can do together. And other than that I'll be trying to crack the social media puzzle, shout out to my content coach @the_reecipe!

6. Do you have any gigs/significant dates coming up we should know about?

8th of February supporting Lil' Mariko @ Garage (The Attic)! I'll also be releasing new music every 4-6 weeks so keep an eye out for that. Other gigs are tentative atm, but follow me @vlexanderomance on all platforms for regular updates on music with a sprinkling of fashion videos if you like that kind of thing!