TBT: Alexandra Kay

Summary

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Dumb Blonde Podcast – TBT: Alexandra Kay

Release Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Bunnie XO
Guest: Alexandra Kay

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Episode Overview

This episode of Dumb Blonde features musician and viral sensation Alexandra Kay, recorded while on tour. Bunnie XO dives into Alexandra’s remarkable journey from small-town beginnings to viral fame, exploring her experiences with relationships, trauma, the music industry’s highs and lows, and the importance of resilience. Through candid stories and laughter, the conversation highlights Alexandra’s authenticity, gratitude, and growth, offering listeners both inspiration and vulnerability.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Touring Life and Opening Acts

• Being on Tour with Jelly Roll
  • Alexandra describes touring with Jelly Roll as a dream come true, emphasizing the daily “pinch me” moments.
  • Quote: “It feels like a dream every single day… I always try to stop and talk to him for like five minutes because I get just, like, gems of wisdom.” (04:46)
• Learning from Humble Beginnings
  • Both host and guest reflect on how playing for tiny crowds built their stagecraft and humility.
  • Quote: “You have to go through those years of playing for nobody… to figure out how to hold a crowd’s attention.” – Alexandra (05:55)
  • Alexandra shares a story of playing to just 6 people in a 500-capacity room and how those audience members later spread the word, building her early fanbase. (07:52)

2. Upbringing, Family, and Early Musical Roots

• Close-Knit and Athletic Family
  • Alexandra grew up in a family of three sisters, deeply bonded by time spent together, especially through competitive softball.
  • Quote: “We all played competitive softball… It’s what made me ready for this kind of lifestyle – just work, work, work.” (10:12, 11:10)
• Church and First Creative Sparking
  • Singing in church as a child hinted at Alexandra’s creative energy and set the stage for her future in music.
  • Quote: “My mom would just hear me sing in church, and she was like, oh, okay… I had a little bit of a musical ear.” (13:02)

3. Teenage Trauma and Personal Growth

• Early, Abusive Relationships
  • Alexandra opens up about her first love at 13, a five-year relationship marked by her partner’s drug addiction and domestic violence.
  • Quote: “He was very heavy into drugs and it became a physically abusive relationship. I hid it… I loved him and I knew my parents would never let me see him again.” (14:17-15:09)
  • She explains that her trauma led to both songwriting and volatile friendships in adolescence.
• Reflection and Healing
  • Therapy helped her realize the impact of early trauma on her attachment style and decision-making.
  • Quote: “Once I went through my divorce and started in therapy, I realized why I hang on to things for too long.” (14:17)

4. Finding Her Musical Path & Industry Lessons

• DIY Era: SoundCloud, Dive Bars, and First Record Deals
  • Alexandra started releasing songs on SoundCloud and describes her “pop” phase and signing an early, constraining record deal at 21.
  • Quote: “My creative freedom just completely went out the window. But I learned a lot in that year and a half.” (27:16)
  • She worked with St. Louis hip-hop artists and even recorded with Nelly, Huey, and Chingy. (25:45)
  • The pitfalls of early contracts: “The songs I released with them — I haven’t seen any money. They still own everything.” (27:41)
• The Netflix Chapter: Highs and Heartbreaks
  • An Uber-ride connection led her to be cast on the Netflix show "Westside." The experience involved big hopes but ended with financial and emotional letdowns.
  • Quote: “We were all over Times Square… But then we get the call: It’s buried in the algorithm... your checks are going away… Warner Bros. dropped us all.” (38:54-39:44)
  • Lesson: “God puts me in situations way before I realize why I’m there… It makes me so grateful for moments like these.” (31:19, 38:58)

5. The Road to Viral Stardom

• TikTok and the Power of Consistency
  • Alexandra’s series of morning “coffee and covers” went massively viral on TikTok. Her authentic online presence built a huge, loyal fanbase.
  • Quote: “I slid in, sang a Jo Dee Messina song, and someone said, ‘How do you make your coffee?’—So I made coffee, sang ‘Cowboy Take Me Away,’ and got 3 million views.” (61:00)
  • She strategically alternated viral content with her original songs to grow an audience for her music.
  • First real financial breakthrough: “We made $10,000—I’ll never forget that day, it was life-changing for us.” (58:00)
• Navigating Social Media Platforms
  • Alexandra and Bunnie discuss the varying cultures of Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X (Twitter), with Facebook bringing both huge audiences and the harshest comments.
  • Quote: “Facebook is my most ruthless platform in the comments… but the crazier it gets, the views skyrocket.” (57:29)

6. Surviving Heartbreak and Rebirth

• Leaving a Marriage and Starting Over
  • Details Alexandra’s 11-year relationship, its decline, and the heartbreak of divorce, intensified by public speculation about her rising fame.
  • Quote: “It was devastating. I had never lived alone… but moving in with my manager Beth, and having support, helped me through that period.” (44:55, 49:30)
  • She poured her emotions into the album “All I’ve Ever Known.”
  • Alexandra emphasizes empathy and privacy, refusing to smear her ex publicly: "The last thing I ever wanted to do was destroy him further... But the comment section was brutal." (47:56, 49:07)

7. The Power of Team and Personal Boundaries

• Building with Trusted Friends
  • Strong praise for her manager Beth and her tight-knit touring family.
  • Quote: “It would be detrimental to me if Beth and I weren’t working together… we grew it together.” (64:36, 68:58)
  • Alexandra now sets boundaries while remaining a people-pleaser at heart, especially for her fans.
  • Quote: “It’s so important my fans know they are loved and appreciated… that part of me can’t go away, or I’d lose myself.” (51:01)

8. Healing, New Love, and the Future

• Romance with Rocco
  • Rocco transitioned from Alexandra’s trusted guitarist and friend to her partner. Their slow burn friendship blossomed naturally and happily.
  • Quote: “With Rocco, I became so feminine… He softened me up so much. If my shoes are untied, he stops and ties them.” (73:40-74:15)
• Excitement for What’s Next
  • Alexandra is focused on soaking up tour memories, writing a second album with a new, poppier and rock-influenced sound, and exploring a fair new record deal.
  • Quote: “I’m working on my second record… It’s country still, but a little heavier—a lot of pop in there. And I’m just so proud that I held out for a deal that’s for the artist.” (76:03)
  • She discusses the stigma around signing to a label and how artists like Jelly Roll have changed the landscape for independent acts:
  • Quote: “He helped out in my scenario—a blueprint of what I could get and what was possible.” (78:32)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have to go through those years of playing for nobody… to figure out how to hold a crowd’s attention.” – Alexandra Kay (05:55)
• “Once I went through my divorce and started in therapy, I realized why I hang on to things for too long.” – Alexandra Kay (14:17)
• “My creative freedom just completely went out the window. But I learned a lot in that year and a half.” – Alexandra Kay on early record deals (27:16)
• “God puts me in situations way before I realize why I’m there… It makes me so grateful for moments like these.” – Alexandra Kay (31:19, 38:58)
• “With Rocco, I became so feminine… He softened me up so much.” – Alexandra Kay (73:40)
• “It’s so important my fans know they are loved and appreciated… that part of me can’t go away, or I’d lose myself.” – Alexandra Kay (51:01)
• “We made $10,000—I’ll never forget that day, it was life-changing for us.” – Alexandra Kay (58:00)
• On her journey: “I know that… people look at you and they're like, oh, it's just the TikTok girl. But you've done some—you've earned your stripes.” – Co-host (75:03)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:51 – Start of interview and on tour with Jelly Roll
• 04:46 – Alexandra on tour life and learning from Jelly Roll
• 07:52 – Playing to (almost) empty rooms and perseverance
• 09:03 – Alexandra’s family, upbringing, and softball
• 13:02 – Early music influences (church, family)
• 14:00–15:09 – Teenage relationship, trauma, and resilience
• 23:08 – First steps recording and sharing songs online
• 25:45 – St. Louis hip-hop roots; working with Nelly, Huey
• 27:16 – Signing (and learning from) her first record deal
• 31:19, 38:58 – “Invisible string” moments and career setbacks
• 44:55–49:08 – Discussing divorce, heartbreak, and living alone
• 51:01 – People-pleasing, setting boundaries with fans
• 55:10-58:00 – TikTok breakthrough, viral coffee videos, earning real money
• 61:00-62:10 – ‘Coffee and cover’ TikToks explode
• 65:35 – Facebook Live sessions keep the band afloat in the pandemic
• 73:40 – Relationship with Rocco and new beginnings
• 76:03–76:58 – New album and fair record deal insights
• 78:32 – Jelly Roll and changing how indie deals are made

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Tone and Style

This episode brims with warmth, honesty, and humor, bouncing between laughter and deeply personal revelations. Both Bunnie XO and Alexandra keep things real, addressing heavy topics like trauma, heartbreak, and industry manipulation, but always return to themes of resilience and gratitude. Alexandra’s openness and Bunnie’s supportive, candid style create a safe space for unfiltered storytelling.

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For New Listeners

If you’re discovering Alexandra Kay for the first time, this episode offers an intimate tour of her backstory—far beyond just being “the TikTok coffee girl.” Her journey through pain, rebuilding, viral triumph, and authentic artistry is laid bare, making her music and social presence all the more resonant.

Where to follow Alexandra Kay:

• @alexandrakmusic (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X/Twitter)

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Note: Content summarized skips ad reads and housekeeping. For the most powerful moments, check the timestamps above.

Transcript

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[Alexandra K]

Bunny XO.

[Podcast Host]

Is this thing on?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

What's up, babies? We are back with another episode of Dumb Blonde, except this time we are on tour, so. So of course I had to have my favorite person on the tour. Don't tell Warren. Ms. Alexandra K is in the house. Baby, how are you?

[Alexandra K]

I'm so good. I'm so happy to be here. You have no idea, dude.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I'm stoked to have you. I've been wanting you on for a long time. I have been watching you for so long. Like on TikTok is how I found you was doing the coffee things and stuff like that. And I always thought you were just so cute. And I was like, I want to talk to her.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Because you just have such a warm energy.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, thank you. That means a lot. Well, I'm super excited to get into it because, like, I'm a huge fan of your podcast and I love that you ask like, all of the, like, outside the box questions. So I'm ready, baby. Give it to me. I love it, girl.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

How about this? You just tell me what you want to tell me and we'll be good. So what's it like being on tour with Daddy Roll? Like, are you excited?

[Alexandra K]

Honestly, like, it feels like a dream every single day. And we were talking about that this morning. It's like, when is somebody just gonna, like, knock on our bus door and say, okay, like, you're done now. You've been punished. You're having entirely too much fun working. And like, it just feels like a dream. It's insane. And every Single time that I get to even pass him in the hallway. It's like I always try to stop and talk to him for, like, five minutes because I get just like the.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Little gems of knowledge, little gems of.

[Alexandra K]

Wisdom in five minutes. It's insane. It's like the best five minute conversation you'll ever have in your life is with him.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Try being married. I mean, you get to a point where you're just like, all right, dude, enough. You're like, I don't wanna know anymore. I don't wanna be wise. I don't wanna be any more than I already am. No. I remember when Jay came to me about this tour. We were sitting out back and were you guys there? I'm not sure you guys might have been there or not, but we were picking people to have on, and he gave me a list of girls that he wanted to come on, and I was like, alexandra K. He was like, absolutely. Thank you. Yeah, no, it was. We were really excited to have you and just getting to see you out there every night and just, you know, in front of the crowd, and you're like a natural showman. Like, a lot of people don't have that.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you. You know, I feel like a lot of that I built just playing in dive bars for so long. I feel like you have to go through that. Those years of playing for nobody or playing for just like, five drunk guys on bar stools who don't give a shit what you're singing about or saying in order to just kind of figure out how to get even the craziest people's attention or people who just don't really care what you're doing, to try to just kind of, like, get their attention, I feel like, is how you figure out how to hold a crowd's attention. So I'm really, really grateful for all of the little dive bars I've played in, all of the shows that nobody really came to so that I could be ready for this.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

It made you. It made you who you are. But I forgot who I was talking to last night. I think it was Pauly Shore. And we were talking about the growth with my husband, and I was like, I've seen my husband play to 20 people. Exactly how he's doing out there for 15,000. And I used to always say to him, baby, why do you put so much energy into a show for just 20 people? He's like, because they came to see me. And, like, you know, it just that it's those humbling, humble beginnings that whenever you do make It. To the big time. It's just kind of like, all right, I got this.

[Alexandra K]

Exactly. And it's like training. Like, that's kind of how I think about it. Whenever I. I think back on it now, I'm just like, man, if I would. If I would have been too scared to go out the night that. Okay. So I showed up to my first. My first tour I ever put on. I drove myself in my buick encore to 27 cities.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Wow.

[Alexandra K]

And I know. And my guitar player. It was just me and him, but he didn't have a driver's license. So I would literally play until 2 o' clock in the morning and then wake up at, like, 5am and drive us to the next city. We did that for a little over a month, but the first. It was my first tour ever, so I didn't know what to expect. And we showed up in Louisville. Huge place. I was also booking it myself. This is before I met Beth. Wow. So I also booked it myself. So I booked a huge room and didn't know what I was doing.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, no.

[Alexandra K]

And, yeah, I showed up and there was like, six people in like. Like, a 500 cap room. And I went to the bathroom and I bawled my eyes out. And then I went out and just put on a show as if the place was packed. And, you know, it's like, I did not want to go up there and do that that night, but I was so excited at the end of it. I'm like, these six people paid money to come see me and then didn't turn around and leave when they saw the place was empty. That's what it's about. And then they bring more people, and they bring more people in.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That was probably the best night of their life. That is probably, like, a core memory for them. They're like, I was one of the six people that was watching her perform, and now look at her. You know, they tell everybody that.

[Alexandra K]

Well, I'm sure Jelly did this, too. Like, we would hang out and drink afterwards. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I couldn't get my husband out of the venue.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Like, now when he leaves, I'm like, are you sure? Because he's such a venue rat. So I could never. He would want to hang out with me. He wanted to freaking move people in by the end of the night. And I'd be like, babe, no, we're going home.

[Alexandra K]

Hear your life story. And the people would be like, oh, where are you guys going tomorrow? Like, come on. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No. That's how my husband Was, too, for sure.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. Great. Great memories.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So let's bring it back. You grew up. You were born in Missouri?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, I was born in Missouri, Southern Illinois. So I'm like, right on the border. So I always just tell Everybody I'm from St. Louis because it's, like, the closest city.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Gotcha.

[Alexandra K]

If you say Illinois, they're like, oh, you're from Chicago. I'm, like, six hours away from there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, I was born in Missouri, grew up in a small town in southern Illinois, and then, like, got into music in St. Louis. That was, like, my first taste in the music business.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So growing up, how was your relationship with your parents? Do you have brothers, sisters?

[Alexandra K]

I have two sisters, and I'm the middle child, so I'm, like, best friends with both of them. And it worked out to where, like, I was a freshman when my oldest sister was a senior, and then I was a senior when my youngest was a freshman. So we all, you know, did the high school parties thing together and everything. My older sister would take me out when I was a freshman. I would take my little sister out. So we're all really, really close. And, oh, man, it's. I really, really am blessed with just how close my family was. Went on a lot of, like, family vacations and stuff. We were a softball family, so we all played competitive softball and for the same organization. So I would be in, like, 16U, Courtney was 18, and Taylor was in, like, 14 or 12s, and we would travel together and then all play, like, the same tournaments. So we were just always together.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Athletic family.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I was surprised when I learned that about you. I was like, okay, softball, I love that.

[Alexandra K]

You know, I feel like it's how I learned my kind. That's how I got my, like, determination, I guess, and just never to take no for an answer. It made me tough.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

You know?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, I mean, I would think so. I mean, just getting out there and having balls thrown at your face every day.

[Alexandra K]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I mean, that's a little scary.

[Alexandra K]

Right. And just like, you know, physical punishment every single time you did anything wrong, they're like, run. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

But it's kind of like the army. Like, it's like boot camp.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, man. And like, when you get to a certain level, like at the club level or whatever, and we were like a nationally ranked team, so they. Yeah, they did not play. We played all through the winter on turf, indoors and everything. We never had breaks. I didn't really have any friends outside of softball because, you know, during the summertime, I Didn't get to hang out with anybody, like, at school or anything. We were just always traveling, so.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

But plus you had your sisters, though. You guys were so close, you know? So those are, like, built in.

[Alexandra K]

They're teammates.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah. And those are, like, built in. Best friends.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, for sure. But, yeah, I really think it's what made me ready for this kind of lifestyle, because it was just work, work, work, work, work. So now everybody's like, you don't get any breaks. I'm like, I never really had any.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I think it's the Virgo in you, too. When I found out your birthday was the other day, I was like, okay, that makes sense, because I have a Virgo Stellium, which means four planets that are in Virgo in my chart. And I don't know how to give up. I don't quit. Like, I'm always working. So you have that same drive.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my gosh. So much. Definitely so much that I wish I could turn it off sometimes, but it can't.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, literally, like, even on our days off, I'm working.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Like, it doesn't matter what's going on. Like, even if I'm just making content or doing something, it's like you have to always be making a goal, you know, to feel fulfilled. I guess.

[Alexandra K]

You're so on your social posting. Cause, like, I follow you on everything, and I'm just like, there is something is always going up. And I'm like, nick, Steph, we gotta get something else up.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You kids seem pretty good, though.

[Alexandra K]

No, no, they do. They're. Honestly, they're incredible.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love what you've been doing with the tour. I did that last year where every day we filmed, like, a look video or, like, something like that. And that is so good, because people get to see a different side of you, too.

[Alexandra K]

For sure. We really started leaning in heavier to the vlogs, which we didn't have as much time on our headlining tour to do that. And so we really are leaning into that. And I feel like everybody's getting to see everyone's personalities and getting to know everybody on the team, which is really, really cool. And I thought it was so awesome the other day when I introduced. I was talking to Jelly, and I was like, this is Rocco, my boyfriend. And I just. I never, like, introduced him as my boyfriend. She figured he'd know. He was like, I watch the vlogs. I love that. And I was like, steph, you're gonna let Jealous watch the vlogs?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

We're gonna talk about Rocco in a Little bit. Let's circle back to childhood, though. So mom and dad are still together. You guys are super close. All that jazz, you GRE softball. And then when did you start writing? Like, when did you know, like, music was kind of in your soul, in your spirit?

[Alexandra K]

So my mom. My mom used to tell me that she would just hear me sing in church, and she was like, oh, okay. She could just tell, you know, that I had a little bit of, like, a musical ear. And then, you know, growing up in church and singing in the choir and all of that stuff, like, I always really loved it, and I was kind of the child that was just pretty outgoing and always wanted to be in front of the camera. Like, there was a camera rolling. And so I think that that's when they realized that I was just more creative than my other sisters. Like, they didn't. They were just more kind of, like, shy, and I was just out there. And then I went through my first relationship I ever had was. It lasted five years. So my first. And it sounds really weird to say now right now that I'm in my 30s, but, like, my first boyfriend was from 13 to 18.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You do long relationships. I've noticed. That's crazy. But that's amazing that you find these people. And it's a good and a bad thing, because do you stay because you're in love, or do you stay because it becomes a sense of, like, I have to be here to make it work?

[Alexandra K]

Well, I think that now, and once I went through my divorce and I went. Started in therapy, is when I started to realize why I think I hang on to things for entirely too long sometimes, you know, when they're not good for me, and I know that, and I just won't let it go. But I think that we kind of realized it all stemmed from my first experience of being in love and that not being a healthy first experience of being in love. What happened? And, you know, he was very heavy into drugs, and it became a physically abusive relationship. And how old were you from 13 to 18.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

18. That's. Those are, like, pivotal years of growth also.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So to go through two things of having to deal with somebody who's an addict, and then also domestic violence is pretty heavy.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. And I hid it, you know, because I loved him, and I knew my parents would never let me see him again, and I was just very anxiously attached to him. I mean, he was my first love, you know, and now I know that he actually wasn't. And he was just trauma bond. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he did not grow up in a great situation. And when I look back on that now, it's like, it makes the whole situation make a lot more sense to me. But I didn't understand it then.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Right.

[Alexandra K]

And blamed myself a lot for it. And you can't blame yourself, though.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I feel like those lessons are always put into place, no matter how bad they are. As we get older, we understand that they do become kind of like a blessing, because it's like, had you have never gone through that, you would never know that side of life for sure. So that's how I always try to look at things, too.

[Alexandra K]

Right. And had I never have gone through that, I would. I don't think I would have fallen into songwriting the way that I did because I was just so full of so many things that I couldn't talk about. And I was always a very emotional child anyway. I just feel everything times 10. And so when I was going through that, I remember walking through Walmart and seeing this little book that had daisies on it. And I picked it up, took it home, started writing, just diary entries, and those turned into poems. And then I just started hearing melodies, and I just started writing songs. And it was all about what I was going through with him and just being in love for the first time. At that time, I was also. I switched from Catholic school to public school.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, wow. That's a big change. I did that, too.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. How old were you when you did that?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I went from junior high into high school, and I didn't know one cuss word. And people used to make fun of me because I would wear, like, dresses down to my ankles. They would call me, like, Little House on the Prairie and stuff like that. Yeah. Because I came from a Christian school into a Las Vegas public.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my gosh.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So, yeah, it was a huge change. How was it for you?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was. It was pretty much the same. I mean, but a lot of it is, you know, being. I switched from seventh grade, so I had seventh and eighth grade in public school before I went to high school.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my goodness.

[Alexandra K]

Which I'm like, that's brutal. It's a weird. It's a weird age to change and try to find. Try to make friends.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Right.

[Alexandra K]

And I think that I was just so desperate to fit in that it was like, anybody who would take me in, I was just like, okay, cool. And so I fell into a group that, you know, wasn't the best and developed some pretty unhealthy friendships and relationships at that time and, you know, got in A lot of fights and fist fights. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Crazy. I can't see Alexander.

[Alexandra K]

And I've never talked about any of this either, so I'm giving it all to you, girl. I love it.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, I love it. And I think it makes you relatable. I grew up fighting too. I got kicked out of my private school for fighting. I got kicked out of public school for fighting. I got kicked out of church for fighting.

[Alexandra K]

Wow.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So I get it. I understand it.

[Alexandra K]

And what do you think that stemmed from?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Well, I was just about to ask you that. Do you think that. That. Well, you met your boyfriend when 13. So that's what, sixth grade? Seventh grade?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, seventh grade.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So do you think what you guys were going through is what made you so volatile towards people? Or was it things at home that were causing that?

[Alexandra K]

No, no, it wasn't anything at home. And honestly, I think that because I was able to go home every night to a very loving and accepting family is the reason why I didn't go down a completely different path.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's so amazing.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. And I talk a lot about that with my therapist. She's like, you need to write a book because no one knows any of this is happening. And she's like, you should be under a bridge somewhere. Based on everything that I've been through and just statistically, you know, I've dealt.

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[Alexandra K]

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank NA or Stride Bankna members FDIC Spot me eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file Fees apply at out of network ATMs. Bank ranking and number of ATMs. According to US News and World Report. 2023 chime checking account required. And I was around a lot of drugs, never used.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's amazing, too, that you were able to say no and have willpower.

[Alexandra K]

Well, you know, I saw what it did to the closest person in my life at the time, and I. But my whole goal was to just make him stop, so I didn't want to.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

What was his drug of choice, if I can ask?

[Alexandra K]

Well, it started pills when I first found out. And then the story was that he was just holding onto them for somebody else or selling them for money or whatever. And so I was just like, okay, well, as long as you're not doing it. And then it was that, then it was cocaine, then it was heroin, then it was everything else. Wow.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So he went down a really deep spiral with drugs.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, for sure.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's a lot to deal with that in junior high. That's crazy. So do you think that that from that relationship just being so frustrated is what was causing you to lash out with other people in the fighting?

[Alexandra K]

Well, I think that it was also. It was also the fact that when he got angry, it was physical. And so when my friends got angry, it was physical. Everything was always fighting with my friends. I mean, it was like some pretty. It was some pretty traumatic stuff. Like in this group of just like.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Everybody'S just beating each other up when they get mad. That's terrible.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was pretty like, you know, there was like a hierarchy in this, like, group. And it was just like, you two are gonna fight or I'm gonna fight you.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Wow.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was pretty rough. That is rough.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You gotta, like, live in fight or flight every time you're around them, for sure.

[Alexandra K]

And it was just, you know, fight back or get your ass kicked all the time. And it was just, you know, and it made me really, really hard For. For a while. And. And I think that I just kind of fell into, oh, this is how we handle things. Okay. So then this is how I handled things for a few years until I completely separated myself from that whole group of people and broke up with my boyfriend and. And spent a lot more time with my family. And just as they say, anyway, they just kind of think I fell back into who I had always been.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So from 13 to 18, though, those are like, huge growth years. So aside from that relationship. So you start writing and then where does the writing take you musically?

[Alexandra K]

I just started, you know, working with anybody who knew how to use GarageBand.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Songs, like, literally written in this book. And I'm like, can I record these? And they're like, cool. Do you play guitar? No, it's just spoken word.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You're like, it's just poetry.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, right. And so I just found somebody who could just kind of put the music with everything for me and started cutting these songs, putting them on SoundCloud, you know.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, Just doing that.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I could never imagine you on SoundCloud, but that's amazing. Like, you were just willing to do it.

[Alexandra K]

You won't find me now. I made sure there was no evidence of those first.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

What is the first song you uploaded on SoundCloud?

[Alexandra K]

Uh. Oh, I believe it was called Let yout Go. Yeah. And it was very. It almost had, like, a dance.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Cause you were supposed to be a pop artist, right?

[Alexandra K]

So I signed my first record deal. I signed was in 2012, and I signed with Network Entertainment.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

How old were you then?

[Alexandra K]

I was 21.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Okay, you were 21.

[Alexandra K]

And I. And I signed this deal, ended up going into. Well, okay. I had been working in hip hop for a little bit, so I worked from, like 19 till I was like 22 at the Four Seasons Hotel.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Didn't you have your first agent when you were 16? I think I had read that.

[Alexandra K]

Yes, I did.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So take me from there.

[Alexandra K]

I went into acting, modeling, did that whole voiceover. I did voiceover work. Like, what does voiceover work?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Exactly.

[Alexandra K]

So I basically would do like, like the Ru Rankin material and like the college. Like the local college radio spots.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, I love that stuff.

[Alexandra K]

Like that. Yeah, just go in and do that. Which was really fun. I loved it. And so I did that and I did a couple commercials and I loved it. I just wanted to be in front of the camera. And then that was when I got into musical theater as well and did a lot of theater. And I feel like that especially from, like, my junior senior Year of high school, it, like, really kept me out of trouble because I stopped going out on the weekends, and I would just be, like, with all the theater kids building sets, you know, I was just like, gosh, this is so much more peaceful than what I used to be doing. So, yeah, so I did that and then kind of took it a step further and got an agent and did some of those commercials. And then that's when I started meeting people in the music business when I was working at the Four Seasons and met a couple of rappers, and I was just like, hey, if you guys ever need hooks, like, I sing and I'll do it for free, you know, just call me. And so they did, and then they just. Then they just kind of passed my name around. They were like, this girl does it for free, and she sounds good, you know? And so then I just ended up in every closet studio in St. Louis for a couple of years. And one of those rappers was Nelly.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. I ended up working with Nelly and got in the studio with Huey and Chingy.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Where the hell did Huey go?

[Alexandra K]

Huey died.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, he did?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Did he? I never knew.

[Alexandra K]

Did everybody know that your face?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, because I. Seriously, he's the one that's saying, pop, lock, and drop it, right? I never knew he died.

[Alexandra K]

Yes. He was a St. Louis guy.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Damn. What did he die from?

[Alexandra K]

A gunshot.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, son of a bitch.

[Alexandra K]

All right, well, I know.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

RIP Huey. I'm sorry, baby. I did not know. I genuinely didn't know.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, I know. Yeah. But that was a crazy time, and it was so much fun. And that's how I signed my first deal. Yay.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So what was that like, signing your first deal? Like, were you just. Did you think that the world was gonna change?

[Alexandra K]

Of course. We all do, right? We think, oh, this is it. This is it. I'm going to the top.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Nobody could tell me.

[Alexandra K]

Meanwhile, my contract was like one piece of paper. Like, it was just. It was so illegitimate.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Who did you sign with?

[Alexandra K]

Network Entertainment. It was like a. It was like a. Like a little indie label in some place.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Okay, gotcha. Yeah. I think everybody has that has never been in the music industry or wants to be in the music industry and wants to be signed so bad. I don't think they realize how not for the artist these deals are, you know, And I always stress that on the podcast that, you know, yes, being in the music industry is awesome, and there's so many blessings that come with it, but there's also so many deals that just. You have to be very careful for and look out for.

[Alexandra K]

For sure. I mean, my creative freedom just completely went out the window with that deal. And I was just so young and naive, and I just wanted any help that I could get, and so I took it. And don't get me wrong, like, I had a blast. And I learned a lot in that. I think it was about a year and a half I was with them, and. But still to this day, you know, the songs I released with them, I haven't seen any money from them. They still own everything. How is that legal?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

How do they get away with that?

[Alexandra K]

Honestly, I don't know. And I just.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So unfair. Because you guys, without you guys, there's no them, you know? So it's like, you would think that they would treat people better.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, you would think so. I mean, the last conversation we had was that they were like, yeah, if you re. Record the song, put it out with us, then we'll take the original down. And I was like, no. Why would I ever do that?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I feel like if, you know, you sign with a big label, because I'm sure everybody and their mom is looking at you now, they'll be able to handle that for you. And that's called karma.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, we're looking forward to that. I'm like, please get that song out of here.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Is it rough? I want to hear it.

[Alexandra K]

It's rough. Please.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

We're gonna look it up one of these days. We're gonna go on the bus and listen to it, and then I'm gonna facetime you while we're listening to it in the background.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my God. And then the owner of the label had this clothing brand as well. And so in the music video, he, like, made me wear his clothing brand.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, there's a music video up, too. What is the name of it? We have to go look at it. Okay.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my God. I'm so scared. It's so bad, you guys. It's so bad.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, you are so funny.

[Alexandra K]

It sounds. I'm singing out of my nose.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You know who I'm married to, right? There's some videos up that he. I'm like, honey, what is going on? What the fucking cornrows? Are you kidding me? Like, I'm like, who is this man?

[Alexandra K]

I mean, we have all done some. Like, when you first get started, and you're like, you'll do anything. I mean, we've all got questionable shit out there.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. You should see some of the first shit I uploaded on YouTube and TikTok, like, don't let's not do it, but, you know, it's like you don't know who you are. You're finding your sound. You're finding your Persona online or who you want to be. So. So don't ever. That's a part of your journey, so don't be ashamed of it.

[Alexandra K]

I've kept it up, you know. Yeah, there's some really bad. Very first YouTube videos. Those are gone. Nobody will ever find those. But, you know, it's cool to look back on. Right. And you're just like, oh, my gosh, I thought this was so great.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

When I did it, and I was so excited. No, please stop, girl.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

But that's a testament of how far you've come, you know?

[Alexandra K]

I know they cut my hair off. I was blonde. Navi La.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Not the bed shot. Oh, the hairdo.

[Alexandra K]

I'm loving.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Let me see the hairdo, man. Oh, my God. That is so like Sarah Fawcett.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my God.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

And the mountains in the background. This is very Bob Ross.

[Alexandra K]

Very Bob Ross. Coat of Ross. Is he painting as we speak?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love it, I love it, I love it.

[Alexandra K]

God.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So during all of this, you also had a relationship that you started with somebody, correct? Your high school boyfriend who you ended up being with for about 10 years.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. So my ex and I met right around the time I signed this record deal in 2012. And we were together for, yeah, 11 years. And then we.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's a long time. Yeah, long, long time.

[Alexandra K]

We stopped dating for a year Pretty, pretty early on. We just weren't seeing eye to eye on what we wanted. And I was really, really career focused, and he wasn't really there at that point. And so we split and then ended up getting back together and, you know, kept it going for a long time. I held onto that for a long time.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, that's. That's crazy. And we're gonna circle back into that when we talk about when you dropped your first or which album was it? Right here. The. I have it in my notes.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, yeah, yeah. All I've ever known. Yes. All I've ever known.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Sorry. I have so many notes that I'm trying to look through them. But you also, during this time, got signed to a Netflix. Were you doing a Netflix show?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Take me on this journey.

[Alexandra K]

I know I've done everything. I also have to tell you how I got it, because please do so. Invisible string.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Okay.

[Alexandra K]

And like. Okay. So first of all, like, God puts me in situations in my life way before I'm ever going to be back and realize why I Was there to begin with.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, I love that.

[Alexandra K]

So. And I have a couple really pretty creepy scenarios for you, and I just had another one. What yet? Was it yesterday? Two days ago, but. So I had just come back from being on the Voice. I mean, they didn't air my episode, so, like, was I ever really on it?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I don't know.

[Alexandra K]

And no one turned around for me.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

It was an audition, right?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was an audition. So. But, you know, during that time, they keep you in a hotel room for a month, and you literally can't leave the hotel for a month.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

They make you do that for a month and then don't even air your episode. That's brutal.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it's a pretty crazy scenario. So I'm just gonna tell you this while we're on this, but. So the other day, two days ago, when we were going through, we were at our hotel, realized our tour manager had booked a different hotel, and he was like, oh, I'm so sorry, guys. We're actually somewhere else. We all get back in. I am like, okay, I'm gonna run in and go to the bathroom. And then Rocco and I went to a different hotel and then went and saw Hamilton, which is so fun for my birthday. And we walk into this hotel, and I just, like, get this really, like, eerie feeling. And I'm like, that smells familiar. It looks familiar. And then I see all these people walking around with guitars, and I was like, oh, my gosh. This is the hotel that I lived in for a month when I was on the Voice.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No way.

[Alexandra K]

And have never been back.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my God. But you're back now on your own terms. Like, that's amazing.

[Alexandra K]

And the day before, you know, I got to play crypto with you guys, and, like, what?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I got goosebumps.

[Alexandra K]

Isn't that crazy? I was, like, standing outside, like, this is where I was bawling my eyes out like, oh, my gosh, my career is over. Nothing's gonna happen for me. They just didn't, you know? Yeah, it's over. And then I'm just standing right back.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my God.

[Alexandra K]

Isn't that wild?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

But it's crazy how the universe brings you back to say, see? See how far you've come? Because you probably are really hard on yourself and, like, because you always do have your head down working. I'm the same way. We rarely stop to smell the roses and, like, appreciate what we do, you know? So that's kind of like the lord telling you, like, hey. Hello.

[Alexandra K]

I know. Look at you. Hi. It wasn't supposed to happen then. It was supposed to happen now, but that was a part of what it took to get you here. Absolutely. And so I had one of those the other day. And so back to. I left my record deal, started going on Facebook, posting videos of me singing 90s country songs on my parents staircase. From there, I recorded Jolene. And that was my first viral video. It got like 80 million views on Facebook and kind of grew my Facebook page enough for a producer from the Voice to see that video. That's how I got my blind audition. Did that. Didn't work out. 30 days later, I get a call from my friend who's driving for Uber in Los Angeles, and he's like, dude, I just had the craziest Uber ride. I don't know if anything's gonna come from it, but, like, I have to tell you what just happened. I'm like, what's up? He says, this guy gets in the back of my Uber and we've got an hour ride somewhere, and we're talking, and I'm like, what do you do? He's like, what do you do when you're not Ubering? Yada yada? And he's like, I was driving him to a showcase because he was telling me about this show that he was casting and how they needed a country singer to fill out to round out this cast, and this was gonna be the last person they cast. And he was just like, oh, do they have to live here? And he's like, I don't know what it was in me, but I just pulled up your Jolene video and I just handed it to him in the backseat. And he was like, who is this? And how do I get in contact with her? And they cast me in the show. Oh, how strange is that?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Shout out to good friends. I know about you when you're not in the room. That's amazing.

[Alexandra K]

Insane. Insane. And so I was just sitting in southern Illinois 30 days after getting cut and feeling like, oh, what am I gonna do now?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Thank God, though, because Bob Ross, right?

[Alexandra K]

For sure.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Thank God. At the time, you were very upset, but I mean, it's like, it was such a blessing.

[Alexandra K]

I really thought I was gonna be living in those mountains.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So when one door closes, another one opens. No, that's amazing.

[Alexandra K]

So that was really cool. And I got cast in the show, and they were like, we need you out here in 30 days. You have to find your own place to live. So I ended up living with Scotty, which is so random. I was like, where am I gonna.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Live, Scotty was the Uber driver. Gotcha.

[Alexandra K]

And he was like, somebody just moved out. And he was like, do you want the room? And I'm like, yeah, I moved out there. I didn't know anybody, didn't have any friends. Figured out how to drive the crazy highways out there pretty quickly. I had a lot of panic attacks.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

This is in la, right?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Okay. Yeah. Oh, yeah, the LA freeway fucking scare me. I make Mimi drive all the time. And I'm from the West Coast.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my God. I'm like from Waterloo. And I'm like, where are all the parking lots? Like, this is crazy. And so, yeah, I just jumped right into shooting that show. Made friends with everybody on the cast. It was a wild experience. Unfortunately, the show just. There were too many cooks in the kitchen. You know, call it what you will. Whatever the reason was, it just wasn't as successful. And. And that was just another heartbreak after that. And I was, I have to tell you, like, I was devastated when that happened. I mean, it really put me in a rut.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Well, that's like an extremely high high, you know, and then to have to be let down from that, I mean, you just. It's a lot. It's pretty heavy.

[Alexandra K]

I mean, not only the producers and everybody saying, this is our most funded show of the year, this is gonna change your lives. And shooting it for two years.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Wow, that's a long time.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Holy shit.

[Alexandra K]

It was a long time. We worked with all of the big music video directors and we got signed to Warner Bros. At that time. That's when I signed my record deal with Warner.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

So this is your second record deal that you're signing?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. And I was, you know, just on cloud nine, thought it was all gonna happen. And then the show came out, it was mis marketed. And this is from them, this is what they said happened. So basically it was marketed as a reality TV show. So, you know, you get recommended things on Netflix and it was kind of pushed to people who watched reality shows. So, like, people who watch Ice Road Truckers were notified about our musical television show.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Right.

[Alexandra K]

That was.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Was it like Glee kind of or like what?

[Alexandra K]

So, no. And that's. That is what I was pitched whenever I got cast was something like that. And then what ended up happening is it just the storyline got extremely confusing. They were following our careers, but then we were also creating our own musical about our own lives in the middle of it. But then also already I'm confused. Oh, and then. And then you're just watching and it breaks out into a big budget music Video.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Okay.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Is it still up? Can we watch that too?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. Oh, God.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

We're good. We're doing a deep dive tonight.

[Alexandra K]

I'm excited. Welcome to the graveyard. Here's all the things I did that were.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love it, though. But this is so cool that you have such an extensive digital form footprint, though. Like, that's amazing because when you're winning fucking Grammys, you're gonna look back on. What is it called? I'm so sorry, West.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, yeah, west side.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You're look back on west side and you're gonna be like, this was all part of my journey. And you have it all documented, dude. So when you do do a documentary of your life story, they're gonna be able to pull all these clips and it's just gonna be such a beautiful montage of your life.

[Alexandra K]

I can't wait for that.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, no, don't look at it with embarrassment.

[Alexandra K]

Well, no, you know what's really cool is all of the moments I got to feel that were like those real rock bottom moments, because it's what makes me so grateful for moments like these. So when west side came out, there were. We were all over Times Square. We did all the big TV shows and there are billboards all over la and LA live. Like, I mean, it was crazy. And then we get the call around Thanksgiving, hey, we're not putting any more. They're not putting any more money into the show. It's buried in the algorithm. Like, it's done, it's over, and your checks are going away and we're not doing a second season. Yikes. Also, then Warner Brothers calls days later, and they dropped us all.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You don't get residuals. And I'm like, well, wow, that's crazy. And then you lose your second record deal just out of the blue.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

What was their reasoning?

[Alexandra K]

They just didn't. Okay. So what. What happened was we lost the deal with the show, and then they started dropping people from the record label, but they held on to two of us. And so I was with them a little bit longer and we just weren't seeing eye to eye as far as, like, the songs they were pitching me and wanted me to cut, and I was just like, this doesn't even sound anything like anything I do. And so that was more. Hey, it doesn't feel like it's gonna be a good fit. But they did drop everybody else.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love that you stand up for yourself, though, because most people want it so bad, they're willing to be who they aren't. And you are like, no, I'm not gonna cut this song. This isn't a good fit. I don't care if I'm gonna lose this record deal or not, so.

[Alexandra K]

But, you know, if I wouldn't have gone through that first record deal where I did record a bunch of things that didn't feel like me, you know, I wouldn't have known to stand up for myself then. And then. So I. I had still some time left on my lease in California and, like, I had to pay my bills. So I was driving all through Burbank with my little. My bartending resume, because I bartended for a long time. And I was going to every single bar. And as I'm driving, I was like, on Sunset, and they are literally painting over our billboard of our show as I am, like, handing out my resume to bartend.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I feel like that's your life, though. I feel like God has a sense of unity with you. Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

I was like, twist it, why don't you? Oh, my gosh. Yeah, it was really, really wild.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I feel like God has a sense of humor with you, and he's like, you're gonna really feel this right now, but I promise you, I'm gonna bring you out of this.

[Alexandra K]

He's like, we're gonna make it hurt real bad so that you just really appreciate everything good that's about to happen.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

But that's amazing because some people don't get those lessons and they don't get to learn those valuable things that, you know, make you grow in life and become a better kid's character development.

[Alexandra K]

100%. Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, absolutely. So during all this, how is your relationship, because you are with your ex at this time, during all of this, how is that going?

[Alexandra K]

So at that time, like, if you. If you watch the show ever, that we do have a lot of rocky moments in the show, and there were a lot of things going on behind the scenes where, you know, I have that song on my record called Painted and Perfect. And, like, that is exactly what I did. And a lot of things were happening that were huge red flags at that time that I just really covered up. And we stayed together. We moved back from LA to Southern Illinois because that's where he could work. And so I said, here's what we'll do. Since you moved out to LA with me, we'll go back to Southern Illinois. You go back to work in the union, and I will commute to Nashville. And so I started driving. I started driving to Nashville every Monday, which is a four and a half hour drive from St. Louis. I would couch surf Monday through Friday, just wherever I could crash and write songs, record, make content. I joined 615 House at that time. And then I would get back in my car and drive home Friday, spend Saturday and Sunday, and then Monday I would drive back. And I did that for almost three years.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Did he ever. Do you ever feel like he supported your dream? Because I feel like all of these highs and lows that you've gone through, I don't hear about him being by your side through it.

[Alexandra K]

I do feel like he was. I do feel like he was supportive. Yeah. And, you know, we went through a lot together. And, you know, he moved to LA for me, with me. Yeah. And I moved back home for him and then commuted for him. So there was a lot of things that we did for each other. And, you know, it wasn't all bad with us. He was my best friend. Yeah. And unfortunately, we just grew apart. Like, we grew up. I tell people this all the time. It's like. And in my song, you know, in Everleaf, when I say, I guess me at 21 and 31 just wanted different things.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Well, I mean, yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Like, imagine yourself at 21 and what you wanted and what was important in a relationship to you, and then at 31, what's important now? It was like. It was just really cool when we got together that his parents owned the bar down the street and that our friends kicked it together and that my friend was dating him. His friend. Do you know what I mean? And a lot of it was just going out and drinking, partying, and, like, being young and stupid and having a good time.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

And moving into our first apartment together and splitting rent because neither of us could afford it by ourselves. I mean, we were kids, and then we got older and we just didn't want the same things anymore.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, I know how that goes. But, I mean, people don't understand every year you're growing, but 21 to 31 is a huge jump and maturity levels also. So, you know, to be able to acknowledge that and get out of that marriage is huge on both of you guys. Parts, too, because some people would have hung on for even longer. So to know that you weren't happy and just be like, hey, man, we need to just part ways. Even though that dude was your best friend and you guys had a decade plus under your belt, that's not easy to walk away from.

[Alexandra K]

Not at all. It was devastating. It was like, how do you get.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

The strength to do that?

[Alexandra K]

I didn't have a choice. At that point, I didn't have a choice. There was something that just snapped in me. I'll never forget where I even was. I was in San Diego, and I was playing San Diego House of Blues, like the Small Room that night. And we were just out on another headlining tour, and things had just really gone downhill, and it was just getting worse and worse and worse and worse.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Was it like arguing? What was it like?

[Alexandra K]

It was arguing. It was. He wasn't working at the time. And so when you have a lot of free time and I'm on the road, you know, it's a lot of drinking, and then with the drinking comes more arguing, and so. And then, you know, spending money, because if money's not coming in and you're not working, it's just a lot easier to spend money because you got to entertain yourself somehow.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's still not fair to you, though, right?

[Alexandra K]

And then, you know, I'm on the road and calling you from a closet because I don't have a green room because I'm in clubs, like small 300 cap clubs, and being like, please stop spending the money on the credit card. Like, we cannot afford, you know, what.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Is he spending money on? Just going out?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Was there any infidelity or anything like that?

[Alexandra K]

No, no. There. You know, once we separated, it was instant that he was out wild and out, you know, and we're from a small town, so it was. Nobody knew we were separated.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, no.

[Alexandra K]

So the girl was like, yo, your husband was trying to take me home last night.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, that's so hard.

[Alexandra K]

And so that's how I was finding out, because no one knew. And at that time, we were shout.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Out to the girl who told you, though.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, she's a real one.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Nobody ever wants to hear that. But, you know, thanks for dying.

[Alexandra K]

They were just like, thanks. Yeah. And, you know, because there were a lot of girls that did do things that I found out from other people, and they didn't tell me.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Goodness.

[Alexandra K]

So, you know, it was. It was really, really hard. But you know how when somebody just keeps proving that this was the right decision, it just gets easier every single day. You know, it's different if they're completely turning their life around and changing things, but when you just watch them continue to spiral in the opposite direction as you're going, you're like, thank you for the strength to get out while I could.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I applaud you for how you went through the divorce because you were so classy about it. You didn't speak about it. You Literally just poured your heart out into an album, and that was it. Like, you know, you didn't go into the press. It wasn't messy. Like, you just did it. So not what normal people in the spotlight would do. You know, divorces get pretty hectic and disturbing sometimes, and I really appreciated the way you did yours, so thank you.

[Alexandra K]

You know, I really loved him, and so the last thing I ever wanted to do was destroy him further than I know. I destroyed him when I had to leave, you know, because it's not what he wanted, but it was what was going to be best for me in the long run, and what I think is going to be best for him because at the end of it, I was not in love anymore. And so when you're in a relationship with somebody and you're not in love anymore, that's not easy on the person who still is in love. And I'm like, you don't deserve to be with somebody who is not in love with you anymore. So I want you to go find love and go be happy. But the last thing that I wanted was to destroy his reputation. It was really tough to hear. You know what was really hard was when it came out and then everybody speculated. Mm. That it was because I got famous, which is so weird. You know what I mean? Like, that's not even a real thing.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I'm not.

[Alexandra K]

But, like, you know what I mean? Like, that's. The comment section is, oh, she blew up and just left her husband in the dust. And it's like, I had to read that over and over and over.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

The energy.

[Alexandra K]

She cheated. And I'm like, yeah, it was brutal. That was brutal. And also to just be super heartbroken. I lived by myself for the very first time at 30 years old.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my goodness.

[Alexandra K]

I had never lived alone.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Take me on that first night that you're alone in your apartment.

[Alexandra K]

I was terrified. You know, like, later on, I loved it, but it was like, I was scared. I never, like, sure, I slept alone, but in, like, hotel rooms and in my home that I was comfortable in. But, like, I moved in with my manager, Beth, for a while, like, at the beginning of it, because, first of all, I was extremely unstable, and there were plenty of times when she just brought tequila upstairs to my sobbing ass. It was like, that's a real one. Yeah, she is. She is. I would have never got through it without her. And she was just like, okay, do we need to go out? Like, what are.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You know.

[Alexandra K]

And I'm like, yeah, you know, like, it was really, really Tough. So she. Moving in with her really helped my transition. But it was a couple weeks in to living alone and realizing that every decision I made was my own. And that's when I ended up writing. All I've ever known was because I was like, oh, my gosh. I didn't even realize that this is how I've always wanted my house to look, because I never really got a say on that. He was very much things his way, and if it wasn't his way, it would eventually be his way. You know what I mean? And I am very much a people pleaser, have always been. So I would end up being just be like, fine, whatever you want, you know?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Do you. After these relationships and after learning so many life lessons, do you still consider yourself a people pleaser?

[Alexandra K]

Yes, because I feel like it's in my heart to be right, but in the best way.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

But with boundaries now.

[Alexandra K]

Yes, with boundaries now. But not in a bad way, not in an unhealthy way, because I feel like having the heart of a servant is why I have such a connection with my fans. Because I really want to. It's so important to me that they know that they are loved and appreciated. And I don't know that everybody really cares that much that their fans feel real, true, genuine love and appreciation and gratefulness every day. You know, as long as they're happy with the music, it's like, that's enough sometimes for some artists, but that's not enough for me. And so. So if that part of me completely went away, then I would lose myself completely. So I don't ever want to lose that.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Your fans and the people who love you and your music are lucky to have you, because not a lot of people, especially in this industry as you know, feel that way. They want to just do the show and go home and do it all over again. You know, you actually want to get out there and meet these people who are supporting you and love on them like they love on you.

[Alexandra K]

So, you know what I was thinking is like. Because Jelly's the same way. Oh, yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, he is.

[Alexandra K]

And when I watch him up there, it makes a lot of sense because we haven't been through the same things, but all the highs and lows in life and the highs and lows that I've witnessed and experienced in my career, like, I can see it up there. Like, when he gets so emotional, it's like he did not expect his life to turn out this way. And there were so many times when I had another letdown that, like, I truly didn't expect my life to turn out this way either. And it's like, I feel like you just have to go through shit to really appreciate, really stand here and be like, thank you. You know?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, it's a part of your journey, and that's. You know, it's special because not a lot of people get to experience the lessons that you guys have and his. That it's made you who you guys are.

[Alexandra K]

So did he do meet and greets for a long time?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

My husband?

[Alexandra K]

I was like, I bet you were dragging him out at some point. Like, there are 10,000 people here. You cannot meet. Everyone literally does.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

My husband does meet and greets when we go to the grocery store.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, okay.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Like, we.

[Alexandra K]

We.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

There's a rule. I will not go on a date with him in Nashville, because it's not a date. It's literally a meet and greet. And I'm just sitting there eating. You know, just, hi, guys. Yep, sure. I'll take the picture. You know, like. And I don't mind. I love my husband. I'll do whatever. But it's like, you know, my husband does not know how to turn it off. He does. He just. If you come up to him and you want to talk, he's gonna talk to you. And I love that about him, you know, I'm never gonna get in the way of him being who he is for sure. Sometimes I'm like, baby, can we just have one freaking meal together, just me and you, please? So take me on this journey with TikTok, because you got on TikTok, and that's how I found you was on TikTok. You were doing those. I know people have told you this before, but I think that you are the closest thing that this generation has to Dolly's voice. I think Megan Maroney is. What is Barbara Mandrell of this generation. I think Cody Johnson is the George Strait of this generation. And I think that you have the Dolly vocals, man.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, thank you so much. You're welcome.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You hear it all the time, though. I know you do, but it's so cool.

[Alexandra K]

Like, every time I hear, it's like, she's the best. Like, you don't get any better than that to me. You know what I mean?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

She's just a great human.

[Alexandra K]

She is. I know. I know. You've met her. I have never met her.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my God. You gotta meet her.

[Alexandra K]

I know. And however long I've been singing her songs and I haven't met her.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You'll meet her.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I can't wait, for sure.

[Alexandra K]

And what an incredible person too. Just me just watching videos from afar and she just shines so bright. But thank you. That's a huge compliment. And. And I want to continue to kind of live in that. And I really leaned into that in my record. You know, I wanted, like the soft kind of spoken word thing that she does, and I wanted to be able to do that. And it's just really, it was very convenient that I was able to do that because the record is just so emotional.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. So with TikTok, I came home from the TV show, wrote a song called I Kind of don't, which ended up being my first number one on iTunes and was the first time that labels started to, you know, slide into the DMs and show some interest.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Do they really do that? Labels just slide in the DMs?

[Alexandra K]

That's how. Yeah, that's how I got even a freaking email.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

They're sliding in dms.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, they're just like, hey, on Instagram.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

And so that's how I had my first label meetings. But I was writing this song called I Kinda don't. And I was with Tana Matz and Ryan Robinette. And I remember Ryan being like, have you guys heard about this app called TikTok? And I was like, isn't that a kid's app? I think I did the same thing.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I was like, you're not getting me on there. She tried for a year and a half to get me on there. I was like, you're not doing it.

[Alexandra K]

I was like, guys, I think that's gonna be creepy. I was like, I'm too old for that. I think I said the same thing. And he was like, no. Like, artists are putting their music on there and it's like going. And this was 2019 or 20. Yeah, 2019.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Your Facebook was already popping though, right?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, Facebook was my first platform that I had virality on.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love Facebook.

[Alexandra K]

Me too.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Not a lot of people utilize Facebook. I love Facebook.

[Alexandra K]

I know. I'm looking at Nick because it's like, it's like our little.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Okay, we're not telling anybody.

[Alexandra K]

You guys don't go to Facebook. Nick's our little social media guy and we just scheme about Facebook all the time because it's like everybody just thinks it's for the older generation and it's over. And I'm like, no, it pops.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I'm on there every day posting shit like, I love Facebook.

[Alexandra K]

I know. I follow you on Facebook. Oh, I love that. Yeah. But I mean, like reels, like, they go crazy. Yeah. And so don't go over there, people. I had. No, don't. I'm just kidding. It's really chill over there. You haven't seen anything. But I. Yeah, I started posting on Facebook, had virality over there. And then when Instagram became a thing, worked that as much as I could. But it wasn't as easy to grow on Instagram back then.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, Instagram is still my lowest platform.

[Alexandra K]

I don't love it. Yeah, it's really hard to grow there.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

They don't care about us over there. Literally. They do not. I feel like Facebook and TikTok at least shows us a little bit of love. Instagram's like, fuck you people.

[Alexandra K]

Me. Right?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's all they care about.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, I know. Facebook can get ruthless, though.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, I was.

[Alexandra K]

Facebook's my most ruthless platform in the comments. Oh, the comments.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, yeah, yeah, it's terrible. I don't even read the comments. And if I do, it's always an asshole at the top. And then I always respond to it and then it gets like a thousand more, you know, comments on it. And I do it on purpose, but.

[Alexandra K]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, they're brutal over there. They do not care.

[Alexandra K]

No, they don't.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

It's.

[Alexandra K]

It's definitely where I get destroyed the most there. So I'll just like, watching. Yeah, exactly. And I mean, the crazier it gets in the comments, the views just like skyrockets.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Keep it going. Okay.

[Alexandra K]

I just won't read. I'll turn a blind eye.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You have to post and ghost.

[Alexandra K]

That's what I do. So I decided, okay, let me try this TikTok thing. I started posting just little clips of me singing here and there, playing a little guitar. Nothing happened, of course. And then posted. I kind of don't. And that was my first song to ever go viral. And then I think it got like 10,000 pre saves, like my first song I ever released. And from one video, from one viral video. And I said, oh, my gosh, they are not kidding. Like, this is. This is a big platform. So I just kept feeding and feeding. I would post like three times a day, post all my songs, and my monthly listeners started going up and I started making money. Girl. The first time I made money off of my music was after I kinda don't. Money came in, which is about three months after the song comes out. And it was my first payment. And I was just sitting on my bed and my ex at the time was like out there mowing the lawn. It was Just a normal day. We were poor as shit. And I open up my tunecore, and I was like. My jaw just dropped, and I booked it outside and, like, ran into his arms, and I was like, we made $10,000. Like, it was, like, life changing for us, you know? And, yeah, it was wild. We were crying. It was, like, a whole thing. I'll never forget that day. I'll never forget that day. And then I was like, all right, TikTok is my job. Let's go.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You know, that's what it did for me. We were one of the first podcasts to get on. Do you remember that, Mimi? And we were so ahead of our time with the podcast that TikTok used to flag all my podcast videos because they didn't know what it was. And then once they finally started letting them on, then they started blowing up. And then now everybody else and their mom has a fricking podcast on there. But once it's. It's almost like I compare it to gambling in Vegas. Yeah. When you hit a jackpot on a slot machine, you just get so addicted to those numbers and just the viralness of everything, and that's really what keeps people going. It's an addiction, 100%. But when you see it actually, like, helping your career, too, then that's also, you know, for sure what we do it for sure.

[Alexandra K]

It just felt so, like. Like it was just a door opening. Like, I just found, like, a little crack, and I was just like, all right, I'm walking through here, and I'm just gonna chase this, because at that time, I had nothing else going on, and I felt like I just kind of snuck into this little, like, crack in the door, and I was just like, don't tell anybody I'm in here, but I'm gonna work while I'm in here, you know? And so that happened. Had a couple of other songs go viral. Started making some money off my music. One random morning every morning, I'd wake up, and I would be like, Alexa, play 90s country. And it would just play whatever. And I had my phone propped up, and I had avocado toast, and I had just started making my own, like, lattes because I couldn't afford to go to Starbucks anymore. And so I was like, I'm gonna figure out how to.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Homemade lattes are better anyways.

[Alexandra K]

They. And the coffee's not burnt.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, exactly. Not a Starbucks fan either.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, all the time. And so I slid in, sang a Jody Messina. No. Sang. Yeah. A Jodi Messina song. And then somebody comments and says, how do you make your coffee? And I responded to that, and I made my second coffee, and I sang cowboy, take me away, and it got 3 million views. And I said, okay, this might be a thing. Next morning, woke up, did it again. A few more million. And I'm not kidding. It was. Everything I posted was a million at least.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, I remember that era. I was like, this girl is singing making coffee, and just. The views are crazy. Go girl wild. Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

And so at this time, Nick had just started in a social media role for me. So I called him and was like, dude, what is happening? And he was like, I don't know, but like, you better be making coffee. Three times. I was making those videos three times a day.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my goodness.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. And just stockpiling them so that if I couldn't be at my house in the morning, I had something to post, and it was every single day. And then.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Did you ever get burnt out doing that?

[Alexandra K]

Very much, Yeah, I did. It became stressful, which is so strange to think, right, That I would get stressed about making coffee in my kitchen and posting a video. But it felt like my lifeline because I got so addicted to those numbers. And I was like, so I started this kind of strategy. Okay, this is gonna go viral, and then I can post an original song, and that will kind of like fall into that same momentum tornado, and I'll get a lot of views on an original song. And I would post coffee Original coffee original. And I'd post at least twice a day. And that's how I got my numbers up for my original music. And eventually I just had to stop doing it because I was like, I'm stressed.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, it's a lot of pressure. People don't realize. They're like, oh, all you do is create content. And it's like, let me see you do it for six months straight and see how you feel. It's a lot of pressure to put on yourself, because if something tanks, you're like, what happened? Why did I do this? Or, you know, like, you just want to always make sure that you're moving forward, and sometimes the algorithms don't allow us to do that.

[Alexandra K]

Right. And, I mean, I'm sure you've. You've heard just as much as I've heard really incredible songs on TikTok that have no views.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, yeah.

[Alexandra K]

And I'm like, it's not. Cause this song isn't amazing. You just didn't get picked to go into that algorithm. And it's. It's heartbreaking because I Don't think that way anymore. Like, we post our vlogs on TikTok. If they get 100,000 views, like, we're happy.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, that's how I am too.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, but we're not gonna just not post vlogs.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Just because they only get 100,000 views. Because that core fan base that. That knows us loves it. They love it. And they want to see personality and they want to meet Steph and they want to meet Nick and see how funny Beth is and, like, you know, and so why would we just deprive them of that? Just because it's not hitting the for you page and going viral every single time.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love that you include your team, because I'm the same exact way. I remember I sat down with my team and I was like, listen, you guys need to make Facebook pages. You need to get your Facebooks up. We're going to start. You know, I want people to get to know your personalities, and I really feel like the people that help you, it's. You want them to win with you, you know, And I think that's a sign of, you know, just somebody who brings their team along with them is just. I don't want to, like, compliment, because then I sound like I'm bragging on myself, but I feel like that's the character of a good human because a lot of people don't do that. You know, they don't. They want to keep their teams hidden, and, you know, we don't do that.

[Alexandra K]

So I think that's 100%. I mean, it would be detrimental to me if Beth and I weren't working together, if Nick and I better never leave. She ain't going anywhere, girl. I was like, I will find you with Mimi.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I'm like, mimi, don't ever leave me. I will hunt you down. You have no idea.

[Alexandra K]

No, she can't. And, you know, when Beth and I. Haley too. Beth found me on Facebook in 2020, which we didn't really touch on this, but during the Pandemic, all of my dive bar shows went away, so. And that's how I was making my money. So I would play Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Four hour sets a night. And by Sunday, I could not even talk.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, that's a lot.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was crazy. And then we would, you know, talk, drink, hang out with everybody afterwards. And started to gain, like, a local following during this. Well, all of that gets shut down. All the bars closed during the Pandemic. So I called up my band and I was like, you guys are Gonna come over every Thursday, and we're gonna do a Facebook Live session.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Aw, girl.

[Alexandra K]

These Facebook Live sessions were paying us more.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Wow.

[Alexandra K]

Than what we were making at our shows because I put my PayPal link up there, and they were tipping us. So anytime somebody would, like, they'd be like, $5 in PayPal. And you know how you can add a little note? They'd be like, strawberry Wine. And I'd be like, thank you so much. Read their full name and then sing Strawberry Wine for them. And, I mean, the tips would roll. And I kept my whole band afloat and me the whole pandemic from doing those Facebook lives, but we would have half a million people in there at once.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Wow.

[Alexandra K]

By the end of it, just because it became a thing, like, it was like, people would.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

People look forward to it. They would plan their days. People love live entertainment on their computers because they don't have to go anywhere.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. And they would be like, hey, we're so excited. We have our dinner and our wine, and we're just. We have you on the tv, like, watching it every Thursday. So that was really cool. And one of Beth's friends shared a Facebook Live and was like, oh, this girl's awesome. And so Beth checked me out and then called me, and she wanted to book me as an agent. And then, I mean, we just became best friends. And, like, I've never met anybody who works, like, who matches my work ethic.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

When's your birthday, Beth?

[Alexandra K]

1222.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You're a Capricorn. I knew it before you even said it.

[Alexandra K]

Does that make sense with our signs?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Capricorn and Virgo are soulmate signs.

[Alexandra K]

That makes so much sense. Also, did you see that I'm a Cap.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Aquarius and Cap Rising. So that's why, you know, and the Virgo, too.

[Alexandra K]

I just.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I don't stop.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, it makes so much sense. I mean, she was in la and I would have a couple hours on her, and she would still be up. Like, I would have to get up earlier just to make sure that I was up when she was up so that we could work together. Worked for over Skype all day long. I mean, like, we never weren't on the phone, and we grew it together. And this is another invisible string moment. But we had our first number one. I kind of don't on itunes. Second one, which nobody had done yet in, like, the indie country thing. So Priscilla had her number one song on iTunes. And then right after Priscilla. Yeah, she's amazing.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Such a sweet sweetie pie.

[Alexandra K]

And then right after her Came mine. And then I had put a second song out, and I was like, oh, yeah, we definitely need this one to be up there, too. Like, pre save. Pre save. And, like, nobody. We really couldn't get the attention of anybody in Nashville. They were just kind of, like, dusting us off because she was in LA and I was in Illinois, and, like, we weren't part of the. You know.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, Nashville's kind of a little. Do I dare say culty.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, they're culty.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You have to know somebody that knows somebody. Like, you have to be accepted. Accepted. They're not just gonna let you in and just come. Come in off the street.

[Alexandra K]

No, I just. Now you have to court them. Right. 100%. I just now feel like we're getting let in the doors. And, I mean, we've been, you know, five years in there. And so we went and bought a billboard with my last. Actually, Beth had to pay for it because it overdrafted my account. We spent every cent on this billboard. And we cleared up all the cowboys. We put it up on me. We took a picture in front of it. I shit you not. There were cranes. There are cranes in the back. And it's building. My building I live in. Oh, my goodness.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I remember that photo.

[Alexandra K]

I love that. Yep. That's amazing in there. And I was in there, you know, with my ex and who is now her ex, and now it's us. And when I look down from my balcony, it's that billboard that I bought, the first billboard.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, my goodness. I love that.

[Alexandra K]

That's what I mean. Where God is just like. And you're right back where you're supposed to be. No.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Just showing you your growth every step of the way. That's amazing.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it was incredible. And so when we started shopping for managers, Beth and I met with everybody, and I sat in the car with her. We went through all of our options, and I was like, I don't trust anybody. Like, I trust you. And I know you've never managed anybody in your life, but will you please manage me? And she's like, let's do it. We'll see what happens.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You know, that's so me and Mimi, dude. I swear to God, it's the same. We've built everything from the ground up. We've, like, I don't trust anybody. I don't want anybody in my. Like, to hire anybody new. Mimi has to literally, like, it's. It's a process.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Because we.

[Alexandra K]

It's.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

It's our baby, dude. You know, like, it's so hard when you've built something so big that you're just so scared to let just anybody in.

[Alexandra K]

For sure.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Only want to keep the people around that you trust.

[Alexandra K]

That's how we are with our touring family, too, because we're all on one bus.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

So 12 people on one bus, and we are literally family. We do everything together. We get our coffees together. In the morning. If we're off and we're going to dinner, we go together. Like, if we're going to a movie, we go together. And so when. When we're trying to figure out, like, who's coming into our crew, it's like they have to vibe with everybody. Otherwise, it's just a deal breaker.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Oh, I love that, though.

[Alexandra K]

I love that.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love how close you guys are. Tell me about Rocco.

[Alexandra K]

Okay, okay. Sorry. I'm a child. We'll stretch it a little bit.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, please, you're good. We'll stretch it a little bit. So tell me about Rocco.

[Alexandra K]

Okay, so Rocco and I met because I was working with a producer in Los Angeles. This producer used to be roommates with Rocco's brother.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

One day I Another invisible string.

[Alexandra K]

I know. Isn't that insane?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's crazy.

[Alexandra K]

And one day I. Once I moved back, he calls me and he's like, hey, miss you? I used to be at this dude's house all the time. And he was like, hey, my roommate's brother is moving to Nashville. I know that you're going back and forth to Nashville. You ever need a guitar player, hit him up. I said, you got it. A couple weeks go by, my guitar player couldn't do a gig. I couldn't find anybody. I was like, maybe I'll see if this guy from California can do it. Called him. He paid for his own flight because I couldn't pay him, like, anything. But, like, I think it was, like, $100 is all we were, like, getting. So he paid for his own flight and Uber, and everything came. He was so prepared, and he was just incredible and so talented. And then he ended up just becoming my guitar player full time from then on. And so when we were friends and. And he was with somebody, he had a girlfriend. I was married. We never looked at each other like that. Like, he. It sounds really weird to say now, but he was like my little brother.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Right? No, no, I get it. But, like, sometimes best relationships come from friendships.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. Like, we were besties, and, like, I always felt a trust with him. So it was like, if I ever needed anything done, I always trusted that Rocco would Get it done and do it right. Yeah. Anyways, fast forward to my relationship fell apart, and we were out on the road, and we would just be hanging out and, you know, drinking, and I would just fall apart. And I just, one day just ended up opening up to everybody about what was going on. And he was just really an incredible friend and was really there for me during that time. And then, what, maybe a year later, we were out on tour again. And I had had a crush on him, but I was only telling Beth. I didn't tell anybody else.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Beth holds all the secrets.

[Alexandra K]

I was just, like, dropping little flirtatious, like, whatever. And he would just be like, oh, boss is drunk.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You know, What a great guy, though, like, didn't take advantage of the situation.

[Alexandra K]

Not at all. He actually, like, pushed me away. When I came onto him, he was like, you are my boss. No, I love my job. This could go so wrong. We are not doing this. And I was just like, you'll come around.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

She's like, oh, yes, we are.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. Just like, you know, because we all would drink and hang out and go to bars and stuff afterwards, and I would just get more flirty and more flirty with him. And then, yeah, we just ended up. It happened really, really naturally. And he is the best human I have ever had in a romantic relationship.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Aw.

[Alexandra K]

Like, do you know what I mean when I say that I became so feminine with him?

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Soft.

[Alexandra K]

Yes.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

That's what my husband does to me.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, my gosh. He softened me up so much because I was the one who took care of everything financially. And if he got into trouble, I was the one to, you know, make it go away and fix everything. And I just had a hard shell from that for so long. And with him, it's like, if the guy sees my shoes untied, he will stop and tie my shoes. I'm not kidding. He is trying to just Prince Charming in every sense of the word.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

And that says something about a man that can bring a woman out of her masculine energy and put her into her feminine energy.

[Alexandra K]

He really did. He really did. And he's been absolutely amazing. We work so well together. Everybody always asks about our working relationship on the road, but it's amazing. I'm looking at Beth, and Beth's like, yeah, it's actually really good. I'm like, I think it's great. Beth, do you think it's great? Yeah. So. So, yeah, it's been the best year of my life.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I love that for you, because you deserve that. You deserve all the happiness that's coming. It's been a hard road here, and I don't think people realize the journey that you've had, because I know I didn't realize your journey until I started researching you, too. And I know that. I think I've heard you say in some interviews that people look at you and they're like, oh, it's just the TikTok girl. But it's not like you've done some. You've earned your stripes.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. What does the rest of 2024, 2025 hold for Ms. Alexandra K. Well, you.

[Alexandra K]

Know, every night that I'm on this tour, I'm just going out and trying to be as present as possible, take it all in, learn everything I possibly can, and I feel like it's going to be over before you know it. So I'm just really living in the moment right now. And then at the end of the day, I think they're going to be.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Around for a while. I do.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You have that longevity.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you. And I'm working on my second record right now. And is this gonna be a love.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Record, since you're in love? Because you do pour your feelings out on paper.

[Alexandra K]

Yes. But not a cheesy love record.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Do you know what I mean? Cause I started to write love songs at the beginning, and I was like, this feels so cheesy. It doesn't feel like me at all. You know what I mean? And so I'm really excited. It's a very new sound for me, and I. I'm stoked.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

What is it? Is it, like country still?

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, it's country still, but it's a little heavier. It's like a little rock.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yay.

[Alexandra K]

And it's got a lot of pop going on in there, so I definitely kind of stepped away a little bit from my kind of traditional country sound and leaned into the pop a little bit more. But I think it's really, really cool. And I've been exploring opportunities with different labels, and I'm just really excited to take that step and expand our team and, you know, do all the things. Like, as an independent artist, there are things that I haven't gotten to do, and I'm excited to, you know, sign with this partner because they're incredible and they believe in me and they believe in my music, and the deal was so fair and so right for the artist. It was so for the artist. And I'm just really, really proud that we got there, and I'm proud that I held out.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

Until we got there.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah. I'm excited for you.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Thank you. Yeah, they were life changing for my husband, too. It was, like, really fair for the artists.

[Alexandra K]

So fair.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah. Which I feel like no other record labels are like that.

[Alexandra K]

No, I was very, you know, I was surprised.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

But really, really happy. And it makes you trust them.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah.

[Alexandra K]

You know, you can.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You can trust them. They're a great team.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah, they're incredible. And they've been so great just in this, because it's been really nice that they've been around so much for Jelly, because then they brought me into opportunities and I'm like, I'm not even, you know, legally with them yet. And they brought me into every radio room and introduced me to everybody, and they've been really, really amazing. So, you know, Jelly and I have talked a lot about how I've waved my independent flag so high and how so did he.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, he did too.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah. But, you know, the last thing that you want is for people to, you know, be put off from it. Think you're like a sellout. Right? That's the word. You know, I don't think people understand.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

What signing a label can do. You can only do so much as an independent artist, you know, and to. For people who call, you know, people call my husband a sellout all the time. And I'm just like, do you even know, like, how long my husband's been doing this?

[Alexandra K]

Right.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Like, and he. My husband actually has changed the trajectory for some artists because of how he did his deal. And I don't know if I can go into details about it, but, you know, he has kind of been the blueprint for independent artists signing deals.

[Alexandra K]

I mean, he definitely helped out in my scenario.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Alexandra K]

You know, and to be able to see what he was able to accomplish based on what he brought to the table kind of showed me it was a blueprint of what I could get and what was possible. And so, you know, we've talked a lot about it and he's been super, super supportive. And I'm just really excited for my fans to come on this journey. And everybody that wants to hear me on the radio, like, we gotta ink this deal. And then, you know, so I'm excited.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I'm excited. Well, tell everybody where they can find you. If they already don't follow you, you can find me.

[Alexandra K]

AlexandraKmusic on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. I'm on Twitter everywhere.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

God, Twitter scares me.

[Alexandra K]

Oh, yeah. X is that whatever that app I.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Don'T even get on because those people over there are crazy.

[Alexandra K]

They're ruthless.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

No, they're like, Facebook, I can handle.

[Alexandra K]

Yeah.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

Over there, it's dark. I'm like, what is going on? Thank you, Alexandra, so much.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you. This was such an incredible conversation, and I'm so happy that we did this.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

I appreciate you so much, and I can't wait wait to see how far you go. Dude, we're rooting you on.

[Alexandra K]

Thank you so much.

[Co-host (possibly Mimi or Steph)]

You're welcome. Thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Dumb Blonde. I will see you guys next week. Bye.

[Alexandra K]

Shopify helps you sell at every stage of your business. Like that. Let's put it online and see what happens. Stage and the site is live that we opened a store and need a fast checkout. Stage thanks. You're all set that count it up and show ship it around the globe Stage this one's going to Thailand. And that. Wait, did we just hit a million orders? Stage Whatever your Stage Businesses that grow, grow with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at shopify. Com. Listen.