Alaina Alexander

By Shannon McGregor

Appearing alongside Gainesvillians Lettuce Olive and The Duppies, and St. Augustine’s Amy Henrickson & the PRIME Directive is L.A.-based singer Alaina Alexander. Drift chatted with Alaina about her upcoming album, singing for charity and what it was like to be on American Idol.

Drift: How did you end up getting involved with this tour to support Invisible Children?
Alaina Alexander: I took a break from music, but when I’d recorded a few songs, I sent out a bulletin on MySpace with the link for people to listen. From there, Indigo Planet Records got a hold of me and approached me about the project. I’d heard about Invisible Children in the past, and someone sent me the DVD and all the info – it was a no-brainer. I’d always wanted to get involved with a charity, so this was awesome – all I have to do is sing a song, and all the proceeds from the CD go the charity. I feel good about it because every little bit helps. It’s also awesome that we’re doing the tour. We had one in LA at The Viper Room.

D: How was that?
AA: It was really fun. I’ve always wanted to play there, so it was awesome that I got to play there and it was for the charity. With the tour, all the proceeds go to the charity also. It’s a good time.

D: Tell me about the song you have on the compilation CD?
AA: Yeah, I have one song on it, “Two-feet Tall.” Every artist on the CD gave one song.

D: Was this a song you’d performed or recorded previously, or did you record it just for this CD?
AA: I’m recording an EP right now, right when I started recording is when Dave (from Indigo Planet) got a hold of me. So this is a song I feel really good about putting on this album. We had a time crunch to get it all mixed and mastered for that record.

D: You were a semi-finalist in season six of American Idol. Tell me a little about that.
AA: It was crazy. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never seen the show. I figured I’d try it since I’d been doing music for so long. When I started getting through every single audition, I started to freak out. Then all of a sudden you’re live on television in front of 36 million people. It’s a whole mind game. I didn’t know what song to sing – I had no idea what I was doing. I wish I had been more prepared, but it was just an once-in-a-lifetime experience. And when I have a family, I can show my kids, and say, “Look, mom was cool.” It was so fun, but it was really stressful.

D: I read that you’d almost given up on music before you got onto America Idol. Even though you didn’t win, did the experience inspire you to keep going?
AA: The music business is just so hard. I came out to LA when I was 18; I got in a girl group; we got a record deal with Interscope Arista; we’re making the record – life was great. But then we had our differences, and we ended up breaking up a few years later, and a lot of that was taken away. I was trying to get back on my feet, doing the music on my own, as an individual artist. That was going good, but no one was biting. I was frustrated, thinking, “Maybe this isn’t for me, maybe I should go do something else.” I didn’t know if I could take any more rejection. And then my girlfriend suggested I do American Idol. Since I’d done music for so long, I kind of looked at American Idol as a joke. That was a snobby way to look at it, but that’s just how I felt. But this was before I knew the show would really help me, and basically put me right back on track and reopen my love for music. But it’s still a struggle – I’m still a struggling artist trying to make it, but at least I have my passion and that love for my music. At this point, I don’t really care what happens. Yeah, I want to become successful at music, but I’m just so happy to have that in my heart again. Some people never find out what they love – they’re lost. My music keeps me on track; it keeps me alive. Thank goodness for that show. It really made me realize that I don’t know what I’d do without music.

D: So what’s next for you – you’re working on an album now, right?
AA: Yeah, with some awesome producers, who I’ve been working with for a while now. I finally feel like I have everything in place. I have my sound down. I have songs that I completely love – I feel really good about them. After I’m done, we’ll see. I have a couple independent labels that are interested, so I’ll put together a package, do a video and go from there. I’m excited – I just want to go on tour and start getting out there. Once or twice a month, I play around Hollywood, at places like The Viper Room, the Cat Club, Hotel Café, which is an awesome venue.

D: So we’ll see you next in St. Augustine?
AA: Yeah, I’m so excited. One of my friends out here is actually from St. Augustine, so she’s coming out with me. We’re just going to party and have fun!