AleXa Discusses American Song Contest, Promoting in Both America and Korea, and Anime at Otakon 2022

Fresh off her win on American Song Contest, AleXa was announced as a headliner for Otakon’s 2022 K-Pop concert and drew in a huge crowd of fans eager to see her for the first time in person since her debut in 2019. The singer is one of the few artists to toe the line of both the American and Korean entertainment industry. After her performance on Friday, she sat down with us and our fellow media colleagues for a press conference-style interview to discuss her experiences on American Song Contest, promotions in both America and Korea, and her favorite animes. Check out more below!

Q: Going forward, you are going to be promoting in both America and Korea. Is there a different thought process that happens when preparing for promotions in America versus in Korea?

AleXa: When it comes to promoting in America–granted, Americans do love K-Pop. It has definitely become such a worldwide genre, so I’m very fortunate to be able to share my work that I do in Korea here in America–but at the same time, I have these wonderful opportunities like American Song Contest that allowed me to be an artist and to also sing in English. It's kind of nice to be able to fluctuate between singing in Korean, singing in English, and then we might even throw some Spanish in a song, so it's just a really nice opportunity to perform in places I haven’t been before. Even in places in Korea for different festivals, I haven't been to certain regions before. And then in America, I’ve never been to Otakon before, but I have this wonderful opportunity. I feel like the preparation is honestly [the] same, it’s just a mental preparation–like oh my gosh it’s a big crowd, are we ready? Are we prepared? That kind of excitement is what really gets me every time.

Q: Congratulations on being the first ever winner of American Song Contest! What was your favorite part about getting to compete and participate in the show? Are there any behind-the-scenes stories you can tell us? 

A: Definitely one of my favorite things about competing was meeting all the other artists to be honest because, not in a bad way, but I hadn't heard of these artists before and it was so lovely to not just see them do their thing on stage [and] hone in on their craft, but to actually meet them on a personal level and share stories with commonalities about being an artist and everything. I got to share stories about being in Korea. They shared stories with me about where they've gone on tours and everything, which is really cool. There were so many funny behind-the-scenes moments. I will say I'm still in contact with a handful of people on the show like Chloe Fredericks, UG Skywalkin, and Ryan Charles, they’re still close homies to me. But I can't pinpoint a specific moment, it was just [overall] very fun. 

A: [Pauses to think] Meeting Michael Bolton for the first time! That was mind blowing. I love Michael Bolton, I grew up listening to [his] music because of my parents. So seeing him in person, hearing him sing in person, I was just like, damn, he still got it. He's still so talented it was amazing.

Q: How would you describe AleXa to someone who doesn't listen to music?

A: Oh I had this question yesterday at my Q&A, but I had to speed rush it in 11 seconds. I have more than 11 seconds today. Music wise, I would like to say it's like a buffet–you're going to the Golden Corral. You might not like everything there, but if you like mashed potatoes, well dammit there’s mashed potatoes, [and] they’re gonna be the good seasoned ones too–not just plain. But also I feel like visually what we do at ZB Label is just very different and very out there. I feel like we really like to explore the concept of concepts. If that makes any sense. It isn't super redundant, but again, like you said earlier, we always want to push the envelope [on what] we can do sonically, visually, conceptually, like with special effects too because my company is [a] music video team. It's kind of hard to put everything into one concise thought, but I feel like I've said everything my brain will allow me to say.

*Q: Since we are at an anime convention, what are your top animes right now?

A: Well, I hate to say I'm kind of out of touch with new anime. I’ve been wanting to get into them, but as soon as I start one, I just lose track because life is so hectic. I’ve been meaning to start Demon Slayer, and I’ve heard Jujutsu Kaisen is good. I’ve kind of been wanting to get into Chainsaw Man, not sure, I’ve heard it’s eh. I know there is no anime yet, but I’ve seen screen captures of the manga on Twitter ‘cause I follow so many random anime accounts. But my top animes out of ones I’ve watched OG number is Death Note for sure, number two I think is definitely Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and then if I had to say a third one, it’s not super recent anymore but Kakegurui, the gambling one. I really like that one, the art style is really pretty.

Q: Before you go on stage, what do you do to get yourself hyped up/ease the nerves?

A: Oh, well, I drink a lot more water than I should because I know about halfway through my set I’m like dang it I drank too much water–I regret it every time. But [I] shake it out, I take like ten seconds to just be by myself and get in the zone. Whenever I’m in music shows in Korea, I put in my AirPods and I'll just go through my song as many times as I can before I actually go perform. Also there’s like a little prayer slash chant that I learned when I was in Pom–I always do that every time before I perform. Ever since I was in Pom in middle school, starting when I learned it all the way till now as an adult, a K-Pop artist, I do this little prayer thing before I go on stage every time.

Q: What advice would you give to yourself five years ago?

A: I would definitely say try to be a little bit more positive. I feel like there was a point in time where I developed a very pessimistic mindset, and that definitely impacted the way I approached work and approached life in general. Definitely I would say try to be more positive and not just regarding work, but just being a human being. Things will get better. Keep fighting for what you believe in, and don't give up on yourself. Don't give up on friendships or anything cause things can and will get better, and just persevere. That's the word I'd say.

Q: What are your goals for the remainder of 2022? 

A: Well, got a comeback in the works, so we're actually working on that–should be sooner than later. Then I know that we have a tour coming up as well. It's a U.S. tour [that] should be [to] a handful of cities. So, who knows? I might see you there. But other than that, definitely just working hard on the next best thing. And hopefully, some end-of-the-year stages will be nice in Korea, but we'll have to see about that. But yeah, very busy end of the year and we're really excited.

Huge thank you to AleXa, her team, and the Otakon team for allowing us to speak with the K-Pop star! Be sure to keep an eye out for tickets to her U.S. tour in October.

*This question was asked by one of our media colleagues but was also on our list of questions

Edited by Rashelle B.