Exclusive Interview: AleXa Talks American Song Contest, “Wonderland,” and Representing Oklahoma and the K-Pop Community

AleXa is a global superstar who has emerged as one of the faces of K-pop. The talented singer, songwriter, and dancer is bringing listeners into the AleXa-verse with chart-topping hits including “Bomb”, “Xtra”, and “Rule the World”.

Currently, she can be seen competing on American Song Contest, representing her home state of Oklahoma.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with AleXa about making the semifinals of American Song Contest, her song “Wonderland”, and representing the K-pop community.

PC: Congratulations on making it to the semi-finals. How did you celebrate yesterday? What does it mean for you to continue to represent Oklahoma in this contest?
AleXa: Thank you very much, first and foremost. After we finished taping for the vote reveal, my team and I went out to get some delicious Indian food. Come on, chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, let’s go. We ate so well.

Moving on and representing Oklahoma (but also the K-pop community and industry), I’m very grateful for this opportunity. I hope that I continue to do a good job and make them proud.

PC: You definitely are. You discovered K-pop after a school assignment and now you’re one of the faces of this genre. Has anything surprised you about this journey thus far?
AleXa: Everything is a surprise. Every moment in this career has been a learning opportunity. It’s things that I wouldn’t have known or experienced if I had not become a K-pop artist. If anything sticks out to me, it’s how much of an impact we actually have on people’s lives. It’s quite heartwarming to see how many people we can positively affect as artists—not just K-pop but artists in general. That’s something I have taken away from this career.

PC: You’re such a trailblazer and you’ve had so much success already in your career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out to you?
AleXa: Wow. Reflecting on my career as a K-pop artist, one of the biggest things that stuck out to me was probably my first performance after I debuted in Singapore at KAMP [Music Festival]. That was the first time I performed in front of an audience after my debut. That was my first foreign audience. To this day, I still remember it was like it was yesterday. It’s such a vivid memory for me.

PC: I imagine that you’ve written hundreds of songs throughout your career. What was the process like deciding what would be your song for American Song Contest?
AleXa: For “Wonderland,” it was a large, collaborative team effort. There were so many music industry megaminds behind this. We have Cazzi and Ellen [Berg] who make up this amazing team that has done a lot of my discography in the past. We also have Albin [Nordqvist], Andreas Carlsson, and Bekuh Boom. The legendary Bekuh Boom has written a lot for BLACKPINK. This was a huge collaborative effort. Then of course with me being a K-pop artist who wanted to represent Korean culture a bit, we threw some Korean lyrics in there to spice it up.

PC: “Wonderland” is a metaphor for the people in your life who have shaped the artist you are today. What does it mean to get to say thank you on a platform like American Song Contest?
AleXa: It absolutely warms my soul. Before we shot yesterday, my mother sent me a text from one of my old ballet teachers from when I was two years old. Apparently, she has been watching the show and keeping up with me. It really made me so happy. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t because we hadn’t filmed yet. It was so heartwarming to see that these people that were there when I was a child have still been following my journey through adulthood and still positively impacting my life to this day.

PC: You are the definition of an artist. You’ve created these immersive narratives with your lyrics and paired them with these breathtaking visuals in your music videos and performances. As you’re working on a new song, are you thinking about all the creative elements that you’re planning on incorporating? What was that process like for this competition and creating that showstopping performance you gave?
AleXa: Thank you for this question! “Wonderland” does exist within the AleXa-verse, if you will. Even before I debuted, my team had these comebacks planned with a storyline and everything. We love to get into lore and the whole storyline aspect and the concept of this A.I. multiverse. There are different storylines and points of existence. There are so many possibilities, and we love to unlock new doors and see what we could do next.

PC: Speaking of the AleXa-verse, if you had to pick one of your songs that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
AleXa: That’s a wonderful question. Off the top of my head, I want to say “Bomb.” It’s my debut song, and right off the bat, it shows you that I’ve got power. I’m here to slay. I’m ready to take on the world.

PC: It’s been a while since you’ve had the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience with the pandemic. Were there any nerves heading into your performance, and what are your pre-show rituals?
AleXa: Practicing for my first camera rehearsal, I was completely fine. I was like, “I’ve done this before. I’m not nervous.” But then the day of the actual show, when there was the live audience and everything, I heard everyone screaming and I saw people standing. My heart immediately started racing out of my chest. I was not ready. It’s such a crazy thing because, due to the pandemic, we haven’t had live audiences in so long. I was nervous, even though I’m an extrovert and love to get energy from other people like most artists do.

But it was so scary because it’s the first time you’re actually having people watch you with their eyes and not just through a screen. They’re hearing you sing with their ears and not just through headphones. It was definitely a little scary. I definitely said my prayers beforehand, did my breathing exercises, and drank some water. I was scared, but I’m very happy with how the performance went.

PC: You set the bar so high for yourself after that first performance. How are you preparing for the semi-finals? What can your fans and audiences expect?
AleXa: Bigger and better is what we’re striving for, whether it’s changing the choreography or the stage, and who knows if my hair is still going to be blue for that performance. [laughs] But we just want to keep showing you something new and fresh every time. Expect the unexpected is my favorite motto.

PC: What would you say is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned being a part of this process thus far that you’re going to bring to the rest of your career?
AleXa: Oh boy. I feel like not just in my case but for any artist in general, whether it’s K-pop or Western, never giving up is something you need to keep in your brain and in your heart, throughout your career. Because there will be hard times. Even though I don’t feel like I’ve made it yet, I feel like I’m taking the steps to get to where I want to be. I feel like as long as you never give up and have that persistence and that drive within your heart, that’ll take you where you want to be.

To keep up with AleXa, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Support her on American Song Contest!