Exclusive Interview: MIDDLESPOON Talks “Crush On U”

MIDDLESPOON is the brainchild and passion project of lead vocalist Alexander Beatz. Working alongside producers and songwriters Lonely Child, Jinx McGee, and MSTR WTVR, MIDDLESPOON is creating pop with a purpose and his music has connected with listeners around the world. This August, he dropped the bop of the summer titled “Crush On U” and we were lucky enough to speak with him about the release!

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
MIDDLESPOON: I’ve never known life without it. My mom was a singer. My grandmother was a concert pianist. My mom was always singing and humming to me. I was always singing with her. It’s really been a part of the fabric of my upbringing since day one. I always knew it was part of my love language.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
MIDDLESPOON: I’d definitely say my mom is probably one of my biggest influences. She never did anything with her talent, but she’s an amazing singer and always supported me. She introduced me to everything. I remember listening to Jimi Hendrix, Chaka Khan, and Erykah Badu going into middle school. I was bumping Tupac, whom she introduced me to. All of my favorite artists who inspired and influenced me were introduced to me by my mom. Obviously, I left the nest and found my own interests. But a lot of that foundation was built from having a cool mom.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
MIDDLESPOON: There was a show at the Hill Country Music Festival in San Marcos, Texas. Everything fell into place. It was a very sweet moment. Everyone was vibing and singing along. The music was doing its work and everyone was feeling good. That moment was perfect.

Outside of that, I’d say it’s any moment when I realize what an amazing team I’ve built, especially when we’re working on a music video. It’s mostly made of friends who are super talented and are willing to go the many, many, many extra miles to make it work for not necessarily the best budget. It’s moments when I’m looking around me and feeling really blessed that I have these amazing friends and team members to help make this collective dream happen.

PC: Tell us about “Crush On U” and the inspiration behind the song.
MIDDLESPOON: We wouldn’t have written “Crush On U” if it hadn’t been for COVID. That’s a weird intro to the story. [laughs] A lot of people have had worse situations than we did. But basically, everything came to a standstill. We went back to writing. My secondary producer at the time played me this beat. I immediately was like, “Wow.” I started singing. I didn’t have the exact melody or anything like that, but I was like, “This is about a crush for sure. This is a summer bop.”

But then I showed it to my producer that I was working with at the time and who was helping the record become a thing. Every day, he was like, “What about now? You want to write ‘Crush’ today? Should we write it today? How about now?” Finally, I was like, “Okay, bro. Let’s do it.” This song has been brewing in my mind, and I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I was thinking about some open verses that I wanted to start the song with. I wrote the opening verse, and Lonely Child (my producer) and I went back and forth in the studio.

It was crazy. It wrote itself. We pulled from our own lives, but the point was to make this perfect pop song that transports the listener into the nostalgia and the fondest memories of summer and that feeling of having a crush. It is very personal, but we had the idea to saturate it with all these pop culture references that we like so that the listener can easily drop the song into their world and think of their own fond memories and those feelings of butterflies.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve created songs that you call pop with purpose. If you had to choose one of your songs that encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
MIDDLESPOON: I feel like “You.” That will be released in a few months. I feel like all of my songs do because I’m really writing everything with the intention of impacting people and uplifting them.

That’s why the record is called Brightside. But with the bright side comes the shade too. It’s the whole realization that fantasy is cool even if it’s not realistic and we can still have magic in reality. We can talk about real things and move and dance. We don’t have to give in to the hype.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2022, what can fans expect from you?
MIDDLESPOON: We’re going to be releasing a lot of content. We’re getting a live show together. We were a duo, and now some people have moved on from the band, but we’re making a full band of four or five pieces.

We’re completely revitalizing the whole show. We’re going to spend a lot more time. We’re getting new gear. Hopefully, we can start to play late fall or early winter. But we’re definitely really excited to do that because it’s going to be a totally different experience and definitely more professional.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
MIDDLESPOON: Channel Tres.

PC: First album you bought?
MIDDLESPOON: It was a gift from my mom. It was The Story of Bach. Otherwise, it was the record with “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio. It was that and One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

PC: First concert you attended?
MIDDLESPOON: It was Blues Traveler and No Doubt.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
MIDDLESPOON: Moody Theater or Hollywood Bowl.

PC: A must-have on the road?
MIDDLESPOON: You’ve got to have some good, hearty, not-too-junk-food snacky snacks.

To keep up with MIDDLESPOON, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or stream “Crush On U” today.

Photo Credit: Jackson Montgomery Schwartz