Alex Banin
As part of our Artists To Watch list, we’ve conducted interviews with the eight artists featured in our 2021 Spring/Summer edition. Check out our Q&A with Alex Banin below and click here to check out the full list.
With a consistent and impressive 2020 behind her, Alex Banin steps into 2021, determined to maintain her momentum. Banin’s raspy and mellifluous voice creates a landscape of gritty, honest emotions, which have led her songs to appear on major playlists and garnered the artist well-deserved recognition. Her commitment and direct involvement in all the creative elements of her art are as natural as her approach to music, resulting in breathtaking visuals and sounds that seamlessly communicate with each other. And even though she is constantly elevating and expanding her sound, an Alex Banin track or video is always easy to recognize because of her authenticity. She’s already turned down a few offers in order to release her upcoming EP on her own terms. Seeing how far she’s come in a couple of years leaves you at the edge of your seat, eager to see what’s next.
What are some creative goals you have set for this year?
Definitely, to release my first project. It's just gonna be an EP, but I'm still really excited. [That] and to stay consistent are my biggest goals. That's obviously pretty vague but concretely; release a project, some visuals, and hopefully another EP by the end of the year.
What advice would you give to artists pursuing their music in new places?
I mean the reason I got into music so heavily was because it wasn't weird at all, it was so organic, the people I met were so friendly and collaborative, and I had never experienced anything like that even at Northwestern. It was really natural which is why I think I'm where I'm at today because nothing has felt forced but I think that's something that I stand by, not forcing anything. I don’t know if they're actually signs but whenever someone says something I just roll with it, so watching out for those.
Is there anything you have in your back pocket that you are just waiting for the day when you have the resources for it?
It's been kind of crazy because I've had no resources and I've really been able to work in that and like whenever I'm offered money for some weird deal I'm like I don't even know what I would do with this. I don't necessarily know what I would do with a lot of money but i def think it would be nice to have some lighting and to expand locations like we've been really savvy with locations using a lot of outdoor spaces, and public spaces and trying to make that feel like our own. Just more people on set that we can pay and have more resources in that sense.
You landed your first major editorial playlist with Hawthorne, what's that experience been like and the ripple effects?
First of all, it was super unexpected. Whoever put it on, they were done for the year so it was on there for a month which was not normal for fresh finds as track #1. Crazy, best situation but yeah its just gotten a lot more exposure so whatever comes with exposure: more people DMing me, following me, some artists who I don’t know whether they found me from that or came across it some other way but people I like have reached out and obviously label interest, that comes with all of that. It's just like a lot more, I get more streams on Hawthorne a day than I get on my stuff in months.
Is there any certain aspect of what you do that you are trying to hone in on?
I'm trying to not lock myself in. I had a really good conversation with vlush, I’m like “my sound, my sound” and he's like your sound is your voice and good music and what you make, don't get too locked in. We made a song and I was like this is kinda country and he's like no it's a good song, don't get too locked in on genre. And like that's something I said with my visuals, I think iIbox myself in but there's no reason to and this is such a growth period that I should be exploring everything. I definitely wanna work on not boxing myself in and also exploring things and trying to figure out my sound through a really natural figuring it out.