Lexi Mariah – Demons

By starrymag | February 22, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A)  I’d say that my sound definitely falls under the Electro-Pop and Dance-Pop genres. I’m very passionate about these genres and a lot of my biggest musical influences also fall under them. I just love how versatile Pop music can be and I love that it’s constantly changing. It’s really fun to be able to be inspired by different sounds and elements that were popular in Pop music twenty or thirty years ago and combine them with what’s popular today.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I could list off so many, but some of my top influences are definitely Taylor Swift, Cher Lloyd, Dua Lipa, Meghan Trainor, Bebe Rexha, Kelly Clarkson, Alessia Cara…the list goes on. I’ve especially learned so much from Taylor Swift’s songwriting and just her work ethic and strength overall as a female artist. I love that she’s proved that as an artist, you can literally do whatever you want and that you can’t let people in this industry tell you what you can and can’t do. I honestly believe that she has changed the music industry for the better and I truly respect her for that.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Demons.”

 

A) “Demons” is about being very cautious when it comes to letting new people into your life. It touches on those feelings of your inner demons making you want to stay closed off and guarded and just being indecisive about what exactly you want in a relationship. I’ve made the mistake of over-sharing too much too early on with some people and I quickly regretted that, so I think that’s where a lot of my cautiousness comes from now and it definitely played a big part in the inspiration for this song.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think that a lot of people experience these same feelings and I think that battling your inner demons and these feelings of hesitancy and being guarded are things that almost everyone can relate to at some point in their life. I was the only writer for lyrics on this song, so the lyrics and story are just very true to me, and I think that made it easy for my audience to connect with it.

 

Q) What is it about Dua Lipa’s new album Future Nostalgia that has made it so influential on your sound for this track?

 

A) Something I love about Dua Lipa is that she takes so much inspiration from so many past decades of music and combines it with what’s popular today, kind of like I mentioned earlier about the sound I’m aiming for. Her Future Nostalgia album especially does this a lot and that was one of the first things that Kenny Cash and I agreed that the production of “Demons” should include. The album gave me a lot of creative ideas, which I think I’d like to continue to include in my upcoming music.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) Well, one of my favorite scenes from the music video is the caution tape scene where I’m singing behind the tape. That scene was inspired by the photo shoot for “Demons” and the cover art. The caution tape symbolizes my guard being up and the feeling of being “trapped” by my inner demons. I’m really glad that I got to include this scene in the music video and really make it tie into the song and photo shoot.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) My songwriting process honestly changes with every song I write. A lot of times, my songs start from little inaudible voice memos that only I’d be able to understand and remember when I listen back to them! [laughs] Specifically for “Demons, I sat down with my guitar one night and just started strumming some chords and then the song pretty much just wrote itself. I had the concept of “Demons” in my mind already and the lyrics and melody came to me really quickly. The song only took maybe an hour to write. That was on a good day though. My process definitely isn’t always that quick and smooth. Some songs take me days or even months to finish. It all depends on when writers block hits and how inspired I’m feeling in that moment.

 

Q) Kenny Cash lent a hand with “Demons,” but how much of a say do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) Kenny Cash did an absolutely incredible job with helping me bring this song to life. I was present throughout the entire production and mixing process, so I definitely had a say and never hesitated to let him know if I didn’t like something or if there was anything I wanted to change. However, I wanted to give Kenny a lot of creative freedom as far as the production because I know how amazing his work is and I loved his ideas for the direction of the song from the first day we met in the studio.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) I’d say an EP is a lot more likely than an album only because I’m terrible at keeping my songs to myself once they’re finished. That’s the main reason why I’ve just been releasing singles so far, because once the songs are done and I fall in love with the finished product, I just want everyone to be able to hear! I’d definitely love to release an EP this year though and I have way more than enough songs fully written for one. It’s something I absolutely will work towards!

 

Q) With concerts returning live, where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) One of my favorite places I’ve ever performed is definitely the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, CT. I performed there a few times and the crowd was amazing every time. I think that was also the largest crowd I’ve ever performed live for. Also, some iconic artists like Paula Abdul, LeAnn Rimes and Tiffany have performed there so it was really exciting to have performed on the same stage as them.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Taylor Swift 100%. That would be like the ultimate goal for me. She’s been such a huge influence on my music, and I can’t even imagine how much I could learn from her if we ever get the chance to work together.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I’ve been listening to Tate McRae a lot lately. I love her TOO YOUNG TO BE SAD I saw her perform at Governor’s Ball back in September and I just loved her energy on stage. She has a ton of talent and I think she’s really underrated.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Social media continues to become more and more important for artists. If I didn’t have social media, I wouldn’t have ever been able to reach most of the audience that I have today. I also think that being able to have a personal connection with artists that you listen to is really important and as an artist, being able to easily send messages to fans and thank them for supporting me is really important and something that I always like to do to show how much I appreciate them.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) If it weren’t for the people who listen to my music, I really wouldn’t have much of a reason to keep pushing through and being optimistic about my future in this industry. There are people who support me now who have been supporting me since before I even released my debut single and that means the absolute world to me. I want my supporters to know that I’m extremely thankful and appreciative of them.