Nashville-based singer/songwriter Brooke Alexx’s debut album ‘Big Mouth’ is a fun and relatable account of her twenties. The artist chats to Atwood Magazine about the universe she’s creating with her music.
Stream: ‘Big Mouth’ – Brooke Alexx
Everything that you see and hear is something that I created myself.
Our twenties are a period of transition, adventure, and realization.
We’ve overcome the confusion and experimentation of our teenage years and we start to find our place and our strengths by pursuing what makes us happy and, maybe, settling down. There are always obstacles and complexities but it’s often as though, by the end of our twenties, we have learnt to take ownership of ourselves.
Big Mouth, the debut album by Nashville-based singer/songwriter Brooke Alexx (independently released 4 October) is an outspoken account of these years. She sings about boys, the perceptions people have of her, and the remarks she’s repeatedly heard, and the handling of relationships. As Alexx tells us, “the songs are in chronological order on the album, so it starts with my college break-up and then continues with me dating and self-discovery and all of that. It ends with me finding out that the same guy is engaged and married and me moving on to the next stage of life in my thirties.”
I got a list of unsolicited advice
I leave the house
and it gets longer every time
I got that kind of face, I guess
I don’t know why people think
that they can tell me everything
that’s on their minds
And up ’til now, I’ve let it slide
But I’m done being nice
– “Move to LA (I Don’t Wanna),” Brooke Alexx
There is therefore a maturity that develops throughout. In the opening track “Super Famous,” she sings ‘If you left me, it’d be kinda stupid/ If you’re tempted, probably shouldn’t do it/ I can promise I’mma be a nuisance/ It’ll be a shame when’ in a playfully aggravating way. There’s a pop punk energy that introduces the ambiance of the album, a mix of attitude and light-heartedness.
In the closing track, “First Time,” there’s a calm, slightly dreamy instrumentation, and in the second verse she affirms: ‘Now I know the feeling I can search for/ ‘Cause I’m sure more of it’s out there/ Yeah you taught me that it’s real/ And when I feel like breaking, I stay hopeful/ You’re the reason that I keep on/ Looking toward the day I’m healed.’
Big Mouth is an amalgamation of cheekiness and self-realization.
In “Never Liked Your Name,” “Younger Guys,” and “Stepping Stones,” the lyrics to the choruses are shouted with an eagerness to be heard. Even the more melancholy-seeming songs, “Girlfriend,” and the aforementioned “Stepping Stones” rise with energy to keep the attitude in place. The punk mindset present throughout is lusciously woven with pop characteristics, whether it be the Dua Lipa-esque sonorities of “All My Exes’ Moms” or the Olivia Rodrigo style ballad “Seriously.” In “Break Up on Vacation” and “Never Liked Your Name,” she doesn’t hold back, stating things bluntly as though songwriting is a harmless way of letting out what’s really in the mind.
Uh oh, it’s eating me up alive
Uh oh, there’ll never be a better time
Uh oh, I made up my mind
Yeah, I tried, but I can’t fake it
Uh oh, we’ve been getting too close
Uh oh, I think it’s best you go home
Call me stone cold
When I break up with you on vacation
Couldn’t help but judge him every time he got drunk
Went too hard at karaoke, kinda made me throw up
It’s over, yeah, I’m so done
I can’t go back ’cause I’ve seen too much
– “Break Up on Vacation,” Brooke Alexx
As a debut album, Big Mouth taps wisely into the musical attributes that capture our attention.
Brooke Alexx is an independent artist who makes all her own decisions. Collaborations are with the people that she wants to work with and she isn’t tied down by the expectations of a record label.
“I write the songs, figure out how they’re going to sound, edit the content, such as the music videos and the album artwork, and I’m the stylist for photoshoots. I also design all of the merch. Everything that you see and hear is something that I created myself,” she explains in our interview, which took place via Zoom with her backdrop being the wall of colourful and playful artwork that she had done herself for various projects related to the record.
Brooke Alexx gained attention via TikTok in 2019 when a clip regarding “All My Exes’ Moms” went viral. She has since built a fanbase using social media, posting regularly as a way to entertain and also give an insight into the universe of an independent artist. Big Mouth is therefore an example of what can be produced when you follow your own vision and don’t let anybody get in the way.
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:: stream/purchase Big Mouth here ::
:: connect with Brooke Alexx here ::
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A CONVERSATION WITH BROOKE ALEXX
Atwood Magazine: Cliché question to start but could you introduce Brooke Alexx the artist and why making music is important to you?
Brooke Alexx: I’m Brooke Alexx and I’m a pop singer-songwriter based in Nashville. I write music for the girl next door and I write songs about things that that you have thought of but never said out loud.
Could you also talk about the evolution of your career? TikTok has played a big part in that but, for those who aren’t familiar with your videos, what kind of content have you done and how has this helped?
Brooke Alexx: TikTok shaped and changed my entire career. When I started posting on there in 2019, my song “All My Exes’ Moms” became viral so that really changed the trajectory of my career and made it into what it is now. I was able to quit my job back in May last year in order to become a full time musician. Now I’ve put out my first album and I’m doing my first headline tour. It’s all coming together!
How did the song become viral? What was the video that you posted and then how did others respond?
Brooke Alexx: I posted a reaction video of me and my roommate Rosemary Joaquin, who is also an artist and my opener on tour. That video went super viral and was streamed a lot. It lead to me being the opener on tour for bands and people in the industry began to take me more seriously.
It’s interesting that you began by working as a content creator for a record label and that’s how you became aware of the influence of TikTok. Are there things that you have learnt from your previous job that have been an advantage in launching your career?
Brooke Alexx: There was a meeting in 2019 at the record label where I was working where they were like “Tiktok is the next big thing and we need to get our artists on it.” I went home and told all my artist friends that night to get on TikTok immediately. Some listened and some didn’t and I’m very grateful to have hopped on it early during its beginnings because it’s so hard to grow a fan base on there now. I think starting early on helped me a lot.
Were there other things from your job that you learnt which have helped you launch your career?
Brooke Alexx: Yeah, so I was a video editor at two different record labels. I was able to hone my skills with video editing and obviously now content creation is key! It was really helpful for what I do now.
How has TikTok changed for you over the years? Does it still have the same role? I feel like it’s maybe more competitive and perhaps a bit more boring these days due to everyone wanting to have a presence. However, if you already have your fan base and your status, I imagine that it’s a lot more relaxed!
Brooke Alexx: I do feel like people are maybe shifting more to Instagram reels rather than TikTok. I post every night on TikTok and Instagram reels and shorts to spread out where I’m reaching fans. You never know if one of these apps will become obsolete over night so I think it’s important to have your hands in many different baskets. I think that, especially on tour, it’s so important to capture content and post about what I’m doing so that people want to come and see me live.
And it’s more personal too. It’s fun to see what artists get up to in real time while on tour.
Brooke Alexx: I think that definitely now more than ever fans want to feel like they’re friends with the artists and view them as authentic. Fans see things that maybe in the past they wouldn’t have seen because a lot of artists only wanted to be seen when on stage with makeup, etc.
As an independent artist, to what extent is it all you or are there a lot of collaborations with others?
Brooke Alexx: I’m completely independent. I’m not signed to a label and I’ve created my own team. I have managers, an attorney, and a booking agent who helped book my first headline tour. I created my own team like I would have if part of a label but in terms of the creative side it’s all me. I write the songs, figure out how they’re going to sound, edit the content, such as the music videos and the album artwork, and I’m the stylist for photoshoots. I also design all of the merch. Everything that you see and hear is something that I created myself.
That’s super cool and inspiring. It’s really great when artists are fully independent like that. How was your album Big Mouth made and what is a typical day for you as an artist?
Brooke Alexx: Every day is different which I love. Some days I have a co-writing session and other days I’m going to the producer’s place to work on a song that’s going to come out or recording vocals for a song. Sometimes I’m designing the tour poster or I’m designing the cover art for the single that’s going to come out or the merch. Everyday is different and everyday is creative, which I love.
You have said in other interviews that it was Taylor Swift who had inspired you to start writing songs when you were younger. What do you think of the success of Taylor Swift? It’s admirable but at the same time she’s very strategic in regard to making money and receiving attention. As an independent artist, are there aspects of her career in particular that inspire you?
Brooke Alexx: Definitely. She was one of the first people that I saw that co-directed her music videos and I think music videos are super important for the world that I’m creating with my brand. That inspired me to come up with all the concepts for my own music videos and co-direct and edit them as well. You need to be strategic in this industry. Nobody is going to fight harder for your career than you are. In making all the business moves, you really are entrepreneurial as an independent artist, and you need to be smart. That’s something that I definitely carry with me.
Are there things that you have learnt and realized in working as an independent artist?
Brooke Alexx: Probably that it’s important to tap into the analytical side of your brain as well as the creative. For example, the first day of tour, our van broke down and I was alone on the road wth my band. I had to figure out how we were going to get another van and get to the venue on time. That’s not really a creative element or something that I signed up for when I wanted to be an artist. It’s just part of other business things that you need to handle when you’re an artist.
Are there things that you believe should change within the industry?
Brooke Alexx: I think labels are really shifting how they sign people and streaming-wise it’s still being figured out how to pay artists accurately. I believe that’s going to be something that continues to change over time and hopefully it can get better for the creatives who are making music.
Your album speaks a lot about being in your twenties. How has your outlook on life changed over the years?
Brooke Alexx: I’ve become more secure and confident in who I am and how I want to say things in my songs. I’m really grateful that things are starting to happen now as I’m closer to my thirties and have that security, rather than when I was young and naive and didn’t know fully what I wanted.
Are the lyrics to the songs things that you have written in the past and then revisited or was a lot of it done in the past couple of years as a form of reflection for the album?
Brooke Alexx: It was all done within the last couple of years as a form of reflection. The songs are in chronological order on the album, so it starts with my college break-up and then continues with me dating and self-discovery and all of that. It ends with me finding out that the same guy is engaged and married and me moving on to the next stage of life in my thirties. It’s really covering my entire twenties and my experiences during it. Now we’re closing that chapter and moving on.
Are you continuing to write at the moment? Do you have any ideas for what the next concept or theme is going to be?
Brooke Alexx: Yeah I’m starting to write songs that are going to come out after this album but first we’re working on the deluxe version of Big Mouth which will be released in January with three more songs.
Ohh nice! Which songs on the album do you think sum up your experience the most? Is there one that is perhaps the most personal?
Brooke Alexx: Probably “Seriously” which is the ballad on the album. It talks about how sometimes I feel like I take myself too seriously and don’t let loose and have fun in ways that other people around me do. That is definitely a self-reflection piece that ties into me being a woman and also an eldest child.
You’re currently on tour. How’s it going?!
Brooke Alexx: The tour is awesome. I love the crew that I’ve brought with me. There’s no men on this tour! It’s my first time not being the only female on tour and it’s been an amazing experience. LA sold out and we’re about to do New York and DC which are also sold out. I’m really excited to end the tour on a great note.
I imagine there are the obvious things but what’s the difference with being on tour with all females?
Brooke Alexx: We can change in front of each other instead of me running to the next room to do it. We’re watching chick flicks in the van together and it just all feels surprisingly more relaxing. I was definitely keeping myself so together when I was with all boys because I feel way more relaxed on this tour.
It looks like it’s a lot of fun from the clips you have posted. Were there things that you really wanted to do to bring the songs from your album to a live environment?
Brooke Alexx: Yeah, that’s a great question. So I once saw this documentary of Taylor Swift where she says that when you perform live you have to have one moment in each song that is different to the recording so that people feel like they’re getting a unique experience seeing it live. I think that I’ve created my favourite show of mine so far. There’s a lot of theatrical moments, we take a teddy bear apart, there’s a lot of audience interaction where I’m inviting people on stage and getting them to tell me their exs’ names and things like that. I think it’s really fun and we’ve got the crowd jumping at parts and I go out into the audience and sit in the middle of everyone. That feels like a very therapeutic moment.
That’s super fun. It’s great when there’s interaction with the crowd like that.
Brooke Alexx: Yeah I think that it’s important to show that, yes, I write fun songs that we can jump around to but the reason I started doing this was because I love to sing and I have a voice that I can showcase with ballads and more intimate acoustic moments. I think it’s important to have both of these in my shows.
Big Mouth is a very relatable album. What have been the reactions from fans or people you’ve met at your shows? Is there a remark that has touched you the most?
Brooke Alexx: Ooo. I think just in general when people tell me that they’ve been following me from the beginning and that they’re so excited for me. Or that they bought tickets to the show and just want to be a part of what I’m building. That makes me feel really great!
What are your hopes and projects for the future?
Brooke Alexx: We’re trying to figure out what my touring schedule is going to be for next year. Possibly opening for people, possibly continuing the Big Mouth headline tour in more cities we haven’t yet visited. Then putting the deluxe version out. Just continuing on this path and then more music after that!
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:: stream/purchase Big Mouth here ::
:: connect with Brooke Alexx here ::
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© Neil Schwartz art © Peyton Dollar
© Neil Schwartz
art © Peyton DollarBig Mouth
an album by Brooke Alexx
