Alexandra Kay has come a long way from creating a niche that caught fire on TikTok. The country artist, who built a social media presence with her “Coffee Covers” video series, which showcased her singing songs and whipping up a cup of Joe, is proving she has all of the ingredients necessary to become the next big star in country music.
This year, Kay’s cup overflowed with goodness as she crossed off several milestones from her bucket list. One of those milestones included making her Grand Ole Opry debut on Nov. 19.
View this post on Instagram
“Oh my gosh, ‘We did it!’ That was 100% what kept ripping through my mind,” Kay told Music Mayhem, reflecting on the much-deserved moment, which saw her earning a standing ovation for her performance of her song “I Kinda Don’t,” penned by Ryan Robinette and Tana Matz Brown.
“It was insane. I mean, a part of me never thought I’d ever get to step into the circle, but to have a standing ovation two different times throughout my two songs was more than I could have ever imagined,” Kay said. “And, getting to see Tana Matz and Ryan Robinette sitting there watching this happen, it just was kind of a reassurance that when you believe in a song, no matter if anybody else ever believes in it or not, whenever you see it take life like that and you get to see how it affects the listener and the people around you. I think that those moments are ones that you never forget.”
“When I got to step in that circle, I felt like I deserved to be there,” she assured. “I didn’t get it because someone made a phone call for me because they had a connection. I went in, and we asked for the opportunity for me to sit down and play songs for them. And then, I really felt that we deserved to be there, and it was so emotional.”
Keeping up with the theme of firsts, in the Spring of 2022, Kay landed her first-ever touring gig with a major label artist. That artist was none other than the legendary Tim McGraw. Kay joined the three-time Grammy winner for his 17-date headlining amphitheater trek, which included supporting acts Russell Dickerson and Brandon Davis. She followed that trek up with her second run with Tracy Lawrence and Clay Walker for their fall joint co-headlining tour.
“Whenever you see people with such immense and incredible talent, and you see that they believe in you enough to wanna help and spread the word, you’re like, ‘Okay, maybe, I’m not crazy. Maybe I do have this,” Kay said of receiving support from the ones who came before her. “Maybe I’m better than I think I am. Or other people are seeing this worth inside of me. So I’ve gotta continue to grow it.’ And I think it just validates my feelings.”
Another artist who is a self-proclaimed fan of Kay is Jelly Roll. The “Son Of A Sinner” singer recently appeared on Lawrence’s TL’s Road House podcast and said, “I’m a huge Alexandra Kay fan. I just think she is the salt of the earth, an incredible singer, great soul, great human, good songs, and checks every f–king box in the music industry. It’s going to work for her in a real way.”
View this post on Instagram
“Being an independent artist, it’s hard sometimes to feel like you’re not on the outside of the business, especially when you’re an independent artist by choice,” Kay said. “I think there have been times when I’ve gotten pushed to the outside because I am not signed, and I don’t have this major label backing.… So I think it’s cool to see these major label artists who are fully in the game, kind of, like, step on the outside and say, ‘Hey, I think what she’s doing is really smart and cool. It just kind of validates that I made the right decision staying independent right now.”
And while Kay has been working tirelessly on her craft for many years, she’s not one to take all the credit.
“It really does take an army,” she acknowledges. “My army is very small but mighty. Nick Simmonds has been running my website in the backend and all of my Google Analytics and all of my SEO, and he does socials for me. I mean, right now, he’s out here shooting all the social media content on the tour. From Nick to Beth, who is my manager and my agent. She books all of my shows and manages my career, to the boys in my band to Curt Simshauser, who has been photographing me and doing my videography, and making all my music videos for six years now…. We really have worked together, all of us.”
Other accomplishments that pushed Kay into the forefront this year, including going viral with various songs on TikTok, is landing her first single on SiriusXM with her collaboration with Julia Cole, “Best Worst Ex.”
Now that she’s reached new heights, Kay is looking ahead to an even brighter future as she’s already begun planning out her goals for the New Year.
“I think, next year, I would love to have a single on the radio,” the Illinois native said. “I know that Julia and I had both of our first singles on Sirius XM this year, which was [a] bucket list thing I wanted to do. So I’d love to have a single hit the radio. I’d love to sell out an entire tour. So I’m gonna work hard to do that. And another thing would be to, maybe, get to go to the CMA Awards or the CMT Music Awards or one of those red carpet events.”
“What’s funny is I think the year before, I was like, ‘How are we gonna top this year?’ Then we did what we did with Tim this year and got to tour with Tracy and Clay. This was a huge year for me on socials as well. I’ve gained millions of new followers. I think how I’m gonna try to top this year is to make connections with those people,” she continued. “… I’m gonna work really hard to connect with my fans even more next year. I’m gonna be touring even more, which is really crazy to think about because I did over a hundred shows this year. I am gonna continue to hit the road, continue to connect with these people, and continue to write songs that hopefully will touch them and move them in ways I never thought I’d be able to do. So that’s how I’m looking forward to this next year and just continuing to be grateful for everything God’s given me and keep my doors and eyes wide open.”
Fans can look for plenty of new music from Kay in the new year, as she’s already begun laying the groundwork for a full-length debut album. Kay, who recently concluded her headlining Backroad Therapy tour, previously released two songs – “Skip This Part” and “Backroad Therapy”– set to appear on her forthcoming project titled Back Road Therapy.
“[‘Skip This Part’ and ‘Backroad Therapy’ are] the first two singles off my record coming out at the beginning of the year. I am not gonna release any release dates or anything else on that… but it’ll be titled Back Road Therapy. I’m just really excited for the world to get a full project for me,” Kay said. “It’s a product of the last year, but I definitely still have a few more songs before it’s done. I just wanna make sure it’s perfect. It’s my first full-length project, and I wanna make sure that I give my fans something that they listen to and that they know it’s me as soon as it starts spinning. And so I just want them to be as proud of it as I will be.”
