Alexa Goldie
Canadian singer/songwriter Alexa Goldie has just released her newest single titled “He Would”.
Inspired by past breakups, the country single is an anthem for any woman who ever felt like they were not good enough for their partner.
Co-written with Ava Paige & Kelli Johnson, and produced by Grady Saxman, “He Would” is a catchy song you’d want to play over and over. Go stream it now !
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is Alexa Goldie. I am an independent Canadian singer-songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve been singing and writing music from a young age and made the decision to fully focus on music by moving to Nashville in 2021. I started out releasing pop music and shifted to the country scene when I was 16. Outside of singing, I am a music teacher to 54 local students in my hometown and I graduated from Queens University with a Degree in Music. Something random about me is that I am terrified of elevators!
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening to a wide range of music. After dinner as a nightly routine, my mom, brother and I would dance to pop music like Pitbull, P!nk and Kelly Clarkson. When camping or on long drives, my dad would listen to classic rock like Runs and Roses and the Eagles. Anytime I visited my Grandma, she would be cooking dinner and singing along to 60’s and 70’s music. When we would travel to visit my cousins, they would listen to old and new country. I went through stages of singing all of those genres and ended up finding how much I loved country music.
When did you know you could sing?
I remember the exact moment when I realized that I could sing. I was 8 years old and had never competed in a competition or performed on a stage before. My mom signed me up for the Newcastle Town Idol singing competition. As I watched others perform, I remember thinking that there was no way I would place because everyone was so talented. I ended up coming in third and feeling on top of the world! Watching those videos back now, I realize that I wasn’t the strongest singer, however, I did have the passion and drive to keep working and perfecting my craft.
At what point did you realize it was time for you to be an artist and release your original music?
I started singing at the age of 10 and after my first time on stage, I realized that I wanted to release original music rather than perform covers. I started writing music around the same age and fell in love with the process. I started releasing music when I was 13 years old. I’ve always been a fan of writing and releasing sad songs. I switched from the pop genre to the country genre when I was 16 and that’s where my love for writing and releasing music really grew.
"He Would" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
I wanted to write a song that would help others realize that sometimes the “perfect guy”, isn’t so perfect. In past relationships, I had found myself settling and not being fully happy but staying in the relationship. I had times where my past partners wouldn’t show up or wouldn’t introduce me to their friends. My mom would always remind me that if a boy wanted to make things work, he would.
What truly inspired the song was my friend who was going through a pretty tough breakup. Her boyfriend at the time wasn’t giving her the time of day and he was making plans for his future that didn’t include her. At the time, she wasn’t able to see it and I wanted to write a song that would help others in this situation to not settle for less.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? Who helped you create it? When did you start working on it?
Ava Paige, Kelli Johnson and I wrote He Would on February 21st, 2022. It was my first time writing with Ava and Kelli and we went into the write that day not fully knowing what to write about. I started scrolling through notes to look for ideas and I had this one line, “if he wanted to, he would”. It’s a phrase that my mom always would say to me when ex-boyfriends weren’t giving me the time of day or when going through a breakup. Before the writing session, I was talking to my friend about all the things her soon to be ex-boyfriend was doing. I wanted to write this song because I knew it would help her see that if he was the right guy, she wouldn’t be settling for less than she wanted.
Grady Saxman is the producer on this song. I came into the studio knowing exactly how I wanted this song to sound. I didn’t want any guitar solos or overpowering drums. I wanted the song to be stripped back and raw. Grady and his team did an amazing job of taking my idea for the song and bringing it to life. Some of my favourite songs are the ones that make the vocals the main focus, and add guitar and some simple instrumentation in the background.
What's your favorite lyric on "He Would"?
“He would give you butterflies, make you never want to say goodbye, his promise for forever wouldn’t be, empty” .
What did you feel when writing this song?
Honestly, writing He Would was therapeutic for me. I went into the write that day thinking that I would be writing this for my friend that was going through a breakup, but it ended up helping me realize all the ways that I had settled in the past. I’ve always said that I want to settle down but I won’t settle for less than I deserve and that’s what this song is about.
What made you want to release "He Would" as a single?
I sat on releasing He Would for awhile because I have always been told that upbeat/happy songs are the way to go. After sitting on it, I realized that it is a song that someone may need to hear.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
One of the hardest parts of being an artist is the unknown of the future! The unknown to whether you’ll get the part, book the gig, get the chance to write with someone or be able to pay the bills that month is the difficult part.
The best part of being an artist is becoming an idol to others, just like artists like Carly Pearce and Deana Carter have been to me. Writing music that touches and moves an audience is a feeling that never gets old. I remember listening to Carly Pearce’s “Every Little Thing”. It helping me through my first breakup. Knowing that my music is helping others through their tough times is what makes all of this worth it.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What advice would you give to women?
Being a female in the music industry has its ups and downs! In country music specifically, you hear more male artists on the radio/big venues than females. I also think it’s harder as a female to get doors to open because we are not taken as seriously.
One piece of advice I would give to women in this industry is to support and stick by each other. It’s important that we pick each other up and don’t bring others down just to bring more attention to ourselves. It’s sad, but I see it every day in this industry. I was playing on Broadway the other day and a little girl came up to me and said “I don’t have a song request, I just wanted to tell you that you are beautiful and have an amazing voice, you go girl”. Seeing a girl at such a young age support another female made my day!
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
If I could change one thing about the music industry, it would be the focus on social media followers. It seems that no matter how good of a singer or songwriter you are, the numbers are all that matter. I have so many friends who are insanely talented but they get turned down from labels because of their following and stream counts.
Could you list a few records that influenced the music you are making today?
Carly Pearce (29: Written In Stone), Taylor Swift (self titled album), Deana Carter (Did I Shave My Legs For This?), The Chicks (Wide Open Spaces) and Rascal Flatts (Me and My Gang).
How would you define country music?
Nowadays, country music can be defined in so many different ways but one thing I believe all country music has in common is the storytelling. It is a genre that makes you listen and feel emotions.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
That there will be hundreds of people who say no before one says yes. At first, it was difficult for me to understand the grind and hustle that the music industry requires. I remember getting so down and upset whenever I would send an email or DM off and never hear a response. I have heard many more no’s than yeses and it’s something to get used to in the music industry but also in life. I’ve learned that the right doors will open at the right time.
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