For this edition of First Friday, we chose to highlight the oh-so creative, and Philly-native, Alexander Charles. Starting at a young age, Alexander Charles was inspired by big-time stars, such as Kanye West and Elton John, which have strongly influenced his music and performance taste. After making the bold decision to go solo a few years back, Alexander Charles and his crew set a goal to create and produce a new, original song every single week for the entire year of 2018! Now, Alexander Charles is all the rage with his latest single, “These Days”, which you can listen to here! Be sure to keep a look out for Alexander Charles’ first solo full length album, Fortune Cookies, debuting later this month.
Keep scrolling to check out our interview with Alexander Charles to learn about his inspiration of music, new album talk, and his love for Philadelphia!
PPRG: How would you describe your sound and artistic style?
AC: Eclectic and honest. My lyrics are vulnerable and melancholic and the production, sonically, is influenced heavily by my favorite genres of music – rock n roll, hip-hop, and jazz.
PPRG: Who are your greatest influences? Both sonically and performance-wise?
AC: Kanye West, Elton John, and The Coen Brothers (my favorite film directors).
PPRG: At the end of 2018 you completed your project of 52 WEEKS, releasing a new video for each week of the year on YouTube. What was your inspiration behind that rigorous project, and what was your life like at that time (shooting videos each week)?
AC: The project wasn’t necessarily inspired by anyone in particular because to my knowledge, nothing like that had ever been done. That being said, the idea was driven by my tendency to overthink things – particularly artistically. I wanted to get out of the habit of dissecting every decision I was making to the point of it being counterproductive. I think it worked and forced us all to be in the habit of releasing our work for the world (potentially) to see.
PPRG: So your most recent project is your new album called “Fortune Cookies.” If you had the power to control what’s written on the fortune slips, what would you hope yours would say about your future?
AC: I’d want them to say, “your past is not your future.” That’s an underlying theme of the album – the idea that someone’s past, no matter how dark it may be, should dictate their future and their chance at happiness.
PPRG: Which track is a ‘must-listen’ from Fortune Cookies for someone who hasn’t heard your music before?
AC: My personal favorite song off of the album is the intro. It might not be “radio friendly” per se but to me, it really exemplifies me as an artist.
PPRG: What messages do you hope listeners get from your album?
AC: I hope they leave the listening feeling inspired to speak out on whatever it is that may be hurting them. Whether it be mental health or addiction – I hope this album can give them courage to seek help – or battle their demons on their own.
PPRG: What song on your new album did you write first? Which one was last?
AC: The first song I wrote is called “Paranoia.” The last one is a song called “Castles”. Coincidentally, it’s also the last song on the album.
PPRG: Are there any fun stand-out stories you have from writing and recording this album?
AC: No story in particular. I’m just grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with so many different artists on this album. DJs, singers, rappers, guitarists, and a saxophonist are all featured on the album on various songs. A friend once joked that we should just install a revolving door to the studio because of the amount of artists coming in and out.
PPRG: What is your favorite aspect of the Philly region?
AC: The people and the food. What we may lack in say, upscale shopping or palm trees, we make up for with our character and our cuisine.
PPRG: If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you would be doing?
AC: Teaching history in a public school…. Let’s pay our teachers more! Shoutout to Mrs. Brison!
The hip-hop artist also dropped his own line of merchandise filled with t-shirts and unique sweat pieces which can be purchased online here! We hope you too enjoy Alexander Charles’ music and find inspiration and hope through his powerful words!
Don’t forget to visit Alexander Charles’ website, and follow him for upcoming music releases on Instagram and Twitter.
*Alexander Charles is a client of Philly PR Girl.
