Meet Alexis Janae | Artist, Singer and Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexis Janae and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexis, why did you pursue a creative career?
I always knew that I was going to pursue something artistic whether it was dance, theater, or music, it was just something I was naturally good at. Almost 2nd nature so it was definitely a no brainer that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was exposed to Art at a very young age, I went to an arts school, all of my Internships were art related. I have yet to find anything that I enjoy more than making music, its so rewarding. Playing a song that I wrote, being able to network and travel to work with other creatives to build something magical and the audience receiving that in a positive way theres really no better feeling.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The biggest challenge about being an artist, for me, is getting in my own way. I can be a perfectionist at times, Im really big on “Quality over quantity” however that can slow my work down and on the outside looking in it may seem like very little is being done. What I have learned so far is that “2 heads is better than 1” and I try my best to incorporate other artists to create something that ultimtely I wouldnt have been able to do on my own. That could be from Stylists, Set Designers other songwriters, videographers etc. Ive taken a lot of mental hits, especially when Ive been working on a project for a while and it doesnt get the recognition I feel it deserves. You definetly have to be strong to be a contender in this field now that social media plays a big role. In some aspects it makes it easier for artists to promote and be seen, but you can easily get lost in the algorithm. I dont know everything about the business side of music however ive been learning something new every year and applying it. After I rebranded and worked on different Roll out plans to promote myself and my brand I’ve been seeing a difference in my streams, my engagement online and my local shows. I went from avergaing 2k streams a year to 200k and to date im at half a Mill organically. I released a Tiny Desk at the beginning of the year, the biggest project ive done so far. A few days before i decided to release the visual online I entered it into NPR’s Tiny desk contest and was featured on their Top Shelf Series. One of the biggest accomplishments for me so far. Im really excited about the drop of my Ep entitled “Its Complicated” that Ill be releasing next year. I love the project title for many reasons. The title explains my life in this moment in two simple words, and the songs gives you a glimpse of what ive been experiencing not only with my romantic relationships but my platonic ones as well. The songs that ive included are so relatable to any situation so im eager for the feedback.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I dont go out much but when I do ill go to Blue Martini, Enjoy some amzing pan-african cusine at Latha in downtown phoenix and night cap at some bars in the downtown area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It wouldnt be right if I didnt recognize and shout out my biggest supporter. She’s my “Manager, Assistant, Financial Advisor, Therapist, and Motivator,” Shes the one in the background praying over all of my success, she has never left my side and believed in me when I stopped believing in myself and thats my Mom. Choosing music as a career path is already hard, you tell an outsider that this is what you want to do and 9 times out of 10 the follow up question is “what else do you do?” or “whats your back up plan” as if Music cant make you a liveable wage. My mom has reasurred me time and time again that I CAN and I WILL succeed. Honorable mentions after moving to phoenix, I have to shout out my Mentors Jessica Kotu and Vaughn Willis. They taught me how to perform with a live band, and the ins and outs of the live music scene here in phoenix. Im very grateful to be surrounded by people filled with such wisdom, not only do I get advice about Music, I get advice about everyday life. I would also like to give a shoutout to Nile Popchock my engineer and Kye Russoul another singer songwriter based out of phoenix. They have been such a big influence on my sound. Kye helps me vocal produce, arrange and write some of my music. Nile has a magic ear, he’s super detailed, he produces and hes always willing to connect me with the right people.

Website: alexisjanae.com

Instagram: officialalexisjanae

Image Credits
Shakir Photography, and HPTV