Lexi Mariah Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Lexi Mariah is a wonderful singer, and I was so glad she was willing to visit with us and discuss her singles, her goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Lexi Mariah visits Section 36!

Your recent single “SOURPATCH” is just fantastic. What can you tell me about it?
Thank you so much! “SOURPATCH” is the third single I’ve released so far, and my favorite. I’d been planning to release it at the beginning of summer right from the start. I wanted to write something with a summertime vibe that people could just chill out to, that had more fun lyrics, was more upbeat and lighthearted than my previous releases. The song is open for interpretation, but to me it’s about understanding that you don’t always have to play by the rules and you don’t always have to live your life the way others might consider to be the “right way”. I wanted to get the message across that it’s okay to change as a person as you grow up or even change from day to day. Everyone has good days and everyone has bad days. 

I enjoyed the music video for your previous single “Oh Boy”. What was it like to put that together?
The “Oh Boy” video was so much fun to make. Fun fact: I

actually wrote the script for it in less than 30 minutes in the car with my director one day! We had so many interesting ideas and it was a lot of fun putting the concept together and making it happen. The story of the video is kind of like a music video within a music video. Our idea was that we wanted me to keep “breaking character” because my “team” kept messing things up (walking in front of the camera, pushing a giant fan toward me while I was singing, etc.). We wanted to make it comical. The opening scene from the first verse to the end of the first chorus was shot in one continuous take, which was a really fun challenge for me. I’m also glad that we were able to incorporate acting into the video, as that’s something I really enjoy as well and would love to do more of. It took us about two full days to film the entire thing and we filmed in three different locations. 

When did you realize you wanted to make your music your career?

I knew from a young age that I wanted to be some type of performer. I was in dance for 13 years when I was younger so I already knew that I really enjoyed being on stage. During the last couple of years that I was in high school, everyone around me was applying to colleges and I just knew that wasn’t for me. I really didn’t enjoy school at all and I wouldn’t have been happy if I went the college route. I’ve always had a special love for music, singing especially, and that was one of the first things I felt like I was good at. Of course there was judgement from my peers and teachers because for some reason when a kid tells someone that they want to be a singer, the first reaction is usually to not take them seriously. I had to just brush it off. I didn’t care what people who barely knew me thought of my decision. My family and closest friends were always supportive so that made things much easier. 

Who or what would you consider to be your biggest musical influences?
I went to my first real concert when I was 4. I saw Kelly

Clarkson and I’ll never forget how much I loved watching her perform. That concert experience stuck with me throughout my childhood and I always said that I wanted to put on my own concert like that someday. I think that was definitely part of what influenced me to pursue music. I make pop music today and I adore Taylor Swift and Cher Lloyd. I’ve grown up listening to them both and they’ve both influenced my current sound a ton. I’ve taken inspiration from a lot of other artists as well such as Zara Larsson and Meghan Trainor. My producers and I took some Dua Lipa inspiration when we were writing “SOURPATCH”.

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

Finding the right team was definitely a challenge. I released my debut single “Strange” pretty much on my own. I worked with a producer, but I didn’t know much about marketing or the importance of strategically planning a release. The song didn’t reach the success that I wanted it to for a lot of reasons, but lack of marketing knowledge was one of them. My career changed for the better when I met my current team. I’ve learned more than I ever thought I could in the last year.

What are your immediate career goals?
My next single is literally just days away from being finished and I could not be more happy and excited about it! I can’t give a date just yet, but the goal is to have it released in the next couple of months. I’m also working on finishing an EP to release in 2021. A tour is something that I’m looking forward to next year as well. As soon as it’s safe to have shows again, I’m going to be planning my first tour. I can’t wait! 

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I can’t wait to hear that single!

As always, I want to thank Lexi for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Lexi to see what she's up to. The best way is to follow her online on Instagram, or Twitter. You should also be sure to listen to her music on Spotify as often as you can. It’s the perfect way to make sure you don't miss a thing.

You can also visit her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and samples of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Lexi has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Lexi, and good luck in reaching your goals!