Hello everyone, it’s your host Tehillah from DULAXI, and today I’m delighted to be joined by Alekxander, a rising pop-dance artist from Birmingham, United States, whose music moves across electronic pop, dance, and synth-driven territory. His latest original single, “High Fashion Lip Gloss,” was released on 7 August 2026, arriving as a vibrant electronic pop experience built around high-energy dance production, bright synthesizer textures, heavy bass, and an unmistakably playful spirit.
The story behind the track is as unexpected as the song itself. What began with Alekxander casually applying Dior lip gloss at home and repeating the phrase “High Fashion Lip Gloss got that vibe” became a complete song in approximately ten minutes. Yet beneath the humour and carefree energy is a much more personal chapter in Alekxander’s artistic journey, one shaped by vocal surgery, adaptation, technological experimentation, and the determination to reclaim his voice.
Before we begin our conversation with Alekxander, here’s what you need to know about today’s featured project.
About Alekxander
Alekxander’s music is rooted in an unusual combination of instinct, personal truth, pop sensibility, and an openness to experimentation. Hailing from Birmingham, United States, the rising pop-dance artist has developed a sound that draws from electronic dance music, synth-pop, country storytelling, and the larger traditions of expressive popular music. His influences include Taylor Swift’s 1989, Cher’s dance records, and the storytelling approaches of Loretta Lynn and Shania Twain, but his own creative identity has developed through a willingness to bring these seemingly different worlds together.
For Alekxander, songwriting begins with truth. His music is entirely autobiographical, with inspiration capable of arriving from almost anywhere. A personal memory, an everyday conversation, an emotional experience, a moment of humour, or even a line from a television show can become the starting point for a song. That openness to everyday life is particularly evident in “High Fashion Lip Gloss,” whose entire concept emerged from an ordinary moment at home.
The song’s playful origin, however, exists alongside a far more significant turning point in Alekxander’s career. Vocal surgery forced him to confront the possibility that he might never sing again. The experience changed his vocal range and introduced uncertainty into his ability to perform, but it also pushed him toward a new way of approaching music. Rather than allowing the setback to end his creative journey, Alekxander began exploring a hybrid vocal process that combines his natural vocals with custom-trained vocal models.
“High Fashion Lip Gloss” represents one of the brighter expressions of that philosophy. Written spontaneously and initially intended as a goofy, carefree track, it eventually developed into an energetic pop-dance record with a 130 BPM pulse, electronic drums, heavy bass synths, bright synthesizer riffs, and carefully constructed vocal production. Although the songwriting arrived almost instantly, the finished recording required considerably more patience. Alekxander worked from his living room, handling the writing, recording, vocal production, editing, layering, and arrangement himself.
Rather than presenting a single version of himself, Alekxander wants his music to make room for every side of his personality. He can write dark, vulnerable songs and emotionally heavy ballads, but he can also create something deliberately bright, silly, energetic, and joyful. For him, these sides are not contradictions. They are all part of being human.
With “High Fashion Lip Gloss,” that philosophy takes the form of an unapologetically fun electronic pop track. It is a snapshot of an artist who has faced a difficult change, adapted his creative process, and continued to find new ways to express himself without losing the personality at the heart of his music.
Having this brief introduction to today’s featured project, I’m sure both new listeners and longtime fans are excited to hear directly from Alekxander. So, without further ado, let’s begin today’s interview.
INTERVIEW SESSION
Tehillah:
Your musical journey took an unexpected turn when vocal surgery forced you to reconsider how you create and perform. What was that period like for you personally, and what did it teach you about how deeply your voice is connected to your identity as an artist?
Alekxander:
Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever sing again—and that was a really scary place to be. Even now, I have good days and bad days where sometimes I can’t sing at all, but I’ve finally reached a point where I’ve learned to cope with it. My vocal range is deeper now, which was tough to accept at first, but it forced me to adapt.
The biggest turning point was my sister, Kayla. She gave me the confidence to step back up to the mic and sing my own songs instead of letting other people sing them. If it hadn’t been for her push, I probably wouldn’t have ever started singing again at all. It taught me that your voice isn’t just about pitch or range; it’s about having the courage to tell your own story.
Tehillah:
After that difficult chapter, you chose to rebuild your sound by combining your natural vocals with custom-trained vocal models. What did reclaiming your voice through this hybrid approach mean to you creatively and personally?
Alekxander:
At first, I was on the fence, but I’ve always been someone who embraces technology rather than fearing it. Music is all I’ve known since I was five years old—it’s the one thing I’ve always been truly passionate about and good at. So when life threw that curveball, I decided I wasn’t going to let it stop me. If there’s an obstacle, I’m going to crash right through it.
It took time to train the models because I had to learn to accept certain elements of my voice that I used to be self-conscious about—things other people always told me were actually my best features. I wanted to keep everything as grounded and real as possible. Some days I can hit a specific note in five or six takes; other days, if I strain too hard, my voice just gives out. Using this hybrid approach allows me to layer and build without destroying my vocal cords, but at the end of the day, it’s still my voice, my performance, and my words.
Creatively and personally, it gave me my agency back. No matter what tech I use to assist the process, I write every single song and live every story. Being able to come out on the other side of a loss and still tell your truth—that’s the most empowering thing in the world.
Tehillah:
Your music draws from artists such as Loretta Lynn, Cher, and Shania Twain, while your own work moves between Southern-infused songwriting, dark synth-pop, and electronic dance music. How have those influences shaped the artist you are becoming, rather than simply the sound you make?
Alekxander:
I grew up on country music alongside icons like Cher, which might seem like a total contrast on the surface. But when I heard “Coal Miner’s Daughter” for the first time, Loretta Lynn’s storytelling and beautiful voice completely captured me. It was the same with Shania Twain and Garth Brooks—every single song tells a real story. You can hear it in their voices because they’re so grounded in what they do; they wrote those songs, lived them, and truly believed every word.
That taught me that the heart of any song is the truth behind it. In my mind, almost any track can be a country song at its core—it’s just the production and genre dressing that separate them. Those legends showed me how to put my whole truth into the writing. It’s also why I tell other creators never to fear songwriting: just let it out, because there is no wrong way to do it. Whether I’m working on dark synth-pop, electronic dance, or covering the icons I grew up on, it’s all about maintaining that core emotional truth and telling an authentic story, just tweaked through my own lens.
Tehillah:
You describe your music as entirely autobiographical and rooted in truth, yet High Fashion Lip Gloss came from something as simple and spontaneous as applying Dior lip gloss at home. What does that moment reveal about the way you find inspiration in everyday life?
Alekxander:
Anybody who knows me knows that at my core, I’m just a fun, quirky, dorky guy. Life is way too short to try to be anyone else, and I only know how to be myself. My mind is a pretty wild place—I can be putting on Dior lip gloss in one moment, and twenty minutes later I’m sitting at the kitchen table writing a heavy country ballad that will rip your heart out!
For me, inspiration is literally a 360-degree experience. It comes from everything and everywhere. It could be something as simple as a moment of self-care with lip gloss, a conversation or argument with my partner, a personal memory, or even a single line of dialogue in a TV show that strikes a chord with me. Because all my music comes from real life, every single mood and everyday moment is fair game for a song.
Tehillah:
High Fashion Lip Gloss reportedly came together in about ten minutes after you found yourself repeating the phrase “High Fashion Lip Gloss got that vibe.” What made that particular moment feel like something worth turning into a complete song?
Alekxander:
I say this with a chuckle, but anybody who knows me knows my mind is on a wild 365-day ride—crazy, funny, sad, and everything in between. Most of the time, I just love making people laugh, so when I sat down with that phrase looping in my head, my initial intent was just to write a goofy, carefree, funny track. I don’t take myself too seriously!
What ended up happening was this high-energy, fun, dancy pop track. Sometimes when you write, the song takes on a life of its own and goes in a direction you didn’t expect, and that’s the beauty of it. At the end of the day, it doesn’t even have to be about lip gloss for the listener. My goal was just to create something that makes people feel good. I want anyone listening to step into their happy place, let loose, and just be completely themselves. Right now, I think everyone desperately needs a few minutes to just be on an imaginary dance floor living their absolute best life—because in those ten minutes when I wrote it, that’s exactly what I was doing.
Tehillah:
The song carries a very playful title and concept, but underneath it is part of a larger process of reclaiming your artistry after a major change in your vocal journey. How do you see the relationship between the song’s lighthearted energy and the more personal story behind its creation?
Alekxander:
The best way I can answer that is simple: if I ever lose my sense of wonder, laughter, or humor, then I’ve given up. I try my best to look at both sides of every situation. It’s not always easy, it’s not always pretty, and I certainly don’t have all the answers. But no matter what I go through, I have to laugh. If you take yourself too seriously, you get stuck.
I’m human, so when all the health issues and vocal changes hit, I went through dark places. It’s completely okay to be sad, to ask why, and to feel those moments. But I couldn’t let it destroy me because that’s just not who I am. Eventually, you have to pick yourself up, throw the goofiest, craziest party inside your mind, and just laugh. Laughter is everything to me, and I can’t dwell on things I have no control over.
Behind all the chaos and noise, “High Fashion Lip Gloss” was me finding my happy place again. At its core, this song is laughter, joy, and survival—it’s pure Alekxander.
Tehillah:
At 130 BPM, with electronic drums, heavy bass synths, and bright synthesizer riffs, High Fashion Lip Gloss is built to feel immediate and energetic. What were you trying to make the listener feel within the first few moments of the track?
Alekxander:
Pure happiness. From the very first note, I wanted people to ask, “Wait, what is this song?” It’s bright, it’s vibrant, and honestly, with that high-energy pride-anthem feel, I immediately thought, “The girls and the LGBTQ+ community are going to love this!”
I just wanted it to be fun. While the song represents a serious milestone for me personally—reclaiming my voice on a day I felt great—the moment itself was completely spontaneous. I wasn’t even planning to write anything, but when the spark hit, my head was bopping and I was just having a blast. I wanted that exact energy captured in the production so when someone plays it, they instantly get it: He was having fun, and now I’m having fun.
I don’t always listen to my own music, but this is one track that stays on repeat for me because of how it makes me feel. I want the listener to turn it up, let out their best, most confident self, and just be completely carefree for four minutes.
Tehillah:
Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Cher’s dance records are among the influences behind your pop-dance direction. What qualities from those records have stayed with you, and how have you adapted those ideas into your own electronic sound?
Alekxander:
Taylor Swift’s 1989 album was everything to me. I loved how she seamlessly incorporated synth-pop into her songwriting. Even though she writes at a piano, her ability to hear a track in full 360 degrees is incredible. That’s how my mind works when I’m writing—by the time I hit the chorus, the gears are turning, and I can hear exactly where I want to build, layer hard-hitting epic drums, or stack my vocals.
Actually, I see music in color. The drums might feel dark and gritty, while the synthesizers look bright white, and I play it all out in my head on an arena scale.
As for Cher, I’ve admired her since I was six years old. The way she delivers a note, her signature vibrato, and her iconic articulation over dark synth-pop tracks are unmatched. I take those influences—alongside my country roots—and mash them up to create my own identity. I’ll take a bright synth and throw a symphonic banjo and fiddle over it just to see where it takes us. Whether it’s pop, country, or dance, I grab all those colors, layer them in my mind, and make something uniquely mine.
Tehillah:
You created High Fashion Lip Gloss entirely from your living room, handling the writing, recording, vocal production, layering, editing, and arrangement yourself. What does having that much creative control allow you to do that might be more difficult within a traditional studio environment?
Alekxander:
At the end of the day, it comes down to complete creative freedom. When you do it all yourself, the vision remains 100% yours, and nobody can alter or take that away from you. Working from home means there are no time limits or outside pressures—you get to experiment freely.
The downside, of course, is that doing every single job yourself can be downright debilitating! While the writing for this song came together in ten minutes, getting the production and vocal editing just right was a whole different story. It’s a very meticulous, tedious process.
I’m open to collaborating or even having other artists record my songs in traditional studios down the road—especially since I write from so many different perspectives, including tracks written specifically for female powerhouse vocalists. But having full control at home lets me build the blueprint exactly the way I see it first.
Tehillah:
The final vocal arrangement involved chopping, layering, and editing different sections until you reached the finished sound. How did you decide which vocal moments needed to remain natural and which could be reshaped during the production process?
Alekxander:
That’s a great question because I honestly didn’t know at first! There are actually six different versions of this song that I worked through. Once you lay down the lead vocal and listen to the track 20 or 30 times, your brain starts playing with the pieces: “What if I move this line here? What if I pull that section out and add a vocal chop over there?” It becomes a total snowball effect.
You just have to keep tweaking until the track naturally shapes itself. One version ended up with heavy vocal chops, stutters, and breaks, while another kept the vocals much more natural and grounded. I ended up releasing two versions first, and I’m actually getting ready to drop two more—including one with a more country-dance-pop blend where my natural voice takes center stage without as many vocal chops.
Through all that chopping and layering, you figure out what the song wants to be. You just keep listening until every piece lands in the right spot.
Tehillah:
There is an interesting contrast between the spontaneous ten-minute songwriting process and the meticulous editing that followed. How do you balance the excitement of capturing an idea quickly with the patience required to turn that idea into a polished record?
Alekxander:
That is the question! Having ADD makes that balance really tough. The writing happened in ten fast minutes, and I could instantly hear the big production in my head, but actually bringing it to life took a long time and a lot of patience. You can only listen to a track on repeat so many times before burnout hits. There were definitely moments where I threw my headphones across the kitchen table because my brain was pulling me in ten different directions at once.
I had to learn the hard way that when you hit that wall, you just have to step back. The funny thing is, while you think you’ve walked away to let your brain de-stress, your subconscious gears keep turning. You start noticing everyday sounds around the house—dropping a remote or working in the kitchen—and wondering how to recreate those textures with synths or your voice. That’s when the breakthrough happens.
Stripped back to just a vocal with a guitar or piano, “High Fashion Lip Gloss” is actually a very simple song—if you heard it acoustic, you’d probably wonder what I was doing! That’s why I knew the production had to be huge, bright, and playful to give the lyrics the right frame. Capturing the idea is instant, but giving it the massive sound it deserves takes time, space, and a lot of trial and error.
Tehillah:
Your experience with vocal surgery ultimately led you toward experimenting with custom-trained vocal models rather than allowing the setback to end your creative process. What has this experience taught you about adapting as an artist when circumstances force you to create differently?
Alekxander:
In this life, we all hit setbacks and trials. You can either let them define you or you can figure out what moving forward looks like for you. Before surgery, I had no problem hitting upper register keys—none at all. Now? Some days I can hit a note, but other days my voice cracks, goes flat, or goes out completely.
Accepting that reality was a long process. I spent a full year unable to sing at all while dealing with major health issues, and it was devastating. I remember trying to sing along to Cher’s “Believe” and realizing I couldn’t even recall the lyrics. Month after month, doctors kept telling me to be patient, and at one point I told my doctor I was just tired of waiting. He looked at me and said, “That’s tough.” And he was right—nobody had a magic wand. I could either let it destroy me, or I could adapt.
The waiting was the hardest part, but the turning point was when my sister Kayla told me something that changed my perspective: I don’t have to be who I was before. She reframed it as an opportunity to reinvent myself. That shift in mindset opened the door for me to embrace new tools and vocal models without losing my identity. This whole journey taught me that a setback isn’t the end of the world—it’s just the beginning of a new version of yourself.
Tehillah:
High Fashion Lip Gloss feels deliberately different from the darker synth-pop side of your music, yet both are connected by your desire to tell authentic stories. What does this brighter and more playful side of your artistry allow you to express?
Alekxander:
It allows me to express who I am at my absolute core: someone who loves to smile, laugh, and bring joy to other people. I think a smile is the most contagious thing a human can share.
Even though I’ve gone through some very heavy, difficult times in my life, I came out on the other side without losing who I was. I didn’t bend, settle, or conform to fit anyone else’s mold. I know when to be serious, but I refuse to walk through life grumpy. If you can’t find a way to laugh through the pain, then for me personally, I’m not being true to myself. I have to find the humor in everything—it’s how I navigate the world.
So while I can write deep, dark synth-pop or heavy ballads, this brighter side allows me to share that carefree, uplifting part of my spirit. What you hear on this track is what you get with me: pure, un-apologetic fun.
Tehillah:
Your approach to music proves that a polished electronic production does not necessarily require a conventional studio setting. How has working independently from home changed your relationship with experimentation, mistakes, and creative freedom?
Alekxander:
The absolute best part about working at home is that I can just be in my tank top and shorts, completely comfortable and totally myself. Nobody likes to feel judged. In a big studio, there’s pressure, but at home, I can be as goofy, random, and experimental as I want to be without anyone staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
That complete privacy is how I ended up with six different versions of this song! It allowed me to throw everything at the wall to see what stuck—taking pieces, scraping others, sliding vocals around, and making terrible mistakes in private that I’d never let another human soul hear. It gave me room to be at my strongest and most vulnerable all at once.
My cousin Krystal always tells me, “There’s never going to be anyone like you, and you make me laugh every single day just by being you.” That’s what working independently allows me to capture. My brain is a complete rolodex of randomness, and making music at home gives me the freedom to turn that randomness into a cohesive, polished song on my own terms.
Tehillah:
High Fashion Lip Gloss transforms an ordinary moment into a high-energy pop experience, while your wider catalog is rooted in personal truth and reclamation. What do you hope listeners understand about you when they experience both sides of that artistic identity?
Alekxander:
That I’m just human, like anyone else. I laugh, I cry, I’m emotional, I’m fun, caring, and loving. Anyone who knows me will tell you that whether I’m listening to music at home or driving down the road, you can always tell what kind of mood I’m in just by what’s playing. I hope that when people hear both sides of my music, they see that I’m not one-dimensional—and neither are they. We all have deep, complex layers. The only difference is that I put mine into songs.
Putting that raw truth out there can be terrifying. I still have unreleased songs that are so raw, intense, and vulnerable that I’m taking my time to put them out, but I will. I want anyone who listens to my music to know that it’s completely okay to be who you are, to feel what you feel, and to be different. Life can be tough and full of struggles, but the key is never losing yourself. If someone listens to my catalog—from the dancy, fun tracks to the heavy, emotional ones—I hope it gives them permission to embrace every side of themselves and know that everything is going to be okay.
Tehillah:
Having turned a challenging period in your vocal journey into an opportunity to explore new technology, new sounds, and a more hands-on creative process, where do you want to take this reclaimed version of your artistry next?
Alekxander:
I go wherever the pen takes me. That’s the most honest answer I can give. Today it’s “High Fashion Lip Gloss”—a track that makes you want to get out on the dance floor and not care who’s watching—and tomorrow it could be a country ballad that’s sad, life-changing, or emotionally raw.
Whatever genre or mood I jump into next, my goal is always inclusion over exclusion. I deliberately write so that anyone, no matter who they are or what background they come from, can hear themselves in the story. Even when I write from a specific gender’s perspective, I articulate the emotion so it remains open, relatable, and universally human. I try not to put rigid labels on my music; I want the listener to take the journey with me and use the song as permission to feel whatever they need to feel.
So where is my artistry going next? Wherever my mind, my heart, and my pen decide to take me next—and I’m ready for the ride.
“High Fashion Lip Gloss captures something rare: the ability to turn an ordinary, almost ridiculous moment into a genuine expression of resilience, freedom, and joy. Behind its bright electronic energy is an artist who refused to let a changed voice silence the stories he still had to tell.”
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE
“High Fashion Lip Gloss” is a fascinating meeting point between spontaneity and craftsmanship. Its playful concept arrives with an intentionally expansive electronic arrangement, while Alekxander’s vocal production gives the track its personality and movement. What stayed with me most after the interview was how naturally the song reflects his wider creative philosophy. The brightness is not an escape from difficulty, but a deliberate way of reclaiming joy. The track feels like a snapshot of an artist choosing curiosity, humour, experimentation, and self-expression as tools for moving forward.
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
CLOSING
Our conversation with Alekxander offers a glimpse into much more than the making of “High Fashion Lip Gloss.” It reveals an artist who has had to rethink his relationship with his own voice, adapt to unexpected circumstances, and discover new creative possibilities without abandoning the personal truth at the heart of his songwriting.
There is something especially fitting about a song born from such an ordinary moment becoming part of such an important chapter. “High Fashion Lip Gloss” carries the carefree energy of its origins, but it also represents the freedom that comes with finding your way forward on your own terms.
Alekxander, thank you for taking the time to speak with DULAXI and for sharing such an open and thoughtful look into your music, creative process, influences, and journey. We encourage our readers to experience “High Fashion Lip Gloss” for themselves and to continue following where Alekxander’s music takes him next.
And to everyone who spent time with us today, thank you for being part of DULAXI. We hope this conversation introduced you to a new artist, offered a different perspective on the creative process, and gave you another reason to keep exploring the stories behind the music.
Until our next DULAXI interview, keep listening, keep discovering, and keep making room for the artists whose stories deserve to be heard.