On The Rise: ayokay

We recently had the chance to speak with on the rise Columbia records singer/producer Alex (aka) ayokay! Check out our conversation below!

Can you take us through what your typical day looks like on tour??

Since I’m not quite yet doing a bus tour, the typical day on this run has been shaped by our van. We do hours and hours of driving each day, and the days are kind of planned around it. On driving days, we can be in the car from anywhere between 5 and 13 hours. On show days, we get to the venue by 3pm to load in and set up, I soundcheck around 6, and then the shows are mostly at 9pm. Between all that time is a lot of Starbucks coffee, sausage & cheddar breakfast sandwiches, and Taco Bell when we’re really feeling lucky. We are in and out of mediocre hotels in the middle of nowhere, but we have an amazing crew, so we make the most out of it and have a great time anywhere we can. 

What do you enjoy most about music production?

Sound design has always been my calling card in terms of music. It’s what I fell in love with from the start, and what got me to actually sit down in front of a computer and teach myself how to produce. Hearing early Kygo and Odesza, and the sounds they created that I have never before heard was the entry point for me. My favorite part of starting a new song each time is creating a unique sound color palette and soundscape for the song to live and breathe within. It’s the act of creating something from nothing, that can hardly be beaten for me in any other facet of life.

As a music business and technology major myself, I have to know, what software do you use?!

I use Logic Pro X and I swear by it! It is without a doubt what I tell every up-and-comer to use from the start, without hesitation. The program is only 200 dollars from the app store, and has more built in capabilities than almost any other program. I use that DAW, and a bunch of Waves plugins as well as Soundtoys.

You’ve been making music since high school, have you ever went back and listened to your old recordings??

Occasionally they come up on shuffle and I listen back and smirk. I definitely knew so much less then, but from that, there was a disregard I had for the “rules” of music in addition to a creative spark that made me take risks that I sometimes miss. I was a little naive creative engine back then, and although some of the music sounds so immature, it had a certain spark to it.

Congratulations on the release of your new EP “We come alive. (Side A)” can you take us through your process from its inception to its release?

we come alive. was a trip into my own head. It was a self-reliant experience since I wrote nearly all of it on my own, and sang as well as produced all of it. It also took much more risk than my debut album, In The Shape of a Dream. we come alive. was written to channel the early indie electronica that shaped the landscape for all electronic music that we have today. It was an attempted return to the “timelessness” of the Passion Pit, Postal Service, MGMT era, where the songs never seem to age, and always feel relevant. The album was designed to be performed by a band, and so this current tour I am currently on feels like the full circle display of everything I set out to do when I sat down to write we come alive.

What was the inspiration behind the “We come alive” series?

The concept of the album is based around one’s personality traits, and how after they are conceived at an early age, they take on a life of their own. They become self-sufficient, living/breathing/evolving entities that sometimes are your friend, and at other times your foe. The “monsters” depicted in the album cover are my best attempt at giving a face to something as obscure and edge less as the figments of one’s mind. They are meant to look somehow familiar, like something we’ve known since an early age, but also in a way jarring, as it would be to be staring your own mind directly in the face.

What are the most exciting and challenging moments of your career?

I think what I struggle with the most in my career is the endless comparison game that most people play — comparing myself to others and telling myself where I “should” be. The only thing that keeps me from a dark hole is reminding myself I’ve already accomplished more than I ever thought I would in the beginning, and this is still only the start. Enjoying each accomplishment instead of weighing them is something I try to focus on, as hard as it may be some days. On the other hand, the most exciting elements have come from being in front of audiences, and from major milestones such as releasing my debut album a year ago, and receiving a gold record certification for the first song I ever released (Kings of Summer). What I am most proud of right now in my career, is singing all of my songs — which has been one of the scariest, but most rewarding experiences I’ve had in music.

How is the headline tour going so far?!

This headline tour has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. The current live show is the culmination of everything I set out to do with this album cycle, and I finally feel like I have now become the artist I will forever be. It has been a dream of mine to play with a band my entire life, and on this tour I finally have had that ability — it is everything I thought it would be and more. Additionally, the light show and production is so specifically designed and dialed into the music that I feel extremely proud of the entire visual aesthetic that the show paints.

Lastly what do you see yourself doing in the future?

After tour, I plan to finish up Side B of we come alive. After releasing the second side of the album, I will again set my sights on hopefully supporting a larger artist on a Spring tour and further cementing in the new live show’s appeal. I’ve worked so long in the studio, and I feel like 2020 is my time to build a following on the road!

Connect with ayokay: Instagram, website, & Spotify. Special thanks to Columbia Records!