Alex Slay On Riding The New Wave Of R&B In Nashville
Rising indie R&B artist, Alex Slay lives in Nashville and is quick to say he is indeed not a country singer. Raised on legends like Stevie Wonder and inspired by modern envelope pushers like Anderson .Paak, this small-town Florida native proclaims he’s never been a rule follower, so planting some R&B roots in the “capitol of country music” should come as no surprise.
In a city of superstars, Slay’s talent as an incredibly thoughtful songwriter and gifted singer shines through with a precision that can only be cultivated by a true dedication to the craft. We’re excited to keep our eye on this young, soulful artist as he continues to make a name for himself in not only Nashville’s burgeoning R&B scene, but also as Nashville’s next big superstar.
Read on below to learn more about how a high school talent show propelled Slay into a music career, how sad can be sexy, and who he’s collaborating with next!
What’s the big news in Nashville these days? What’s everyone talking about?
I think it’s, like, live music finally coming back. These past two or three months, it’s actually been starting to feel a little normal again, people are always out, people always playing music. That’s probably the thing everyone’s been talking about lately. A lot of people in Nashville are gig-workers and so a lot of us were out of work, so just being able to work again.
That’s great people are going out again. How has pandemic life been over there?
I actually moved to Nashville about two weeks before the pandemic happened. I was [singing on] cruise ships, and I was on my last contract. I was like, alright I’m moving to Nashville, gonna do my music, gonna do the thing I’ve been talking about for years, and then two weeks later, everything was shut down. So it was definitely a drastic change. But I think being more in the South, the rules are more lenient here, which was a little bit interesting because I was still traveling during the pandemic, I also do wedding singing, so when I would travel up North, the rules were way more strict.
Let’s talk about your new single, “Deep End.” How does it feel to release a song to the world? And what has the reaction been so far?
“Deep End” actually took me a really long time to release, I just got super nit-picky with it. I ended up making, I think, three different versions of the song until I was finally like, this is the right version. So it feels like a giant weight has been lifted. It feels really, really good for the song to be out. The reaction has been pretty good, someone made a dance video to it which was pretty cool.
“Deep End” and your previous single, “Cherry Wine,” seem to be about two very different places when it comes to love and relationships. One is a very sexy song about being in love, while “Deep End” seems to be about being brave and trying to be in love.
It’s funny you said “Cherry Wine” is a love song, because it’s actually not, lyrically it was more about a break-up! But like, it’s funny, because you’re not the first person to say that. It’s just the way I’m singing it and the way the instrumentation is, people think it’s, like, a sexy song. Sad songs can still be sexy songs.
Oh, that makes a lot more sense now with the order of the songs [laughing].
Yeah, exactly. “Deep End” was not only about putting myself out there, like, in the dating world, but also in life in general. I took the year of the pandemic to really think about who I wanted to be as an artist, and really, just as a person. I wanted to be someone who always goes for it no matter what. “Deep End” is about, like, no matter what happens, whether I “sink or swim,” I’m still gonna give it a shot.
So how has it been “diving in” to the dating scene again after a break-up, like, what’s the hardest thing about dating in 2021?
Oh man, there’s so many things. I tried the whole Tinder and Bumble thing, and that just wasn’t for me. I think, especially in our generation, people aren’t really looking for relationships anymore. It’s just a different time, I don’t feel like people go on dates as much anymore, and it’s not as romanticized as it used to be back in the day. I’m also an old soul, so I feel like there was a bit more of a connection when it was the old way. But I’m actually with someone now, I actually met them on the apps so I sound a bit hypocritical [laughing] but it can happen!
Being an R&B artist based in Nashville is super unique, which I’m sure you get all the time. Is there something you wish more people knew about Nashville’s music scene?
That it isn’t just country music! There’s a growing influence of R&B in Nashville. It’s really funny, when I talk to people and I’m like, “I live in Nashville,” and they’re like, “Oh you do country music!” I’m like, “Uh, no, I don’t.” The majority of people I hang out with are R&B artists, and I feel like our little clique is starting to actually get more buzz. There’s artists like Landon Sears, Danny Polo, A.G. Sully, Bren Joy. I want people to know there’s a rise of R&B in Nashville, I think there’s a wave coming. I’m just trying to get on that wave and ride it with everybody else.
What was the moment you realized you wanted to become a musician?
I did a talent show my freshman year of high school, and I had never sang in front of anyone. I was kinda like the quiet kid. I was at a new high school, so I was also the new kid. And I walked up on stage and started singing, and like, the reaction I got was just kind of addicting. Everyone kinda went crazy, and I was like, woah, I’ve never got a reaction with anything else I’ve ever done in my life like this, and I think in that moment I was just like, ok, this is what I’m gonna do.
You’ve been featured on several songs. Do you have a favorite collaboration story?
Actually, here’s a little sneak peek exclusive for you, I just finished a song with my friend A.G. Sully who’s an amazing, beautiful R&B singer here, and I think that is gonna be my favorite collaboration so far. We just sat down, and the song just kinda wrote itself. It was the first time I really finished a song in a day with someone, and that was really special. We’re also very similar in the way that we write, so it didn’t feel forced. It was a very organic process that I was really excited to be a part of.
What is your songwriting process like?
When I first started, I would get a melody in my head and go straight to my voice memos and try to build a chord progression [on the piano] on top of the melody. And I usually start with the hook of the song because I feel like that’s the most important part of the song, that’s the part that people remember. But nowadays, it’s a little bit different because I’m trying to get more lyrical. I’ll find maybe a YouTube beat and write a song to that beat, and then find a way to reproduce it and make it my own.
What’s next for you?
I have three collaborations coming out before the end of the year and hopefully one or two singles before January, is the goal. But yeah, I’m working on a lot of new stuff so I’m really excited about it!
