Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Ritchie.
Alex, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I got started when I was in high school when I got booked to open a Saturday night show at The Whisky A-Go-Go in Hollywood, CA after their booking agent heard my music on MySpace. Music wasn’t something I thought was going to be my “thing.” Since I was a kid, I thought I was going to be an actor/writer/director and take over Hollywood. I was a self-taught guitarist and singer and the only musician in my family. But I knew I was going to make somewhere around a hundred bucks and I thought, “Why not?” After standing on that stage, I knew music was it for me. I figured it would be the thing that got me into entertainment, and I could always go back to movies at some point.
Once I graduated from high school, I moved to New York City. The two years I spent studying at St. John’s University in Queens, playing every other weekend in Manhattan, working on campus, and interning for producer J. Chris Griffin at the Engine Room were amazing. I met DJ ZEKE while playing a show on campus. Zeke is now a Red Bull DJ Champion and a successful entrepreneur and still comes to LA every time I have a new release to DJ the party. He mentored myself and worked with other notable talents who walked the campus, like St. John’s alum, J. Cole. The two years I got in that magical city taught me a lot; I was already a pretty ambitious person who was determined to make all my dreams come true, but NYC really amped up all of those feelings and pushed me to work even harder. One of my contacts in New York led me to a producer/engineer from Interscope Records. They both knew I was from Los Angeles, and we agreed to link next time I was home for the holidays. I came home, we made some music and he told me I should come back to LA and work on a record with him. It was then that I submitted my leave of absence at St. John’s and moved back home. The Interscope guy ended up falling through at some point, but it led me back to LA, and I am so thankful for that part of the journey. I learned a lot from that, even though it wasn’t the outcome I originally wanted.
I ended up continuing and finishing my education at UCLA and pretty much did the same hustle. I interned for Grammy-nominated songwriter Evan Bogart and got heavily involved with GrammyU, the student membership of the Recording Academy. After graduating college, I was given a scholarship to attend the legendary Westlake Studios’ Cre•8 Music Academy, where I learned music production. That same year, I also became a professional member of the Recording Academy and was selected to be part of the GrammyNEXT Class (now known as NEXT). NEXT is an initiative of the Recording Academy designed to identify and empower the next generation of music leaders. A year later, I became the youngest sitting committee member for the Grammys LA Chapter (where I sat for three consecutive years) and was also chosen as the first sponsored artist for Delta H Designs / ZR Acoustics – a company specializing in pushing the boundaries when sound treating music studios and sound stages. I got a chance to work with and be mentored by music supervisor titan Tracy McKnight on projects like Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time. In 2019, I got involved with one of the most iconic brands in the world: Fender guitars, I scrubbed all my old music and released my debut EP “404,” whose credits included the names of Grammy nominees and winners like Harvey Mason Jr. (now interim president and CEO of the Grammys), Snipe Young, and Keith Hetrick. Last year I also played the Grammy Museum stage at LA LIVE, was featured in a national campaign called “:NEXT” on Grammy.com that named myself and two others (my dear friends, Sierra Lever and Scott Michael Smith) as young power players part of “The Future of The Music Industry.” I developed more partnerships with brands and music tech companies like Steereo and sang on Ziggy Marley’s newest single “Friday’s On,” released last December.
It seemed like over a decade of work really started to show last October. I got that Grammy looks, played the museum, participated in a super dope writing camp at Capitol Records, had signed on to some projects in the world of film and televisions and was also setting up an opening slot on tour with a major act. Then March of 2020 hit and everything changed in a matter of days. I had built everything with no manager, no label, and no publisher. A young, scrappy kid from West Covina with no financial capital, connections, or resources somehow built something real. I won’t lie, after COVID it felt like a lot of that had fallen. As a mixed-race Asian American artist and creative, the industry has definitely been tricky and difficult to navigate. Race has always been a quiet but powerful factor in my journey — initially, it felt like a hindrance. I was told a lot of things about what I couldn’t achieve because of what I looked like… I’ve slowly seen those attitudes change, but I’ve run into them more than I expected this year. I am typically the only one who looks like me in the room, and the past few years, especially as someone who sits on committees for organizations like the Grammys, I have been vocal about Asian-American Inclusion initiatives in the industry. Though the pandemic has made it difficult to execute initial plans, that is still very important to me. After finding Asian Americans are the most underrepresented group in the Grammys, I am more determined than ever to change the current realities.
Some great news is I have stayed pretty busy over the last few months in quarantine. I dropped a new single, “Isn’t You,” co-written by Grammy-nominated songwriter and artist, Gizzle. It was released in June in conjunction with PRIDE Month and I partnered with one of my brand sponsors, Rastaclat, as well as the It Gets Better Project. “Isn’t You” did well and even debuted on Apple Music’s “New In Pop” editorial playlist. Being able to represent my LGBTQ+ community alongside a brand and organization, I have been a fan of since I was young was an honor. More recently, this month I was part of a United Nations X World Health Organization X United for Mental Health Campaign. I sang alongside artists from around the world on a single called “Move Together,” the official theme song for World Mental Health Day. I was also honored to be on an official PSA for the Biden/Harris campaign with Filipino Americans for Biden/Harris.
I have a new EP coming next year and a few other exciting projects in the works. The pandemic really did take a lot from all of us, but I am confident the future is bright… these are hard times, but I believe everything is working for us.
So great to hear that you’ve been able to stay productive during quarantine. So, digging deeper into the story and looking back would you say it’s been a smooth road?
It definitely has not been the smoothest road. When I got into music, I was not what you would picture as a “commercially viable star.” I am a small, mixed, predominantly Asian-looking LGBTQ+ woman. At the time, no one really believed I could make it — at least not the people of influence I met. I have been passed up on more times than I can count or even remember. Some of those people made comments that my aesthetic was part of the problem, or my sexuality should remain hidden. I won’t lie, those things had quite an effect on me, and there wasn’t really a person I could turn to. It was also hard coming in the game with no financial capital or independent wealth. Music videos, production, post-production, promotions, and all that comes with being an underspent artist is costly. Finding ways to make it work was tough. I worked a lot of jobs throughout the years to make sure I could fund everything myself.
I just kept plugging away and along the journey, I met people in the industry who helped me in the ways that they could. Networking, working hard and utilizing my skills and talents helped me build a solid network of people who’ve helped me move in the industry. Times are constantly changing and I still find obstacles in my way because of all the identities I embody — but I’ve gotten this far and I am not going anywhere. I’ve realized that my differences are my strengths, even if they work against me in some instances. I know it won’t ever be an easy road, but things will get easier eventually. Change is definitely coming.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am a music artist, songwriter, and producer. I also creatively produce for visual media as well and plan to expand my brand into other avenues as I move forward and check off things on my goal list. I am most proud of having done it on my own — no manager, no label, no publisher. I am so proud to be a fully independent artist, and I think what sets me apart is my ability to connect the right people and resources together to make big things happen — even if there’s not many resources to begin with. Also, having been my own advocate the past 11 years, I have developed some pretty serious business chops and have fallen in love with that side of music as much as the creative part. I come from a family of humble means, and I aim to successfully create stories and experiences in all avenues of art and entertainment to change my family and loved ones’ lives. For me, it all starts with a story.
Great stories have the power to change the world we live in.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles is my home so it will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up in LA County, in a city called West Covina. I live in Echo Park now and what I love most is the rich, diverse cultures that help make up the identity of Los Angeles. There is no city in the world like it — the food, the nightlife, the people, the Dodgers, the Lakers, and how the people of this city – at the end of the day – have each other’s backs. We have all seen a fair amount of tragedy this year, but watching us all come together has brought so much optimism at such a heavy time.
What do I like least? I honestly wish we had a better public transportation system.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexritchiemusic.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @alexritchiemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexRitchieMusic
- Twitter: @alxritchiemusic
Image Credit:
Cheyenne Lever
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