EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Alexx Calise

31-year-old Alxx Calise is an American singer/songwriter who’s songs have appeared on many TV shows including Dance Moms,  Last Call With Carson Daly, One Tree Hill, Grimm, NY Ink, and many, many more.

Her most famous release is the single ‘Cry‘ which has sold over 42,000 copies since its independent release back in 2011. The official music video for ‘Cry’ also features Dance Moms star Maddie Zieglar who has also starred in official music videos for megastar Sia.

Here Alex Calise talks exclusively to Celeb Mix about her music career, dream collaborations, future plans, and much, much more.

What or who inspired you to become a singer?

My dad is probably my biggest musical inspiration. He played guitar and sang in bands in his youth, and I guess the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. It’s in the Calise blood for sure. A lot of us are musicians and artists, so it’s not entirely a surprise that I went that route. 

Growing up what type of music did you enjoy listening to?
I was fortunate enough to be raised in a very musical family. From the time I was a kid, I was exposed to everything from Mozart to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. I really took a liking to rock, grunge and blues however. Some of my favourite artists were and still are Silverchair, Soundgarden, Aerosmith, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Johnny Lang. 

How do you feel your musical taste has changed over the years?

I’ve always had [a] pretty eclectic taste thankfully. I have everything from Dimestore twenties music to Pantera on my iPhone. I’m always looking for cool music to listen to, and now we have so many more outlets available to hear new music than we ever did when I was a kid. It’s pretty awesome.

Describe your own sound in three words?

Introspective, existential, probing.

If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?

There are so many I’d love to collaborate with, but I would just about die if I had the opportunity to work with Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra, or Daniel Johns from Silverchair (they’ve been my favourite band since the 6th grade). 

What would be your dream venue to perform at?

Since I’m such a huge fan of the Hollywood Bowl out here in LA, I think that would be a dream. I have seen so many amazing artists like The Cure, ELO, Beach Boys and more over there. I’d be in good company, that’s for sure. Another venue I’d love to play is Madison Square Garden. My dad said I need to play there with him before he dies, so I’d love to be able to do that with him.

How did you go about asking Nia Sioux from Dance Moms to sing back up on your new single ‘Breathe‘? 

A little while back, I performed on an episode of Dance Moms. I’ve had about 10 songs on the show (the biggest one being “Cry” which Maddie Ziegler and her sister, Kenzie danced to several times), so they were kind enough to ask me to perform on an episode. Kendall and Nia ended up singing “Cry” with me during the episode (they came up and sang during one of our shows in LA). After working with Nia, I thought she had something really special vocally, and I just really connected with her and her family. They remind me so much of my own. You can just see they’re a tight unit, which I think is awesome. I texted Holly a few weeks ago and asked if Nia would be willing to sing on my new song, ‘Breathe’ and dance in the video, and the rest, I guess is history.

What are your plans for the Christmas period?

For Christmas, I’m going to visit my extended family out in Long Island. I’ve been going there the last few years. Since I don’t get to see my family very much at all (we live 3,000 miles away from each other), it’s always a treat. Lots of food, Bourbon, and good times! As soon as I get back to LA though, it’s full throttle again between my bands, my kids party business and my new venture with my songwriting partner, Dennis Morehouse (which is a label we started together, Bearkat Collective). 

What can fans expect from you in 2017?

Tons, haha! I will be releasing a single with my other band, SOC, which is a cover of ‘6 Underground’ by Sneaker Pimps, and I’ll also likely be releasing a new EP for my solo project (maybe in the spring). I’ve just acquired a new booking agent as well, so I’ll finally be doing some extensive touring, which I’ve never really had the means to do. That’ll be cool so I can finally play for all these awesome folks who have been reaching out to me over the years and telling me to come to their city/state/country!  

What do you hope to achieve in the next ten years?

Man, that’s tough. I really want to do it all. I know it sounds crazy, but I want to be an entertainment mogul of sorts. I’d love for my new label to be a major contender, I’d love to be touring the world with all my various music projects, and writing for those projects and other awesome artists. So, essentially what I’m doing now, but on a much larger scale! Here’s hoping! 

What did you think of our exclusive chat with Alexx Calise? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix. 

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