Interview: Alex Porat, Singer-Songwriter

23 year-old Toronto singer-songwriter Alex Porat is a magnetic force. With some of the freshest sounds of the moment, Alex is a brand new alt-pop artist with infectious and playful melodies, combined with unique, dreamy vocals. With 150 million+ streams on YouTube and 950,000+ YouTube subscribers (and growing), her loyal following spans the globe, with fans all over North America, Europe, and Asia. In less than or year or so, Alex has amassed 65 Million streams across Spotify, Apple, and Amazon.

Congratulations on your latest single “girlfriend”! Can you tell us more about this release? What inspired you to write this song?

Thank you! “Girlfriend” is a song that really checks off so many boxes for me as a songwriter. It’s a comment on a double standard that women face when dating where men feel like they can act like they’re in a committed relationship but then turn around and refuse to actually commit and label it. I really love undisguised and honest lyrics, so being able to write a song that sounds fun and light but still has depth and meaning is something super special to me.

You started your music career doing covers on YouTube, can you tell us a bit about this beginning?

I had started to post little singing clips on YouTube around 2010 and most of that motivation came from Justin Bieber’s success with YouTube. I knew that it was something that I could do from home and on my own which meant that it was in my control. I was always auditioning for things when I was younger and hoping that one day some amazing opportunity would fall into my hands, but I knew that if I wanted people to hear my music I needed an audience that would want to listen. After posting so many videos (many of them are private now because they’re so embarrassing!), I finally had one that started to go viral. The saying “never give up” proved to be very relevant in my case. I spent so much of my childhood singing, dancing, and performing, and finally, I had people watching. I kept uploading videos and then Shawn Mendes ended up reacting to my cover of his song “In My Blood”. It was such a surreal moment where I realized that being a musician was possible and that my dreams were closer than they seemed.

How does it feel now to have gone solo and making your own music full-time?

Growing up my main musical influences were Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, and Disney movies. My singing lessons were basically of me standing in front of the TV singing along to Disney songs when I was younger! That’s really where I learned to pick up songs pretty fast - by listening. Recording covers for me was also such a fun moment in my day because it felt like second nature. I had written so many songs that never made it out of my bedroom because I felt like they could never compare to the music that I was listening to. Overtime and with more life experience, my own songs started to mean more to me and I think that’s when I finally felt comfortable putting my music out there. Figuring out my writing style was hectic for me but I’ve finally landed somewhere in the pop world where I feel the music comes the most naturally.

It’s very refreshing to see a young female artist of mixed Asian and white descent break into the Western music industry - how have you been navigating?

It’s refreshing for me too! Part of the reason I felt like I needed to take things into my own hands with YouTube was because I didn’t really feel like there was a place for me in music. The people I saw succeeding in North America didn’t look like me and so it left me pretty hopeless as a child. Now, I’m extremely grateful to have a platform and a voice, so I’m going to use that and do what I can and contribute to further developing Asian representation in North American music so other kids don’t have to feel the way that I felt as a child.

What role does Toronto play in your music?

Toronto is home for me. It represents where I’ve settled the most and where I’ve grown the most. I would love to eventually be able to go everywhere and have Toronto be a pivot point for me. I spent so much of my childhood in Vancouver, but Toronto is where I really discovered myself musically. The music community here is very tight and everyone feels like family. So many musicians come from Toronto and it’s amazing to see so many Canadian artists succeeding.

Photo by Sise Drummond.

Do you have plans on releasing an official music video for girlfriend? Will you be working with Toronto director Iris Kim again?

I don’t plan on releasing an official video for “girlfriend”, but I’m definitely working with Iris again! I love Iris so much and I feel like we work in harmony. She really gets me and very much understands the emotion behind the music which is something about her that I really admire. We’ve done so much and it’s been a really great journey together so far.

It’s been over a year since we’ve all been cooped up at home - what’s your songwriting process looking like these days?

My songwriting process currently revolves around Zoom or FaceTime sessions. It’s what we have to do to stay safe, but it’s very different and I miss writing in person. That being said, the next few songs were born out of this last year and I’m so so so excited for them. I stay motivated knowing that good things can come from dire situations, and these next songs are a result of being isolated and left with a lot of time to think.

For anyone who is not familiar with your music, how would you describe your style to them? Who is your music aimed for?

My music lands somewhere in the pop world and is aimed at anyone who has emotions. For the longest time, I was avoiding writing “too pop” and that’s because I was scared of entering into a very competitive zone, especially coming into an industry where there’s a lack of Asian representation. But I’m tired of feeling that way and I’m just going to write what feels right. “Girlfriend” is the first step into that direction.

What is next for you?

More music. So excited. Stay tuned!

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You can find more of Alex here, and listen to her music here. For all business inquiries: laurielee@wednesdaymgmt.com.