Words by Carol Wright | Photographer: Emily Assiran
Actress and Singer Alexa Swinton chatted with us about growing up in a creative household, ABC’s Emergence, and her song “You, Me, and My Purple Docs”.
Is creativity highly encouraged in your household?
My family, I think, lives and BREATHES creativity! My parents even support me playing video games as long as they think it’s not too much time and it is working the creative muscle – which the ones I play are. In fact, my mom signed me up for a class about making a business and designing a game in Roblox. It was super fun and I partnered up with a friend to start a virtual cafe in the game. We had to think about how to make a story in the game, how to create an environment that people would want to visit virtually, and then do the interior design and interview and hire a scripter to help us with the coding and a business manager to run the cafe when we are not available. Actually, we learned a lot about hiring – our business manager left and I took that job over. As an entrepreneur – you have to be ready to do all the jobs!
We are always learning in our house. Every film, TV, or play audition is a starting point to learning about a new place or world or experience. So, for example – my brother and I learned about the original vampire stories and the black and white film when he was going to work on NOS4a2. For other projects – we researched Barnum & Bailey, the Bermuda Triangle, Hitler’s Germany, totalitarianism, the Great Depression, and even the health insurance system for an episode of BULL.
Also, we have always been encouraged to write our own plays and stories. My mom always brought journals everywhere we went so that we could jot down ideas and draw – we have a hundred of these! My eight year old brother writes and performs stand-up comedy professionally (at New York City comedy clubs – when they are open) with my mother who is a stand-up comedian and writer. During this time of quarantining, I write plays and musicals which we perform in our basement and we charge my family admission. Our art hangs all over our house – sometimes – I’m like – mom take that piece down – I was three! My dad is an entrepreneur so we also learn a lot about creativity in business and technology. He also trained as an architect and so we all love design and building Legos. My sister and I are always baking and she crafts. We also all play instruments and sing! It’s really just how we live every single day.
Tell us about, “You, Me, and My Purple Docs”. What inspired the lyrics?
I wanted to write a song that could really stand for what I believe in. I love the environment, animals (I’m vegetarian, almost) and The Sims 4. I think that that really drove the song (and the video!) The song is about getting together and making the world a better place as a whole. It’s also about not waiting to grow up to make a difference. I think we kids need to get involved and to be confident and make our voices heard.
You had the chance to work with Dawn Elder on this song. What did you learn from her?
From Dawn – I learned about many types of songs and songwriters. She has an incredible knowledge of music from the US and around the world and truly loves singers. With her – I have worked on songs from the Carpenters to Norah Jones to Miley Cyrus and Marshmello. Dawn writes the chords and the hook. She can take an idea of a melody – so I may sing a snippet of an idea (that maybe we have recorded in a voice memo) and translate this into music. She has worked with some amazing singers such as Cheb Khaled who sings the hit song “C’est La Vie,” so she is also sharing her experience not only about singing and performing, but also how you make and share music.
What is your songwriting process?
You first need to think of something you want to express in a song. An idea of something you are excited about and so you put down a few words. And you expand from there. We find a rhythm and rhymes. It’s a lot of little steps every time you have a session.
You also act and were in ABC’s Emergence. Are you hoping to merge your love for singing and acting as your career progresses?
I would love to combine my love for singing and acting. It would be a dream to work on a role where I could also sing! I love all the Disney actors who are also in music: Dove Cameron, Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter, Zac Efron. The original Disney stars too – Justin Timberlake! Of course – Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande. I loved Dove Cameron and Ariana Grande in Hairspray! I also love that Meryl Streep sang in Mama Mia.
I love movie-musicals and musicals. My family and I are definitely a Broadway family and have supported the Actors Fund during this quarantine time. We feel so sad for all the people who have lost their jobs because of the pause. In fact, my little brother Maxim was supposed to have his big musical theater debut this spring and originate a role in a new musical working with Broadway stars – but that is on hold for now. We CAN’T WAIT until the theatre and live music performances will be back, and will be the first to get tickets!!
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
My advice for aspiring singers is to have parent(s) / family who have the ability to support them (Oh, and post videos on YouTube) or get them on board to support you. You do need a lot of support and this includes moral, time and financial. It would be incredibly challenging for a young aspiring singer to do this on their own. You need coaches who can share their experiences and help you improve. You need musicians to play with you. It’s the reality of the business. Of course, there are other ways to do this too. Some singers just write in their rooms and record for YouTube and I think that is amazing.
There are so many ways in. I know that if you love something, it is important to be persistent. And it is important to get the support you need. I feel very lucky to have family around me who do help. Not only my parents, but my sister, my brother, my grandparents too. We help each other. You also need to be able to work hard and to not give up on a song you are writing even when you feel tired of it. Maybe you do need to put it down for a bit so you can get a fresh perspective on it. Just go the extra mile to make it even better. And of course – revise and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Listen to the song on any platform here! Check it out on Apple Music here!