BY KAYLEE PICKENS
PHOTO BY JIMMY FOUNTAINE
Galxara (pronounced gal-ex-ara) has entered the room and she’s definitely here to stay. Galxara’s unwavering passion to be a singer has been on her mind since she could talk. Signing at age 15, Galxara used her new tools to create some of her greatest hits so far like, “Sway With Me” and “Jealous of Myself.” However, this 20-year-old Florida native is proving that she’s built for anything that can come her way. With discussing her recent works, Birds of Prey, and life outside of the studio, Galxara opens up and introduces us to who she is and what she’s ready to be.
How are you? How has life been at home with the pandemic surging? How do you stay moving?
Galxara: “I’m doing great! Yesterday, they announced that all of California was in an ‘at-home mandatory lockdown’. So, that was a big change because before, like, I could go anywhere and now I can’t.
Funny enough, this morning I bought a ukulele online on Amazon Prime. [laughs] I’ve always wanted to play and I thought, ‘I would really like to learn how to play,’ and it would make doing covers easier. I can play the piano pretty well, but it’s hard to lug a piano everywhere, you know? If I could learn to play a few songs on the ukulele, since it’s only four strings, that would be really lit.
Other than that, I’ve been listening to music. Personally, I’ve been doing a lot of praying and meditating; just trying to find myself during this time. It’s very sad what’s happening, but also I don’t think anyone — across the world, ever — has had a moment like this to stay in our houses. And use that time valuably, even though I’m watching Jack Ryan. [laughs] I’m trying to stay mentally there and not zone out. In a couple weeks or months when things change, I need to be ready to jump back on it.”
I totally agree, it’ll be super difficult when it’s time to get back to it. I’ve been working from home for the last few years, and it’s strange having everyone home now. [laughs] Speaking of covers, though, I just watched your cover for “Watermelon Sugar.” Is there a favorite that you have or is there one you’re excited to cover? Anything you’re most looking forward to?
G: “I love doing covers. That’s kind of how I started, singing other people’s music and compositions. One of the things that’s so great about music is that it does bring it together. During this time, everyone’s been doing livestreams and uploading videos on social media — I’ve just been thinking of any song to play. A great song I thought that would be great to play, like, Bob’s Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds,’ because I know every little thing is gonna be alright. I can totally play that on ukulele once I learn. So, I’ll probably do that. But, I love covers and I love doing covers.
In the beginning, I was like, ‘No, I don’t want people to think I’m a cover artist. I don’t want them to think I don’t make or have any original music.’ But now that I’ve done it, I appreciate it. There’s beauty in so many songs out there, that are obviously not my own; they say amazing things. It’s awesome to do covers. And, during a time like this, people just want to connect to their favorite artist.”
The livestreams are incredible, I love them. I loved seeing Hayley Williams and Nao sing acoustic versions of their songs. But, really quickly, I just wanted to say what a huge, huge, huge congratulations on the Birds of Prey soundtrack, by the way! What was that experience like? Can you describe what it was like working and being apart of such a major project?
G: “I had heard about Birds of Prey about a year or year and a half prior to the soundtrack being released. My manager had just mentioned it to me, ‘There’s gonna be a Harley Quinn spin-off from Suicide Squad that’s about her. Atlantic is trying to compile a soundtrack with a few artists.’ And in my head I thought, ‘That’s cool. The chances of ME getting on this soundtrack are very slim to none. It’s probably not gonna happen.’
Time went by, I tried not to think about it. Once we got closer, like six months out or so, they started amping up finding and signing artists. One, I had done multiple, multiple writing sessions specifically for the soundtrack. They sent over briefs, like, ‘This is a club scene,’ or ‘This is an end sequence scene.’ They give you a reference and let you know what they want. You get into a writing session to see what you get. So, I did that a lot. Every single one of them, it wasn’t right. They kept saying ‘This isn’t gonna be it.’ So, I thought it wasn’t gonna happen.
Right at the last minute, they sent me the track for ‘Sway With Me’ produced by Cutfather, who’s from Copenhagen. He produced and used the sample from the original 1954 classic and they said they were sending it out to a few writers and whoever writes the best thing gets it. Two of my good friends, who are great writers, we all wrote my verse on it. And immediately, the team connected with it and said, ‘This is dope. We want this.’ Atlantic wanted to confirm who would feature on the track too — because usually on soundtracks, they like a lot of features. Anyway, Saweetie did her verse and it made it even cooler. We wrote the song, it was all finished, mixed, and everything was great.
Then, I remember talking to one of the PR’s at Atlantic, who was in charge of the soundtrack. And he mentioned that, once they can figure out which songs have the best potential, we can decided who to film music videos for. So, of course, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. But, I prophesied it like, ‘Please let it be our song!’ [laughs]
It was really cool when they let us know that we’re gonna film for ‘Sway With Me.’ Funny enough, [the video] kept getting pushed back, like, every single week because of travel stuff. It was supposed to be filmed around January or February of this year. And we got to a point where we worried about the video being filmed because the movie was about to be released. In the end, we were able to shoot it one day ‘cause that’s typically how music videos go, and it was crazy. It’s something I’ve never experienced. I’m so lucky to be on [the soundtrack], for many reasons, and being on that roster of women.
But, also it was a big production, you know, bigger than anything I’ve ever done. It was a big movie and the music video budget was huge. We’re driving in the middle of the road and there’s police escorts. And I’m like, ‘What the heck is going on? I’ve never experienced this before.’ I just kept thinking, ‘This is crazy. This feels like a legit movie.’ It’s not what I thought what would be happening.
It was an amazing experience, I had such a great team around me. It was very emotional because we started really early and ended so late. I was just trying to give my all, but it was awesome. I’m so thankful to those who supported me and let me be on that soundtrack. I’m still very new, right now. I signed when I was 15, which was just five years ago, but I’ve only been releasing music for about a year. So, a lot of people don’t know me and it was so incredible that I got to be on that platform. If it could’ve been anything, I’m glad it was that. Because, I love and support women and I’m so happy I got to be apart of this, honestly.”
I remember seeing the tracklist and thinking how star-studded it was. It’s an accomplishment and something to be proud of, for sure. Has your relationship with your girlfriend changed during your career changes? Was she the inspiration for any songs?
G: “Thankfully, my relationship hasn’t changed much since my releases and the changes in my career. Honestly if anything, social media has been the biggest battle because as an up-and-coming artist I need to always be on my phone 24/7 or on social media uploading, responding, interacting and growing my fanbase. It gets hard sometimes because I don’t want to be the person always looking down and not paying attention to those I love so it’s just finding a balance in my relationship but it’ll all be okay.
My girlfriend is my biggest supporter by far, she is my champion and I am so incredibly lucky to be in a trusting, honest and comfortable relationship where I can be my weird, introverted self at times but also be able to turn into the glamorous Galxara, and she loves it. The songs I have released recently, I wrote all of them before I met her BUT I’m in the works of finishing a new song about her that we are both in love with and I can’t wait for people to hear it!”
You’ve mentioned previously that “Galxara” isn’t a character but someone you chose to be. How would you describe “her”?
G: “My friends and family ask me this a lot actually because they still don’t seem to know if Galxara is a character or me or what. Basically I don’t think Galxara is some completely different persona, it’s really just me but with a cooler, unique name. She is the best version of myself, the person I would like to be every day. Confident, crazy, unique, boundless, futuristic, very fashionable, an inspiration, personable and over all just a light in the world. Forever evolving, I am trying every day to be that person and that’s all Galxara really is to me.”
What is your relationship like with your art/visuals director?
G: “The very talented Alex Kirzhner is my art/visuals director and he blows me away every time. With every release I’ve had, there seems to always be a bit of a slow start and a moment where I get nervous and feel like we won’t be able to accomplish or create the image or art or visual that I so desperately want, but then all of a sudden Alex sends something through that is better than I could have even imagined and it ALWAYS works out in the end. I am so happy to have someone on my team who gets my ideas, concepts and just the whole vibe because as Galxara, I rely heavily on visuals because I have a story to tell and it doesn’t just end with a single song, there’s so much more to it. When people see my artwork and my visuals, I hope they are curious and also can appreciate that my team and I were able to create something unique and different and extravagant and weird instead of just a basic/normal visual because then what’s the point?”
Freddy Mercury, Queen, Lady Gaga; what do they all have in common that you love? Or is it something different about each artists?
G: “They all took risks. They never conformed to what people told them to do or what was ‘in’ and ‘current.’ I feel like I will struggle with the same issues in my career because I don’t believe I was put on this Earth to just create music that stays in a lane or sounds like everything else. I believe that in the deepest part of my soul. I’ve already dealt with some instances where people have advised me that what I’m doing is different and cool, but could always be too soon and the world might not be ready for it yet and that people will be judgmental. It’s a hard battle but I’m ready to fight it because music needs change and evolution and I want to be a part of that.”
The video for “Waste My Youth” and even the graphic for “Jealous of Myself” is very intergalactic. Do you feel like your theme of being out of this world helps define or explain your music?
G: “I don’t think it defines or explains me, except with the fact that personally I love space and unanswerable/philosophical questions about our universe & the meaning of it all, but I think it just helps differentiate me. At least that’s what I would hope for. I chose to go the intergalactic-futuristic route, visually and artistically because that’s truly what I’m into so it just feels natural but also because nobody else out there right now, especially pop-female artists, are doing anything like that. I’d rather be doing something weird and different, than just doing what everyone else is doing.”
Do you have any favorite early memories of living in Miami?
G: “Looking back now there was so much CULTURE in Miami, it’s incredible. Everywhere you go, there’s so much inspiration and life to draw from. I can remember my family all getting together at least every weekend; all my aunts, uncles, cousins just blasting music, playing dominos and dancing. What you see in the movies of Miami isn’t always accurate, but God that city is so colorful and electric everywhere you go. I could never live there because traffic is terrible, but I do miss it very much.”
“Killa Killa” is such a women-centric track. What was your inspiration or motivation behind writing an anthem?
PHOTO BY JIMMY FOUNTAINE
G: “I wrote ‘Killa Killa’ like, two or three years ago and I just remember walking in that day, empowered and being like, ‘I wanna write something fierce.’ There was a sample in the first original version of that song with Emma Watson speaking at a U.N. conference and she just killed it. It was a such a powerful speech and that really was what inspired us to write those lyrics and give off that femme fatale message.”
What’s your life like outside of the studio or work?
G: “My life is really, really normal outside of the studio and events and stuff. If I’m not in the studio or writing, I am either at the gym because that is my life outside music, or I’m practicing tour sets in my garage or I’m hanging out with my girlfriend. It’s a pretty simple life and I try to live every day to the fullest and try to be productive. I never want to take for granted the time and peace I have right now because it may not last forever.”
Do you have any upcoming work?
G: “There is ALWAYS upcoming work [laughs]. Unfortunately, right now with [this] terrible pandemic not much is happening because pretty much all of my work involves me interacting with other people. I am finding other ways though to be productive and get work done, still writing at home and coming up with ideas and that’s really all I can do. I’ve been trying to be on social media as much as possible to stay connected with all my fans and friends and do some live at-home concerts and performances. We will all get through this, I know it but as far as new work this definitely takes a toll on that, but I have PLENTY of finished songs that are just waiting to be released and they will be. Very soon.”