by alex grainger
photo courtesy of alex porat
Alex Porat’s hit indie pop single “Pity Party” dropped April 27th. The powerful silky-smooth vocals carry the empowering message of letting go of that toxic ex in your life. “Pity Party” follows the release of Alex’s mini album Miss Sick World. Her hit single is the newest installment of her solo debut since her YouTube cover days. The upbeat and bold tempo make for the perfect song to start the summer, and we can’t get enough.
What is your single “Pity Party” about?
Alex: “Pity Party is about finally being over your ex’s toxic behavior. They’re constantly popping up in your life now that you’re not together, trying to rewrite over all the drama they caused with apology after apology, but you’re just not here for it.”
What was the creative process behind “Pity Party?”
Alex: “Everything during the last two years has been super blurry for me. I wrote this one with my friend Lowell mostly over Zoom. It’s so strange how much we had to adapt the songwriting process to accommodate the news every day. Makes me feel even more proud to have come out with a song I love so much. If I’m remembering correctly, I think we locked in the chorus melody first with the ‘ahhh’ tagline at the end, and then everything else just fell into place.”
How would you describe your sound? How has it developed since your YouTube cover days?
Alex: “My sound has changed a lot since my cover days. I’ve had to figure out how my voice naturally would react to more production, since the covers were all over just piano. That process was honestly very fun for me and I’ve settled in a place where I feel like I can emote a wider range than what I was limited to during my cover era. I’ve landed in an indie pop world where I can write vulnerably but still pack a punch when I feel like.”
Do you have a favorite lyric in “Pity Party” that is especially powerful or meaningful?
Alex: “‘Might as well invite your friends over here’ in the chorus has always carried a double meaning for me. My last failed relationship really unraveled over time and it just got worse and worse. At the end, I concluded that he cared more about his friends than he cared about me. Everyone somehow needed him all the time and it felt like he’d run to them over spilt milk while my house would be burning down.”
You mentioned how you’re often bad at cutting people out of your life, so I must ask, did this song teach you anything? Did it empower you to make those tough choices?
Alex: “This song has taught me a lot. I’ve always navigated life super seriously. In the past, anytime I would face a difficult relationship it always felt like the end of the world. This particular song has really taught me to step back and to look at things a bit further away than I normally would and realize that it’s quite entertaining to make fun of the situation a bit. Humor has definitely become one of my main coping mechanisms. I don’t know if that’s progress, but I’ll update you on that later.”
Why did you choose to release “Pity Party” after the release of your mini album Miss Sick World? Is there any specific reason?
Alex: “Miss Sick World closed on a really heavy note, addressing the inner conflicts I’ve faced growing up. Because it’s more of a ballad, down tempo song, I wanted to follow it up with a party.”
What would you say to someone who is going through heartbreak?
Alex: “It’s so cliché, but time really does heal. Everything hurts in the beginning and pain is a part of being human. Don’t make drastic decisions when you’re suffering and don’t put pressure on yourself to feel a certain way, everyone has their own process.”
The past year you debuted your solo releases. How has the reaction been? How are you doing after the whirlwind of the past year?
Alex: “The reaction has been really great so far and it keeps me excited about releasing more and more music. I’m honestly doing better than I thought I’d be doing. Going on tour late last year was a moment of realization that things would just get more and more insane as time goes on, and I’m so excited.”
You’re an advocate for creating a more inclusive industry. What are some actions you are taking to do so?
Alex: “The main thing for me is having open conversations. I’m in a position where I’m comfortable speaking openly about my experience being Asian and growing up in North America, so I’ve been doing whatever I can to at least have conversations about the struggles I’ve faced and witnessed others facing. There’s this newly launched community called Bridge the Gap that my friend Justin Lee brought me into where there’s an accessible space on Discord for more conversations like that to take place which is a really exciting concept to me because I never had anything like that growing up. Spotlighting POC and women in the industry ends up being the biggest motivational force for me to keep pushing on because I don’t think any of us want our kids to face the same struggles that we face today.”
What does music mean to you?
Alex: “Music is my ultimate coping mechanism. I don’t know who I am without it because it’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve been singing my whole life and so it’s become my outlet for all my feelings. I’m so grateful to be able to create it and even more grateful to have anyone listen.”
What’s next for you?
Alex: “I’m working on my next project and also finishing the next single. I’m playing my first festival in Jakarta, Indonesia this month, so I’m extremely excited for that. Haven’t been back to Asia in so long, it’s about time.