Alexander Stewart breezed into the UK recently, playing a key set at The Great Escape. Leaving Brighton crowds in raptures, the packed out performance went down as one of the weekend’s true highlights.
Recent singles such as ‘Blame’s On Me’ and ‘Leave Me In The Dark’ have wowed fans, and Alexander Stewart ups the ante still further on new single ‘I’m Trying’. Out now, it’s a blast of pop fireworks, complete with a sensational new video.
Out now, you can watch it below and then catch a quickfire Q&A with Alexander Stewart after the jump.
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How was your Great Escape set? Did you enjoy Brighton?
it was great! Brighton is absolutely beautiful and I LOVED how much music was all around.
You’re about to go on tour with Charlie Puth, that will be a blast! Are you excited? How long have you known each other for?
I’m extremely excited! It’s a total dream come true. I got into music by posting covers on YouTube seven years ago, and Charlie was a big part of why I decided to do that because he did the same! It feels very surreal and full circle.
You’ve got quite a British connection, recently starring a video with Rita Ora. How was the shoot? Did you have fun?
The shoot was amazing and fun. Rita and everyone involved made the whole process so easy and exciting. I was there for a few hours and had an absolute blast.
‘I’m Trying’ is out – what can you tell us about this song? What was its root? Did it flow naturally in the studio, or was it tough to finesse?
i’m trying came extremely easy. The whole song was done in about an hour. It was almost like a stream of consciousness, as I was truly just talking about my own journey with mental health. It was also a very emotional for me as I really had to dig deep and express some of the struggles I’ve dealt with in the past.
You’ve had a great run of singles, do you feel you’re building an arc? Where does ‘I’m Trying’ fit into your story?
I think I’m trying fits perfectly in the story line of singles. Believe me, I love writing a heartbreak song about relationships… like… A LOT. But it came to the point where I wanted to create a deeper relationship between me and the people that listen to my music. It’s come out today and I’m reading the messages from people about how they relate to it and it’s bringing tears to my eyes. The reason I wrote it was to try and help others feel a little less alone so to get the positive feed back feels unbelievable.
We’re sharing a special clip from the video – what was the shoot like? Do you enjoy video shoots generally? What made this one so memorable?
The shoot was fun and also emotional. Everyone was a dream to work with. We shot it over two days, with the second day having a call time of 5am which was difficult after getting home at 1am from the shoot the day before haha! I love video shoots. I think it’s such a special thing to bring these visuals in my head that correlate with the song to life. As I’m writing music, I’m always thinking about the visual.
What can we expect from you in 2023? Will you be returning to the UK? And dare we say it… will there be an album?
I’ll absolutely be back! I love the uk. Any opportunity I have to come to the UK, I’m there. You can absolutely expect an album! It’s been about seven years of putting music out, and I think it’s finally that time…
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