Melodic metal sensation Alex Haines never misses a chance to captivate her listeners. Her new album The Instrumental Sessions shows her innovative songwriting style, which has allowed her to carve out her own identity in the genre of metal. We are honored to have gotten the chance to speak with her.
DMR: Hey Alex! How does it feel to see the way your music is impacting the world of metal music?
Alex: It’s very exciting. Not only are metal fans enjoying it, but I’ve also attracted new listeners from the classical music sphere, who appreciate my attention to detail in crafting orchestral backdrops in my songs. I didn’t think that would happen!
DMR: Your album ‘The Instrumental Sessions’ has garnered many listeners. How does that make you feel?
Alex: It feels great. I always love connecting with fellow metalheads. More than that, though, there’s something especially meaningful about bonding with my audience as people, rather than with the strict dynamic of musician and fan. No matter what genres of music people prefer, it’s wonderful when fans find something in my music that draws them in and makes them feel connected to me as a human being. Some of my fans have actually become my friends.
DMR: You were in a few bands before, but they didn’t work out. What happened there?
Alex: To be perfectly frank, none of my former bandmates took the venture as seriously as I did. It wasn’t a high-enough priority to them. That frustrated me. And when we coupled that with scheduling and financial conflicts, I realized it would be easier to simply return to my initial dream of being a solo artist.
DMR: What is it like, being a solo artist?
Alex: It’s incredibly freeing and empowering to write, record, and produce all my music by myself. I don’t have to argue with other musicians or producers about how a song should sound; nor do I have have to worry about scheduling conflicts with other people over rehearsals and studio time. I can work whenever I want.
DMR: What constraints have you faced while making music on your own?
Alex: It took me a while to become proficient as a sound engineer. Being a highly ambitious introvert, I’m accustomed to doing just about everything myself; I hate asking for help. And yet I did need to take a few months of sound engineering lessons, after studying on my own for years, when I hit a wall that I just couldn’t break through without assistance. Thankfully, the instructor was able to get me over the hump, and I released The Instrumental Sessions shortly thereafter.
DMR: Your latest album has a very unique sound. What inspired it?
Alex: I like to call this album a happy accident. As a singer, I always write vocal melodies before the instruments…and yet, as my sound engineering skills improved over the years, and I became more adept at using MIDI to simulate a full metal band and orchestra, I started to realize that my instrumentation was complex enough to stand alone without vocals. I initially balked when a few people suggested that I release an instrumental album to showcase this fact; but the more I thought about it—and the more I found myself enjoying listening to my songs with the vocals muted—the more I realized that this album needed to happen.
DMR: What inspired you to become a musician?
Alex: I’ve been singing all my life, so we could say that I’ve been inspired since I was an infant. My mom is also a piano teacher; and I realized I wanted to learn when I was four years old, after a year of listening to her teaching students out of our living room. She taught me for ten years. After that, I began teaching myself guitar. The rest is history.
DMR: What motivates you to craft such innovative songs?
Alex: I don’t think it’s a question of motivation; it’s a necessity. Writing music is a large part of how I heal and process negative experiences, to move that dense energy out of my body and transmute it. I turn pain into art. Sometimes, I’m not even consciously aware of what I’m doing when I’m putting pen to paper, or noodling around on my guitar in my bedroom. The songs seem to write themselves.
DMR: Do you have any desire to play different genres of music in the future?
Alex: Not at the moment. I enjoy listening to a wide variety of music, but I prefer playing metal. It speaks to my soul in a way that no other genre has ever done.
DMR: Are you planning to go on tour in the coming days?
Alex: Not right now. As a solo artist, I can’t exactly play metal by myself, so I don’t play live that often. When I do, it’s typically an acoustic show where I tone down some of my songs to make them more appropriate for that type of audience. I might go on tour at some point in the future, with other musicians backing me up, but I have no plans to do that at present.
DMR: You have announced your upcoming EP, ‘The Rain on Your Parade’. When will it be released?
Alex: If everything goes according to plan, I will release TROYP before the end of 2025.
DMR: Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Alex: Thank you for listening to my songs and sharing your thoughts! I’m honored to have connected with you and impacted you with my work; and I hope you will continue to enjoy my music in the coming years.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us, Alex. All the best wishes for your upcoming releases!
Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/1EagZB5TENRLiJPWcj9JLx
Follow Alex Haines:
https://www.alexshaines.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1nsDc437UzfAjifc1lavdz
https://www.instagram.com/alexhaines_ss
https://www.facebook.com/AlexHainesMusicPage
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/alex-haines/425464449
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