This week we officially entered spooky season. To set the mood, LEXXE has unveiled her demonically good debut, the conceptual A Haunted House which is shaping up to be not just the season’s most seductive serving but a bona-fide AOTY contender. Out now, the album is packed with moments of 80s synth, dark electro pop and LEXXE giving Stevie Nicks/Miley rock vocals. We are helpless in her thrall…
Loverboy spoke with the New York native on the eve of release to find out more about making the album, being part of the queer coven and her love for Emmy Rossum’s voice.
LEXXE, congratulations on Haunted House, I was screaming to it earlier. How are you marking the release?
HEY LOVERYBOY! Thank you for having me and taking the time to listen to my child (A Haunted House). I am currently writing this before I head to the venue for the release party! I’m wearing my merch and feeling a LITTLE unhinged but in the best way possible lol. I will be throwing a party with absinthe (shout out to ABSENTE), drag, burlesque and pop stars so I’m celebrating the only way I know how which is a whole ass production haha! There are spooky flash tats inspired by the album and I’m pretty sure I’ll end up in my leather witch hat at the end of the night… soo.. Definitely spooky haha!
I thought this was a concept album but it’s actually your full-length debut. Or maybe it’s both?!!
It’s both! It’s absolutely a concept album, with deep tree root like lore and history that I’m so proud of. I think it’s the culmination of my life up until now because my lore is also DEEP. I started my life thinking I would be a professional ballet dancer or a choreographer, I always knew I was meant to make things, and I realized I needed to also make the music to the worlds I dream up. I think one of the things that appealed to me the most about being a pop star was really just being an artist. I want to create things that last forever, that can be reevaluated in different ways, end up being someone’s senior thesis.. So. Concept album debut album was the only way to fulfill this dream haha ! There are two ways to listen to the album, you can immerse yourselves in understanding the characters and the metaphorical house, or you can listen and try to decode which memory I’ve assigned a ghost or place to in my own life.
‘Disco Witch’ was the first single from this project. Why did you choose this one?
I chose ‘Disco Witch’ as the first single because she feels the closest to me in my life right now. I love weaving the songs and making the moves and turning all this dirt into a dancefloor ! It also is the moment on the album where I find joy in dancing, which is where I’m back at in my life today. The Disco Witch is iconique!
On this track and others, the intro is super powerful. A lot of artists are mixing the albums into a complete mix these days instead. Tell us about your love for a big intro that separates each track.
For me it’s reminiscent of how you get to know someone, you wouldn’t always jump right in. It also “sets the stage” per say, and coming from a dance & theater/cabaret background it’s honestly really useful to have a longer intro sometimes to get into place, strip a cloak, drop some glitter. All those things haha.
Next came ‘Labyrinth’, another total banger. Giving major Stevie on the vocals and sounding so good. Can you tell us about your love for her? What is your favourite Stevie trivia?
Thank you so much, that is the greatest of compliments ! So when I was little I remember hearing her voice on the bus on the way home from school and becoming immediately impacted by how music can give you chills, make you remember a moment forever. It is its own form of magic. When I was younger I was extremely shy with singing, I would wait for everyone in my family to leave, literally close the shutters and teach myself Rhiannon, Dreams, Stand Back etc all on the piano my dad used to play and just sing my heart out. Those moments were the most healing to me, and Stevie will always be a huge part of my heart and artistic influences when it comes to world building. She really excelled at incorporating visuals, and it’s something I admire and obviously also need to do and love to do. I have two favorite not so common facts, but I really love the backstory of how “Stand Back” was written as a topline over “Little Red Corvette”, and then Prince coming into the studio to lay down some instruments just is the coolest story ever. 10/10 recommend diving in to that. And then, it seems silly but when I finally got to see her live, I realized how genuinely funny and charming and honestly a little silly she is. My girlfriend was laughing to herself saying, “Ok youre a little more like Stevie than we thought,”. I have tried to be haunting and mysterious, but when I open my mouth- I am absolutely not that.
‘Queen of the Night’ was the third single and we’ve switched from singing about yourself on ‘Disco Witch’ to another woman. Tell us about these other women of whom you sing. Are they romantic situations, apparitions?!
Such a good question! So, on Disco Witch, you can listen to it the metaphorical way – if that’s the case The Disco Witch herself is singing to my character, and if you listen on a personal level it is definitely me expressing my love for what I do. For the sake of the lore, I’ll just give you some insight and let’s look at it through the characters. Disco Witch finds me after Rattle, I’ve just been scared to death by a ghost named Cathy, who doesn’t realize she’s scaring me (Begging You). So they are apparitions! Some of which feel romantically towards me or against. It’s not until Room With A View that I find someone’s diary (you’ll have to get the lore zine on my merch store to get alllll the tea), and start dreaming up situations where I could really truly be in love and what it would feel like. After that, when we finally get to Queen Of The Night, I am absolutely enthralled by this chaotic thunderstorm that brings this gorgeous Lilith character to me, she serves as a push for me to take my power and to break through the “house,”. She’s definitely beautiful and I definitely have a crush on her. But it’s not that romantic!
It definitely feels like we’re entering a new era for gay female performers. It feels like Chappell Roan has got every straight person singing about their ex-gay ex-girlfriend. I think there was a time when LGBT songwriters had to hide their romances in metaphors or keep it subtle. But I feel these times are changing maybe? Finally! How do you feel when writing about relationships? Still a need to soften it?
Ha! I adore Chappell. I cold dm-ed her a few years ago and can’t wait for her to see it because I feel no shame. It was so cool to see another theatrical girlie who’s here for the art. I came out pretty late in life, so I have actively hid myself and I think the first time I sang about a woman was on “Drink Me’. It took me a while to naturally incorporate pronouns, but now it’s a blessing and an honor to represent myself and my romantic muses.
Another thing I feel you probably have in common with Chappell is the love for drag. Tell me about how you came to this aesthetic for LEXXE. Who are some of your favourite queens?
Ah! I love this. So when I was in college my friends started sneaking me into gay clubs in the city. I of course ONLY had fun there, no frat boys bothering me. I’m a dancer so I’d just find myself pulled into the room and obsessing over the queens. My first EVER single which… I may or may not pull from streaming one day and making a vintage artifact haha- is called “Runnin WIld” and was about me running away from my normal life and going to The Ritz and all these places. I even featured Miss Sherry Poppins & Madame Reap in that video. No one understood why I NEEDED to have this representation at the time. I think that shaped me and this idea that LEXXE could be anyone she wanted to be. I’ve always felt so connected to sideshow performers, drag queens, burlesque artists. Recently I befriended Nicky Doll, and I’ve always adored her. I am actually proud to announce we may or may not collab in the future… and if you’re in Europe and able to catch the Drag Race France Live Tour… you may hear a familiar voice.
‘All Black Mansion’ goes in so hard. Tell us about the production process for you. What styles you wanted to experiment on this album and how the process works for you…
Okay so I knew I needed a “bad witch anthem” haha! I wanted to arrive at a place I haven’t yet musically to also represent where I am currently in life which is, pretty healed, ready to take the world by storm and embracing all my sexy freaky qualities. I used to love writing wordy mouthy choruses that were rhythmic and I just wanted to yell so my producer Dom started making a sexy freaky beat and the rest is history. I actually didn’t show him that pre-chorus and just said “I have an idea” we all just like… lost it laughing after and I actually don’t believe I ever re-recorded it. Me and my family listened to ‘All Black Mansion’ and could collectively feel how special it was. Just like how ‘Labyrinth’ shows a specific special side of me, ‘All Black Mansion’ really encapsulates this fun ready to do anything risk taker energy I have. I was in the punk/hardcore scene for a little bit on Long Island, in the pit at shows as a kid following my brother’s band around. So, I said let’s pay homage to me and make a killer breakdown bridge in the middle of a pop song. I think it f**king slays haha!
I wanted to give a huge shout out to your vocals too because they really shine through on this album. Which vocalists, whatever genre, do you look to and what’s their USP that you connect with?
Thank you so much! Dom and Alexa really pushed me this time around as well as me pushing myself. I had a little bit of vocal imposter syndrome for a while because I knew I had something to work with and had been singing on stage at XIV for a while (shoutout to Austin McCormick for giving me my first singing job!), but I wanted to be more than just a cool tone. I got a vocal coach during the pandemic (Shoutout Benny MEZA!) and I wanted to work on finding my sound and pushing what I’ve got. I really love Lady Gaga’s power and ability to stay emotional while keeping a clear tone, and I genuinely adore Patsy Cline’s voice. Stevie Nicks, Freddie Mercury, literally any voice you can tell genuinely who it is without looking and also be moved by the emotion AND clarity.
After Allie X’s Girl With No Face, I really got back into Phantom of the Opera, which I’ve also read is your favourite film! I wasn’t aware people gave the film much credit?! Haha…There are lots of editions of POTO, from the different stage productions, to the amazing Nightwish version. Although Sarah Brightman still reigns for me. Tell me about the impact this musical has had on you and whose version is your favourite.
AHHHHHH! Ok first of all, I am in love with Allie X. I discovered her because when I was looking to make my artist name I initially wanted to be “Ali X” which was a mixture of my childhood nickname and my dads name, so I went looking to see if there was one and not only was one but she was EVERYTHING ! This was in 2016… been a fan ever since.
I DIGRESS.
Growing up a ballerina and having my dad pass early while also having this dream in my soul to be a singer led me straight to having main character syndrome when I first saw the movie with my grandma and my mom. I was doing the American Ballet Theater summer program when we went to see it on Broadway for the first time and I couldn’t even see the show through tears! It’s just such a beautiful spectacle, it is so emotional, the music is iconic. Sarah Brightman is EVERYTHING. I really loved seeing Ben Crawford and I LOVE the Antonio Banderas/Sarah Brightman performance. If i’m being honest, I just love Emmy Rossums voice, its the first thing I heard and it blew me away forever. I also…. Love a few songs in the sequel haha! Its in NYC and its … spicy?? Love.
Lastly we are named after the biggest selling single of 2001 so always ask what is your favourite Mariah track and why?
‘All I Want For Christmas’. I honestly can get so depressed around Christmas, but this woman put drugs and joy and life and light in that song and she gets her Christmas bag every year. Good for her iconic songwriter queen.
A Haunted House is out now to stream and on vinyl.
Photo: SamsanRoman
Glam: BadBoyRory
