Alix Page has found a new voice. Following her last EP, Goose, and her first headlining tour, the indie-rock singer-songwriter embarked on a new era of music with her latest single, “Girlfriend,” last July. “Girlfriend” shows a new side of Page’s vulnerability: choosing to be the catalyst of a relationship rather than the hopeful reactant. It’s a head-first dive after someone she loves, despite the uncertainties. “Girlfriend” makes one thing clear about 22-year-old Page: Whether she’s experimenting with new music or navigating relationships, she’s more confident than ever before.
Regarding this new era of Page’s music, “Girlfriend” is only the beginning. She’s begun teasing an upcoming release on her socials and will return for a headlining show in Santa Ana, California on November 14. In anticipation of her new project, Alix Page chatted with me about songwriting, college life, and touring with her favorite artists.
For those who are unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe yourself as an artist?
“The words that I try to lean into are confessional, playful, and hopeful. I love leaning into my roots of writing on acoustic guitar and then expanding that sound with a band and bringing it to life with real instruments. Playing them live is my favorite thing to do, so… I try to think of things backward and think of how they would sound live, and then go from there.”
We last heard from you with the release of your single, “Girlfriend,” in July. While “Girlfriend” showcases your signature confessional songwriting style that we love, it also seems lyrically more confident and extroverted. Can you describe your songwriting process with this song?
“I love that comment because even the process itself was more extroverted and confident. I wrote it with two of my great friends and collaborators: my friend Lucy [Healey], who I went to high school with, and then Andy Seltzer, who is a really good friend of mine and a producer that I love… I think it was the first day that Andy and Lucy met. We just went into the room and I started talking about this new relationship that I was entering and how excited I was about it. It all came together really quickly… it was a really fun session. I, like, brought bagels and we ate a ton of food and just laughed a lot. [Regarding the lyrics], I was in a place in my life where I was ready to pursue something that I knew that I wanted vs. letting fate drive the wheel. I wanted to take it into my own hands and full-send it, so to speak.”
You’ve started to tease another new song on your TikTok and Instagram, and the comments from fans are ecstatic. What can we expect from your next project?
“The one I’ve been teasing has been like my baby for so long. I wrote it in December 2022, and so it’s just taken a while to get it to a spot where… it was ready to be released and heard by other people… It started as a one-on-one session that I felt was just moving maybe ‘too poppy’ of a direction. Then me and my bassist Andrew [Pham] took it into a bigger studio and literally just added drums and a new vocal and a few more guitar parts. I feel like that brought it into the more live space that we’re trying to go for. It worked out perfectly. It’s crazy cause there’s a world where that one ended up on Goose. But I’m really, really happy that we ended up saving it, working on it more, and then putting it on this next one. I’m really excited about it.”
“I think even [with the songs on the new project] that aren’t as upbeat or like ‘happy,’ so to speak, there’s still a really big… feeling of growth and maturity that happened between Goose and the new project. That’s been really exciting to just work on and flesh out. There’s one called ‘Prank Call’ that [is] one of my more complex looks at relationships and fear that comes with them… I learned a lot between the period of writing Goose and writing the new stuff. I think with growth comes that confidence too. And I think just working with friends and people whose opinions you can trust is really huge in aiding that vision and making you feel like you can speak up and have the confidence to write what you are really thinking.”
You currently attend or recently attended USC, studying music. Where are you now in your education journey, and how does college fit into your life as a working artist?
“[I] went into USC as a songwriting major, and my whole first year was online — so that was an experience in itself — then I did one semester in person in 2021. And then I, amazingly and shockingly, somehow booked the Gracie Abrams [This is What it Feels Like Tour] and ended up taking a leave of absence the next semester to… focus on enjoying that rather than trying to squeeze school in. But then I went back for a full year… just to kind of be back in the community and around people my age and bring some structure back into my life that I was missing. I really, really enjoyed that year. I was taking a ballet class, a journalism class, a Beatles class, and it was so, so much fun.”
“I am on a leave of absence now. I really do want to go back and graduate at some point. I just think I would want to change my major to something different, [and] figure out if I want to go back to USC or switch schools… But I’ll finish at some point. I’ll get that degree. But it got hard studying music while I was pursuing music… it was hard to compartmentalize the thing that I love so much into something that I was getting graded for… but I love school. I love the structure and the community, and the classes are so much fun. I love being on the USC campus, which is so much fun. I miss it a lot. But I’m definitely happy to be where I’m at right now.”
You’ve been on the road a lot over the years, opening for artists like Gracie Abrams and, most recently, Sarah Kinsley. Do you have a dream headliner, someone you would love to open for but haven’t had the chance to yet?
“[The] Japanese House, I feel like, is a big one. I saw her at the Greek Theatre for the first time and she just blew me away. I hadn’t seen her before so I was kind of unsure how she would interact with the audience and how her songs would translate live. She was so joyful on stage and really fun. I went with my mom and it was a really fun experience. She’s a dream [artist to open for].”
“My band, on tour with Sarah, we were all in the car and my drummer was like, ‘If you guys could go on tour with one band living or dead who would it be?’ I think my answer was Bruce Springsteen… That’s obviously never going to happen, but that was my joking dream answer. Imogen Heap is another one if she were to go on tour ever again… being able to sing with her and be in her presence at all would be top of my list. The Killers are another one. That would be insane and huge. I’ve seen them twice at this point, and just any excuse to see Brandon Flowers every night for a while would be amazing. Those are probably my bucket list ones. We’ll see if they ever happen [laughs].”
You’ve also done a headlining tour for your last EP, Goose. How would you describe yourself as a performer when opening vs. headlining?
“I was just talking about this in a session! I feel like they’re surprisingly really different to me. Headlining is so amazing and fulfilling. All those people are there to see you. But I think that adds pressure. On my headline tour, before I left, I was so stressed and anxious and just having stress dreams about everything going wrong. I felt like the host of a big party where I was like, ‘Is everyone doing okay? Is everyone having a good time? Did everyone find parking okay? Was it worth the parking?’ All that kind of stuff just goes into your head when you’re the one people are potentially making a long trip to see or saved up to go see… Supporting is kind of a breeze. Obviously, the days can be long and stuff too, but we get there before soundcheck, play a couple of songs, go on stage for 30 minutes, and then go watch TV in the green room or go watch the headliner’s set… The only pressure part of it is trying to win over people. That’s the difference: People coming to see you vs. people who aren’t coming to see you who you want to come see you next time. I love [opening and headlining] both though. I was definitely excited to go back to an opener slot after my headline tour. Now that I’ve been opening for a while and haven’t headlined since spring 2023, I’m definitely ready to headline again. It’ll be fun.”
You’re closing out the year with a headlining show in Santa Ana next month—a hometown show for you. What does this show mean to you as a transition from the “Girlfriend” era to whatever’s next?
“[It’s] literally a transition as in, we’re playing “Girlfriend” for sure, playing the new one I’ve been teasing, and potentially playing, like, two more unreleased ones that won’t come out ‘til next year. So that’ll be fun… I just love [the Constellation Room at The Observatory] so much. I played the big room opening once, and now I get to headline the small room. Two of my biggest ‘claim to fame’ early fan bragging rights privileges shows were at the Constellation Room. I saw Phoebe [Bridgers] there in 2018 on the Stranger in the Alps Tour and Soccer Mommy opened, which was insane. Same year, Omar Apollo played there and Mk.gee opened. Thinking about where they were in their careers playing there and where they are now makes me excited for where I am now and where I’ll be in a few years. It’s so close to where I grew up. Me and the band talk about that hometown show all the time. We’re all really excited.”
Lastly, from a Bruin to a Trojan, who do you think will win the UCLA vs. USC football game this year?
“I’m so embarrassed. I literally have never been to a USC football game! I’ve never been to a college football game, period… I will say, I love UCLA. There’s definitely an alternate universe where I ended up going there instead of USC. Sometimes I wonder about how my life would’ve turned out if I had done that. My mom went to UCLA, so I love both equally. But [because of loyalty] I am gonna say USC for football [laughs].”