Meet Lexa Gates: After the calm, comes the swag

Lock the gates, we’re getting into a world we don’t want to leave. New York-raised and based singer-rapper Lexa Gates chimes in on a universe where affirmations take centre stage and manifest in the most material way through bluntness of word. Close to one decade of music making, Gates has recently released her sixth LP, “I am,” in which she brings soul-wrenching, goose-bump giving bars (trust us, it gets cold) in a seamless genre blending of nostalgia-inflated jazz and savvy lyrical rap. “Estranged” lures in the listener with the abrupt frankness when developing a new obsessive crush, and in the accompanying visuals, she calmly and lovingly gazes upon herself – as if we literally gain access to her third eye. Tracks like “Ight” and “All Work No Play” make room for the many vocal inflections she blesses us with. No pretty words, she says it as it is with her witty deadpan nature. Gates huffs chillness and has a certain swag only a Queens upbringing seems to conjure upon you.

Ahead of her North American tour (no worries, it’s followed by a European leg), Glamcult caught up with Lexa, where she talks song-writing with story-unfolding, her dedication to album rollouts (think literally in a wheel), and debunks her Bill Gates bloodline allegations.

You’ve been so prolific since your first EP release in 2019, followed by six albums since 2020. (Which is crazy!) What’s your favourite part of putting together an album? And least favourite?
My favourite part is seeing it come together. And the story unfolding just naturally, while I’m living life, the songs will just kind of make sense later, in a way. Or I’ll talk about something, and then it will happen later. And I really, really love making albums. I hate singles. The worst part is probably putting out singles ’cause it spoils the story.

Your Queens upbringing cements you as an ultimate New York artist. What’s something the city has taught you?
How to be calm in the midst of chaos. And it gave me my swag.

I loved how you decided to promote your last two albums with art performance installations. How did these ideas come about?
Just frustration from being told to make TikToks and content. I was trying to think outside the box, no pun intended.

Would you say you have a soft spot for performance art in general? And how do both disciplines, performance art and music, interact for you?
I didn’t know any performance artists, and when I said I was gonna do it, I was kind of just joking. I think it’s great, though, because it’s something that happens in real life and forces people to stand in a group and connect with what’s happening and with each other. So I like it now. It’s cool. 

So there is performing on stage, during an art performance, and “performing” when going up to people for some cheeky street interviews. All of these situations call to being perceived in a certain way. What was the craziest interaction you’ve gotten out of one of them?
Just seeing people fucking bawling, crying, their hearts out in the crowd, and knowing all the words. Or people bringing their three month old baby to a concert, saying that the baby has been listening to my music since it was in the womb, and they’d put headphones on their stomach and play it. Stuff like that.

Now, can you name your two favourite Lexa Gates songs from “I Am.”
“All Work No Play” and “From.”

Why these two?
Like I was saying before, when I’m making the album, the story unfolds with my life and those parts were just super memorable times. When I was writing that stuff, it just gave me a lot of clarity, and I love to hear it back.

You’ve been coined the love child of various artists in relation to your music. If you had to say – today – who would you choose for yourself?
I don’t know, I wanna just be myself. No parents.

Any European city you’re looking forward to performing (again) in?
Yes, all of them. But I’m excited to go to Berlin, and it’s the last stop, so I really want to experience a German rave.

Can you take us through your song-writing process – what are your favoured conditions for a writing session?
My favourite condition would be to be in the studio with a producer that’s my friend, and understands me on a human level. I’ll just sit on the couch in the corner, and hold a book close to me, and write, and they don’t bother me or ask me what I’m writing, until I’m ready.

After two label releases, what have these experiences of working with larger teams taught you?
You gotta take what people say with a grain of salt.

There’s been lore in the past that Bill Gates is your father. What’s the story behind your stage name Lexa Gates?
I looked up the richest people in the world and just chose the last name that sounded cool with Lexa. My middle name is Alexandra.

When you’re not all tangled up in the music business, what’s your favourite thing to do?
Be in love.

You always pull some great looks, what are some staple pieces of the Lexa Gates wardrobe?
Hmm, definitely my tabis, even though that’s corny. And huge pants. I really love a fitted hoodie right now. Like, a tight-on-the-waist sweater.

What influences your work that has nothing to do with your field?
Everything. Just trees and flowers and people screaming in the street. Cute dogs and couches, patterns, and literally everything. I don’t even listen to music. I really don’t.

Finally, inspired by the many messages you received during “The Wheel,” can you share a secret with us?
I’m a very polarising person.