Brooke Alexx’s “Summer In The Hamptons” Is Reviving A Summer of Love
Brooke Alexx by Jonathan Sommer
When independent pop artist Brooke Alexx was playing card game We’re Not Really Strangers with her friends, a question regarding her mom prompted her to write a song that paid tribute to her. Titled “Grace,” the sweet and catchy pop track led to the artist’s first brand deal. Now, Alexx is back with a new single - one she’s calling the “song of the summer.”
Inspired by the story about how her parents met in the 90s, “Summer In The Hamptons” is an infectious pop single that ties extravagant weekend getaways to honest moments of sweet romance. Through stories told by her parents, the artist envisioned the way her dad picked her mom up on a motorcycle for her first date. “Doesn’t anybody want a love like that?” she sings on the song. Featuring rap artist Lackhoney, “Summer In The Hamptons” will have romantics switching out hot-girl summer for a soulmate summer, as Alexx herself puts it.
On a mission to bring timelessness to her music, the singer-songwriter has spent the last four years in Nashville perfecting her craft, performing, writing her own songs, editing her own videos, and creating her own content. Mix all that with the influence of Tiktok, and you get the artist’s latest viral video - Alexx’s parents hearing the song about their love story for the very first time. As it brings back a flood of memories and echoes the summer of love everyone longs to have, Alexx’s mom takes her husband’s hands as he wipes away a tear from his eye, proving in true indie artist fashion just how special and personal Alexx’s songs are.
The Tiktok gained over 350k views, and it sparked lovers curiousity withing Alexx’s following, fanbase, and audience. Perhaps it was the track’s contagious pop melody, her parents’ romantic connection, or the simple calling to have your own bougie weekend getaway that lured in listeners from all over the internet to praise the song even before its release. Bringing a new hope and meaning to the phrase “summer of love,” Alexx’s single couldn’t come at a better time. With the world finally opening back up after a year of isolation and everyone’s hearts ready to connect again, “Summer In The Hamptons” is the perfect soundtrack song to play.
Sharing the inspiration behind her two latest singles, the effects social media have had on her recent success, and what her Asian heritage has come to mean to her identity, Brooke Alexx opened up to Amplify Her Voice over Zoom from her home in Nashville, Tennessee. “ I just feel like these songs are wholly me and will continue to be me forever,” she says about her new music, excited and beaming with pride just a few days before her single’s release. “They’re who I am forever.”
Brooke Alexx by Jonathan Sommer
You were just added to the Lollapalooza lineup! How do you feel?
I feel over the moon! I’m so excited. I was supposed to play last year, and then obviously, COVID hit, so I was really scared that the opportunity was just gone and taken from me, but I’m really just thankful, grateful that they were able to add me on to this year’s lineup.
We’re so excited for you! Has living in Nashville influenced your songwriting in any way?
I think that Nashville has a heavy emphasis on lyricism and storytelling which I think I want to incorporate into my songs as a pop artist, and so, for example, my song “Grace” is about my mom, and “Summer In The Hamptons” is how my parents met. There’s just a lot of storytelling involved and for me personally, I think that makes for a better song so I like to utilize that method in my writing.
“Grace” is such a sweet song. Why did you want to pay tribute to your mom by writing and releasing that track?
I was actually with my girlfriends at a bonfire, and we were playing We’re Not Really Strangers, the card game, and my card said, “What’s your mother’s name, and what’s the most beautiful thing about her?” and when I read that, I started to tear up because I have always had an interesting relationship with my mom. Growing up we didn’t really see eye to eye, and we’d have a bunch of arguments, and I just regretted that. When I read that card, it made me sad, and so I went into this session wanting to write about all the things that I love about my mom and how she’s influenced me, and how we’re just so similar as people. I wanted to celebrate that.
Your video on TikTok about how your parents met literally went viral. How did that make you feel as an artist to finally be recognized for your music?
I feel relieved! Just because for me, what I try to do is not post about the song until it’s released. Some people will tease a song when they write it, but I’m trying to do it in a way where I don’t show the song at all until it’s out, and hopefully, it blows up then, so that it’s all in good timing, but I’m very thankful that the video blew up last night, as I hoped! When I posted the video, I knew it was special, so you always hope that a video like that will reach your target audience and I’m really glad that it is right now.
For some people, social media can be a really toxic place but for artists like you, you’ve also found great success, so what are your thoughts on what social media is doing for musicians? How do you feel about using it as a tool for audience growth or fan engagement?
I am really thankful for social media because if it weren’t for it, I don’t think that independent artists like myself would be heard at all. Yes, it’s really difficult because there’s so much saturation of artists like me pushing their stuff so it does get a little bit harder to be heard, but when you do breakthrough and you have a video like mine that blew up overnight, it feels really good. It feels like people are going to be able to hear me. I don’t need a label for people to hear me, and it just makes me hopeful that we can continue down this path towards this career.
I love speaking to indie artists like you because when it comes to creating and your music, you have all the reins. It’s not dependent on your label or someone else, so whatever you do with your socials is all up to you and it’s your story, right?
Yeah, and I do have my hands on every part of the process like I write the song, I create the graphics, I schedule the photoshoots, I direct the videos, I edit the videos, so it’s like from inception to the end product, I have full control over it, and that’s something that I’d want to hold on to forever. I just feel like nobody is going to create my vision like I am.
Brooke Alexx by Jonathan Sommer
For women in music, a lot of time the industry prioritizes how they look over their sound, which is really sad, but when I see you and what you’re doing with Fembeauty and the makeup line, I feel more empowered than pressured to look perfect as a woman. Why was it important for you to combine your music with the beauty line?
I love what you just said. That is everything their brand stands for, and that is the reason why I partnered with them because of the message they’re trying to send out into the world which is … Makeup can be empowering. It’s not limiting. You put on your lipstick in the morning, and you know you can take on the day because you’re in a meeting later, and you remember you’re wearing your lipstick and you can remember to use your voice. It’s just like spinning the concept of makeup into an empowering tool rather than “Women have to wear makeup to look good.” Instead it’s, “I’m wearing makeup because I want to.”
Shop Brooke Alexx’s Fempower Beauty Line here.
You donated a portion of the proceeds from the lipstick line to Hate Is A Virus, and I love and appreciate how open you are about being an Asian American artist and creator. I was wondering if your heritage or culture has any influence on your music?
I love that you brought that up. I feel like with this new EP, that’s something I’m really focusing on and trying to make more a part of my brand and who I’m portraying to the world. My next upcoming single is going to be about my Asian heritage and how I did feel disconnected from it growing up being half-Asian, half-White, and just not really knowing what my identity was and pushing away my Asian side because I was embarrassed or ashamed of it, but I think that is EP is me maturing and growing into this person and realizing that it is a part of me and it’s a special part of me. I would love to work with more Asian-American artists going forward and bringing light to our voices.
What do you feel has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your career so far?
Just to not give up. I’ve been here almost four years now and I think when I first got here, I thought I’d be a lot further along in my career by now and I am but when I take a step back and look at the success that I’m having right now, I’m really thankful and I feel like I’m able to appreciate it more because I know how much work I’m putting in. I can appreciate how far I come, and I know that my dream is still in reach. It’s not impossible - it’s something I can achieve.
Your upcoming EP is about themes surrounding family. What were your musical influences like growing up?
One of my earliest memories of music is when my dad bought a Sheryl Crow Greatest Hits CD, and we’d play it in his convertible with the top down with me and my sisters screaming “If It Makes You Happy,” in the car, and so I think the fact that my dad idolized a female artist like that rather than showing us a man singing, I think that really empowered me as a young girl. And then when I became a fan of Taylor Swift, he became a fan of Taylor Swift, and he was always praising her music, and that made me feel like women in music were strong. Women were good songwriters and good performers, and I could also be that so that was really great for my dad to show that to me.
Why did you choose to write these songs about your family and their story?
I felt for a time that I was writing a lot of songs about love or breakups or boys or whatever. They felt lke they were really stuck in a time period like maybe I’m dating a guy now and when we break up in a month, two years from now, I’m not going to care about that song anymore because I won’t care about that guy, and I really wanted to write songs that would withstand time a little bit longer. So when I wrote “Grace” about my mom, I knew I would always feel that way about my mom, ten years from now or twenty years from now. I just feel like these songs are wholly me and will continue to be me forever. They’re who I am forever.
What advice if any do you have for aspiring women artists?
This is my favorite quote: “Know you are great, but not greater than anybody else.” So believe in yourself, and know that you can create great music and great content but don’t let that blind you from other people and their abilities too.
“Summer In The Hamptons” by Brooke Alexx is available for streaming now on all music platforms.