Christian Alexander’s Music Is Bringing L.A. to Northern England

How the rising star grew an international fanbase out of his parents’ garage. HYPEBEAST Features - Go in-depth and learn more about the culture. [HYPEBEAST]( [Features]( February 22, 2020 [Christian Alexander’s Music Is Bringing L.A. to Northern England]( How the rising star grew an international fanbase out of his parents’ garage. Mikey Massey | HYPEBEAST Christian Alexander isn’t what you’d expect from one of the UK’s rising R&B stars. The 22-year-old is shy, soft-spoken and introspective. He still lives at home with his parents in Garstang, a small, rural town near the unglamorous Northern English city of Preston. Although he maintains a low-profile, Alexander’s status has been growing since he released his first project, Summer ‘17, in April 2019. The album was released through his own Dirty Polo imprint, quickly becoming a sleeper hit as lead single “Going Thru” raced into the millions of streams. Eventually, Alexander’s music also reached around the world, leading to praise from Kevin Abstract at the end of 2019. Despite being thousands of miles away, it makes perfect sense that someone like Abstract would be drawn to Alexander’s music when you consider the influence of Los Angeles on the English artist’s lo-fi R&B sound. “A part of me gravitated towards it because it was from a different world, I was seeing videos of something totally different,” he explains, referencing Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator. Mikey Massey | HYPEBEAST The influence of these artists on Alexander is clear, particularly in his half-sung half-rapped vocals, and the beats that come from the makeshift studio he’s constructed in his parents’ garage. His production style is partly dictated by what he has available to him in his home studio (“the basics”), but it’s also a conscious homage to the styles of the aforementioned artists. This creates a lo-fi sound that is hard to immediately categorize, switching between genres and reference points across both of his albums. His hometown also heavily shapes his music, articulated through the dark humor and suburban listlessness that runs across his two projects to date, Summer ‘17 and its follow-up Summer ‘19, released in November 2019. Alexander’s lyrics have been one of the key reasons behind his growing popularity, with fans often getting in touch to thank him for how he articulates his emotions. Tracks such as “Ledge” and “So High” see Alexander discuss his anxiety and mental health with an honesty that is both refreshing and, at times, surprising in its frankness. The former sees Alexander discuss suicidal thoughts — although he stresses not all of his lyrics are strictly autobiographical — while on the latter he explains that anxiety means that “it’s hard to be the person that I want to be.” [READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST →]( [banner](   [More HYPEBEAST Features]( [[8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week] [FASHION]( [8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week]( [[Watchmaker Roger Dubuis Brings Its Brand to Life Through Once-In-A-Lifetime Experiences] Presented by Roger Dubuis [Watchmaker Roger Dubuis Brings Its Brand to Life Through Once-In-A-Lifetime Experiences]( [Get The App Free on iOS and Android]( Follow --------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved [Manage Subscriptions]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking [here](=====?utm_source=hbfeatures&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=feb21_20). It may take 48 hours to complete the unsubscribe process. Contact subscription@hypebeast.com for assistance on any enquiries. Our Mailing Address: HYPEBEAST, 10F, KC 100, 100 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong