Few artists in country music right now are building momentum in quite the same way as Alexandra Kay. With her current single ‘Straight for the Heart’ climbing into the Top 30 on US country radio, Kay is beginning to translate years of grassroots fan-building into tangible chart success. That rise was on full display during a standout week at CMA Fest, where she delivered a string of performances that reinforced her growing reputation as one of the genre’s most compelling live acts: none more so than her appearance at the Opry NextStage show at Category 10, which drew a rapturous response from a packed crowd.
Away from the stage, Kay continues to expand her world beyond music, recently celebrating the one-year anniversary of her Coffee Girl Cafe, a reflection of the same work ethic and authenticity that defines her artistry. Now, she brings that momentum to the UK, stepping onto one of the biggest stages of her career as part of an 80,000-capacity sold-out show at BST Hyde Park, supporting Garth Brooks. It marks another significant milestone for an artist whose trajectory is increasingly pointing toward the very top of the genre. We caught up with her to talk all about it.
First of all, thank you for your time today Alexandra. Where are you right now? Have you made it over to the UK yet or are you still getting ready to travel?
I’m still in Nashville right now! I actually leave tonight at around 7:30pm, so I’m right on the cusp of heading over. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind getting everything together because it’s straight into a really busy schedule once I land, but I’m excited.
The one saving grace is that I’ve got one of those lie-flat seats on the flight, which I was very intentional about. I was like, “If I can just get some proper sleep on the plane, I’ll be okay.” Because we land and go straight into a full day of press, so there’s not really any easing into it. I’m hoping I can just knock out on the flight, wake up in London, and hit the ground running. It’s a quick turnaround, but in the best way. It just means there’s a lot of exciting stuff happening.
I saw you out in Nashville just a couple of weeks ago during CMA Fest, and it always feels like such a whirlwind week for artists. How was this year for you when you look back on it now, and what were some of the standout moments that really stayed with you?
Oh my gosh, I had such a blast this year. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was completely exhausted by the end of it, but it was one of those weeks where you’re tired for all the right reasons. I ended up doing seven shows in six days, which is kind of wild when I say it out loud, but every single one felt special in its own way.
What really made it stand out for me this year was having my girlfriends come in from back home in Southern Illinois. So it wasn’t just about the shows, it was like I was balancing being an artist all week with also hosting my people, you know? I’d go from being on stage or in glam at 6am, straight into hanging out with my girls, grabbing drinks, catching other sets… it was just this constant, beautiful chaos.
And honestly, a lot of my time ended up being at Category 10, which I don’t think I’ve ever done before at CMA Fest. Between the Billboard show, the Opry NextStage show, and then jumping up during Graham Barham’s set, it kind of became my home base for the week. Those shows were definitely highlights: especially Opry NextStage. The energy in that room was just incredible, and it felt like one of those moments where everything kind of clicks into place.
But overall, I think what stayed with me the most was just the connection. Seeing fans show up again, singing along, being part of those moments. It’s such a whirlwind, but it’s also a reminder of why I do this in the first place. It was chaotic, it was busy, but it was honestly one of my favourite CMA Fest weeks I’ve had.
You mentioned the Opry NextStage show — you’ve now had a few of those moments that feel like stepping stones. Is Nissan Stadium the next big target for you?
Oh my gosh, of course. I mean, that’s the dream, right? I feel like every year I’ve had my eyes on Nissan Stadium. That’s the one. That’s the stage. It’s kind of the ultimate marker at CMA Fest that you’ve really arrived in a certain way, and I don’t think that ever leaves your mind as an artist coming up through this.
But I also really try to stay grounded in the idea that everything happens when it’s supposed to. I’ve had so many of those stepping-stone moments already, like Opry NextStage, that have felt huge to me at the time, and then you look back and realise they were building towards something bigger. So yes, Nissan is absolutely a goal, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t think about it all the time, but I also trust the timing of it.
I want to make sure that when I step on that stage, I’m fully ready for it, not just vocally or performance-wise, but in terms of the fanbase, the songs, the connection. I want to walk out there knowing that the crowd knows who I am and is there for those songs, not just discovering me in that moment. So it’s definitely something I’m working towards, and I feel closer to it than ever, but I also want it to happen at exactly the right time so it can be everything it’s supposed to be.
Speaking of big stages, you’re heading to London to play Hyde Park, and not just any show, but an 80,000-capacity crowd supporting Garth Brooks. You’ve played in the UK before, but this feels like a different level entirely. What does this moment mean to you?
it’s honestly hard to even put into words what this moment means to me. I don’t know that I’ve ever been this excited for a show in my entire life. And that’s saying something, because I’ve had some really special moments already: but this one just feels different.
First of all, it’s Garth. He’s my all-time favourite artist, full stop. He’s been that for me since I was a kid. So the idea that I’m not only on the same bill as him, but actually stepping out on that stage before he does, in front of 80,000 people… it’s just surreal. I don’t really have those “celebrity freak-out” moments, but I genuinely think if I meet him, I might cry. Like, I’m preparing myself for that because he’s been such a huge influence on me and the way I think about music and performance.
And then there’s the scale of it. I remember being over there before for the Morgan Wallen show in 2024 and playing the side stage, and even just watching from the field as those huge shows happen: it feels iconic. So now to be stepping onto that main stage, in Hyde Park, in front of that many people, it feels like a real step into a new level of my career. It’s not just another show, it’s a moment.
But beyond that, it’s also the history of it. This is Garth coming back to England for the first time in decades. That’s not just a concert, that’s a piece of country music history. And the fact that I get to be part of that, even in a small way, is something I don’t take lightly at all. I think there’ll be a moment where it all hits me, probably right before I go on stage, and I’ll be a mess for a second. But I’m also really determined to be present and soak it all in, because opportunities like this don’t come around often, and I want to remember every second of it.
When you picture that moment, standing side stage, 80,000 people in front of you, what do you think you’ll be feeling? Will you be able to take it in, or will it all be adrenaline?
Honestly, just picturing it right now makes me a little emotional. I can feel it already, that mix of nerves and excitement, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve got watery eyes standing side stage before I even go on. It’s one of those moments you dream about, and then when it’s actually real, it kind of hits you all at once.
I think right before I walk out, I’ll definitely be in full adrenaline mode, that’s usually what happens with me. My heart will be racing, my brain will probably be going a mile a minute, and there’s always that little bit of panic that kicks in right before you step out. But the second I hit the stage, something just switches. The adrenaline kind of takes over in the best way, and I’m able to just go and do what I love.
That said, I’m really conscious of not letting it just pass me by in a blur. I’ve had moments before where the adrenaline carries you through and then afterwards you’re like, “Wait… did that even happen?” And I don’t want that with this show. This is too big, too special. So I’ve already told myself that at some point in the set, I’m going to take a second, maybe between songs, and just stop, look out at the crowd, and really take it in.
Because it’s not just another gig. It’s 80,000 people, it’s Hyde Park, it’s Garth Brooks… it’s history. And I want to feel that. I want to be present in that moment, even if it’s just for a few seconds, so I can carry that with me for the rest of my life.
You mentioned you’re approaching this like a big, open-field show. Are you tailoring the set differently for that kind of crowd?
Oh yeah, we’re going full rock show! You kind of have to when you’re playing a stage like that. It’s a completely different environment to a club or even a theatre show: you’re playing to this massive open field, and you’ve got to reach people all the way at the back who maybe don’t know your music yet.
So we’ve definitely leaned into making it feel bigger, more energetic, more immediate. We’re treating it like a full-on rock show, honestly. There’s a lot more drive in the set, a lot more up-tempo moments, because that’s what translates best in that kind of space. You want people to feel it straight away, even if they’ve never heard you before.
We’ve actually only kept one ballad in the whole set, which is ‘Everleave,’ because there’s no way I can get off a stage without playing that song, it means too much to me and to the fans. But everything else is really built around energy and connection. We’re opening with ‘Straight for the Heart,’ which feels perfect because it’s got that punch straight out of the gate, and we’ve reworked it a bit to make it feel even bigger live.
It’s about getting people engaged, getting them moving, making them feel like they’re part of something straight away. So there’s a bit of everything, songs like ‘Tomorrow Problems’ that people can immediately latch onto, a fun cover moment to bring the crowd in, and just a lot of intention behind making it feel like a shared experience rather than just me performing at them.
It’s definitely a different approach, but in a really exciting way. It pushes you to think bigger, perform bigger, and really meet the moment.
Let’s talk about ‘Straight for the Heart,' because it feels like a really significant moment for you, not just as a song, but in terms of what it’s doing at radio right now. Can you take me back to how that track first came into your world, (It was co-written by fellow artist Karley Scott Collins) and what it was about it that made you feel like, “This is the one”?
Yeah, so that one actually came to me through my label, which was a bit of a new experience for me. Up until that point, I’d written pretty much everything I’d released, so sitting down and being pitched songs was something I was really excited about, and honestly, something I’d always wanted to do. I mean, you look at artists like Garth Brooks or George Strait, and they built entire careers on choosing the right songs. There’s a real art to that, and I wanted to be open to it.
So I went into this session with that mindset of, “Play me the best songs in Nashville.” I didn’t have any ego about whether I’d written it or not, I just wanted the strongest possible song. And I think ‘Straight for the Heart' was maybe the third song they played me that day. The second I heard it, I just knew. I remember stopping them and saying, “Don’t send this to anybody else. This has to be mine.” I was almost territorial about it straight away, which is always a good sign.
Part of what sold me instantly was the demo vocal. Karley Scott Collins sang on it, and her voice is just incredible: it completely brought the song to life. But beyond that, it just felt like me. It had that attitude, that energy, that kind of bold, unapologetic edge that I love. I could immediately hear how it would translate live, I could see the visual, I could feel how it would connect with a crowd.
And from that moment, I was like, “This is my radio single.” There wasn’t really any debate in my mind. It just felt like the right song at the right time in my caree: something that could introduce me to a wider audience but still feel completely authentic to who I am. So to now see it climbing at radio and connecting the way it is… it’s really validating, because that gut feeling I had in that room turned out to be right.
There’s a real 80s rock influence in that track, almost Pat Benatar, Heart, that kind of energy. Is that something you’re consciously leaning into?
I love that you picked up on that, because that’s absolutely in there. I don’t know if it was something I sat down and consciously said, “I’m going to make an ‘80s rock record,” but those influences are definitely a part of who I am as an artist, and they come out naturally when the song calls for it.
When I first heard ‘Straight for the Heart,' that was actually one of the things that really excited me about it. It had that big, anthemic, almost cinematic energy, the kind of song that feels like it belongs on a huge stage. And immediately my brain went to those powerhouse female artists like Pat Benatar, where there’s this combination of strength, attitude, and melody that just hits you right in the chest.
I think for me, I’ve always lived somewhere between country and rock anyway. I grew up on traditional country, but I also love that edge: I love guitars, I love a little grit, I love songs that feel bold and unapologetic. And with this track, it just felt like the perfect opportunity to lean into that side of me a little more.
So when we got into the studio and started shaping it, we definitely leaned into making it feel bigger, more driving, more powerful. Not in a way that takes it away from country, but in a way that expands what that sound can be. Because I think that’s where country music is right now, it’s pulling from all these different influences, and I don’t think you have to stay in one lane.
And honestly, those kinds of songs are just so much fun to perform live. When you’ve got that kind of energy behind you, it gives you permission to go all in as a performer. So yeah, whether it was conscious or not at the start, it’s definitely something I’m leaning into more now, because it feels authentic to me and it feels like where my sound is naturally heading.
Looking at ‘Second Wind,' now that you’ve lived with it and played it live, what have you learned about that record that you maybe didn’t realise when you were making it?
I think the biggest thing I’ve realised now that I’ve lived with ‘Second Wind' for a while, and especially playing those songs live night after night, is just how uplifting it actually is. And that wasn’t something I was consciously trying to make at the time.
When I was writing it, I was really just living in my truth. I was coming out of a really hard chapter in my life, processing the end of a long relationship, and at the same time starting to open myself up to love again. So there was a lot of vulnerability in there, a lot of healing, but also a lot of hesitation. I was still a little guarded, a little gun-shy, trying to figure out how to trust again. And I think I was so in that headspace while writing that I didn’t fully step back and see what the overall record was becoming.
It wasn’t until I started listening back to it as a body of work, and then especially once we took it out on the road, that I realised it actually tells a really empowering story. It’s not just about heartbreak or pain, it’s about resilience. It’s about getting through something and finding yourself again on the other side of it.
And the live shows have really been the thing that’s driven that home for me. Seeing fans come up to me and literally introduce me to their “second wind,” whether that’s a new relationship, a new chapter in their life, or just a version of themselves they fought hard to become, that’s when it really clicked. They’ll say, “I was crying to your last record, and now I’m here with this person,” or, “This music helped me get through something and now I feel stronger.”
I didn’t realise when I was making it that it would have that kind of impact. I was just telling my story. But seeing how it’s connected with people, and how it’s almost become a soundtrack for their healing and growth, that’s been the most powerful thing for me. It’s given the record a whole new meaning beyond what I originally thought it was.
Is there a song on that record you feel hasn’t quite had its moment yet?
There are actually a couple of songs on that record that I feel like haven’t fully had their moment yet, and that’s always a tough thing as an artist, because you know how much they mean and what they’re capable of.
The first one that comes to mind for me is ‘Nobody.' I think it’s such a powerful song: emotionally, lyrically, everything about it, and I really do believe it has the potential to connect in a big way. But sometimes it just comes down to the way things are picked up, whether that’s streaming algorithms or timing or just what people gravitate towards first. For whatever reason, that one hasn’t quite broken through yet in the way I thought it might.
And it’s funny, because we even talked about possibly adding it into the set for Hyde Park, but I made the decision not to and the honest reason is that I haven’t had the chance to really play it live and let it grow in that environment yet. The first time I perform a song like that, I want to understand it on stage, feel how it lands, build that connection with the audience. I didn’t want to throw it into a moment that big without having those reps with it first.
Another one for me is ‘Right Now.' That’s another song I feel like maybe didn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s one of those deeper cuts that, if you really sit with the record, it hits differently. And I think sometimes those songs take longer, they don’t always have that immediate, obvious hook, but they grow on people over time.
And that’s something I’ve come to accept more as I’ve gone along, not every song is going to have its moment right away. Some of them find their audience later, sometimes through live shows, sometimes through fans sharing them, sometimes just through people coming back to the record and hearing it differently.
So yeah, there are definitely a couple on there that I still feel really protective of, because I think their moment is still coming: it just hasn’t happened yet.
You’ve also released that really interesting cover of the Alanis Morissette ‘All I Really Want' from the ‘Mile End Kicks' soundtrack. It’s quite a bold choice and how did that come about, and what was your approach to reimagining it?
Yeah, that was such a fun, and honestly kind of terrifying, experience! I think it came to me because they were looking for artists to be part of the project, and when I saw the lineup, like Avril Lavigne and all these incredible artists, I was like, “Of course I want to be a part of this.”
Then they sent me the song, and I remember listening to it for the first time and just thinking, “Oh my God… what am I gonna do with this?” It’s one of those songs where it’s so iconic, and it’s done in such a specific way, that you almost don’t want to touch it, but at the same time, you have to make it your own.
So I kind of just trusted my instincts and went, “Okay, what would I do with this?” And the answer was: strip it back and slow it down. Instead of trying to match that original energy, I leaned into something a little more emotional, a little more intimate, and just let the vocal carry it in a different way. It definitely felt like one of those moments where I had to kind of “arts and crafts” my way through it, like, figure it out piece by piece, but once it came together, I was really proud of it. And what was really cool is that the team ended up telling me it was one of their favourite cuts on the whole project, which was such a relief because I was genuinely nervous going into it.
But I think that’s what made it special: it pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to approach a song in a completely different way than I normally would.
One thing that really stands out when you talk about your career is how much you understand not just the creative side, but the business side of it as well, and that comes from having done it independently before stepping into the label system. How important has that experience been for you in shaping the way you approach your career now, and do you think it’s given you an edge in terms of the decisions you make and the control you have over your path?
It’s been everything for me, honestly. I don’t think I’d be the artist, or the businesswoman, that I am today if I hadn’t had those years of doing it independently and having to figure everything out on my own.
When you’re independent, you don’t have the luxury of just focusing on the music. You are the team. You’re the marketing department, you’re the manager, you’re the strategist: you’re looking at the numbers, you’re figuring out what’s working, what’s not, where to put your money, how to grow your audience. And at the time, it’s hard. It’s overwhelming. But looking back now, I’m so grateful for it because it forced me to understand every part of this business.
So now that I’m in a label system, I don’t just sit back and let things happen. I’m very involved. I’m in the conversations, I understand the data, I know why we’re choosing certain songs, why we’re pushing things in certain ways. And I think that’s given me a real edge, because I’m not just the artist, I’m a partner in my career.
And the other side of it is confidence. I’ve been able to sit at the table with my label and say, “This is what I want, and here’s why.” I can back it up. I can show them the numbers, the growth, the audience, the engagement, all the things I built on my own. And I think that’s a big reason why I’ve been able to secure a deal that really works for me, because I came into it informed and prepared.
It’s also why I always tell younger artists not to rush into a record deal too quickly. There’s so much value in building something yourself first, even if it’s small. You learn who you are, you learn your audience, and you learn the business. Because once you have that foundation, you’re walking into those bigger opportunities from a position of strength, not dependency.
So yeah, it’s shaped everything: how I think, how I make decisions, how I approach releases, even how I view success. It’s made me a lot more intentional about my career, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
Looking ahead, once ‘Straight for the Heart’ has run its course at radio, do you already have a sense of what might come next? Will it be something new, or could you revisit ‘Second Wind?'
Yeah, so… I’ll give you a little bit of a scoop, and my manager’s probably gonna cringe at me saying this, but we’re actually seriously considering taking ‘Everleave’ to radio next.
I know it’s not a brand-new song, it’s been out for a while now, but the thing is, it’s still my biggest streaming song. It’s consistently the one that people connect with the most, and it already has that emotional relationship with the audience. So we’re looking at it and thinking, “Okay, how do we take something that’s already been an independent success and give it that next life on a bigger, global level?”
Because with radio, it’s not just about what we love creatively, it has to be supported by the data as well. And ‘Everleave’ already has that. It already has the streams, it already has the connection, and that’s a really powerful place to start from.
Now, that being said, I’ve also got a whole new record written, like, fully written, and we’ve already started recording. So there are definitely brand-new songs coming, and there are a few on there that I think could be really strong at radio too. But right now, we’re just trying to be smart about it and make sure that whatever we follow up with has the best chance to really connect and grow.
So yeah… ‘Everleave’ is definitely one we’re looking at. That’s your little exclusive.
Check out Alexandra Kay at Hyde Park in London this Saturday and go stream ‘Straight For the Heart' and listen on radio – let's see if we can help this song continue climbing!
