AleXa: From OK to KPOP to American Song Contest

MIXED ASIAN MEDIA - APRIL 11, 2022

By Melissa Slaughter

Never in my life did I think I would say this, but I’m rooting for Oklahoma. As a former Okie who has no love for country music or country fairs, I was shocked and delighted to see the singer chosen for American Song Contest wasn’t another twangy, guitar-playing country star. Instead it’s a mixed-Asian Kpop star named AleXa.

American Song Contest is the U.S. take on the very popular Eurovision Song Contest. For eight weeks, 56 artists representing the U.S. states and territories compete and perform to be named the best American song. AleXa performed in the first round, with her song “Wonderland,” and has already been chosen as a semi-finalist by viewers.

A dancer from Tulsa (actually, from the suburbs of Jenks, one of my high school rivals), she got her start competing in Kpop reality TV competitions like Rising Legends and Produce 48. Now she’s signed with ZB Labels, has millions of views on her music videos, and has a huge internet following. During the first episode of American Song Contest, Twitter was lit up with #AleXa!

After bonding over our status as Oklahomies, we got to talking on zoom about growing up mixed in OK, having a career as a Kpop artist, and what it means to be a part of the American Song Contest. 

*The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Congratulations on representing Oklahoma, and congrats on making it to the next round! 

Thank you so much. Thank you.

You're so welcome. How did you balance being mixed, being mixed Asian while growing up in Oklahoma?

I mean, as a fellow Okie, I'm sure that we have similar experiences. 

Probably. 

Growing up, I really didn't know many other Asian people, Eastern Asian people, let alone Koreans. So I mean, there were incidents every now and then (we'll refer to them as incidents). But it's not anything that completely overshadowed my childhood and made me have any disdain towards Oklahoma. It's a lovely place to grow up. And I did finally wind up meeting fellow Eastern Asian people and more AAPI community people as I got older — through high school, through college and everything. But no matter where you go in the world, there's bound to be people, you’re bound to have incidents.

I feel like Oklahoma teaches you how to have a tough skin, but also a sense of humor. 

Yes, there we go, a sense of humor. 

Yes. So how did you get introduced to K-pop while growing up?

Well, my best friends showed me it back in 2008, and it was literally just for a school project. I went over to her house one day. She showed me a few groups, and that's when I went through the metaphorical rabbit hole, if you will.

What was your first group that you were obsessed with?

 So the first group that she showed me was Super Junior, but the first group I was like “down to” was definitely Shinee.

That sounds so fun! For you, what are the major differences between being a fan of K-pop and then actually being a K-pop star?

Honestly, they're kind of synonymous. There are so many artists, like myself, who were inspired to become artists because we are and were fans of other artists. So many people attribute their love for becoming a performer like to Big Bang, to EXO, to BTS. Nowadays, so many other artists become so influential for other young K-pop fans who can turn into artist themselves.

So being a K-pop star, I know that you have to do all kinds of training, from singing to dancing to language. What was your first love?

My first love. Well, my back story starts when I was a wee lad of two years old and maybe dancing in a ballet studio. So I think from the very get-go dancing was something that really was near and dear to my heart. But as I began training in Korea, learning the language, learning songs in Korean, that really was something that helped ignite my brain and drive my passion forward to becoming a K-pop artist.

So you didn't know Korean prior to going to Korea?

Correct. Even though my mother is Korean, she was adopted when she was five. So she was raised by an English speaking family in Oklahoma. We only grew up speaking English in my household.

So what is that jump then — between Jenks, Oklahoma and K-pop Korea?

It is quite the jump. But I mean, you know, at the end of the day, I might be living in Korea as a K-pop artist now, but coming back to do ASC, remembering my roots as an Oklahoman, coming from this small town with all these wonderful people that helped shaped me to who I am today — you know, there is definitely a difference — they're both a place like a home.

Now that you are representing Oklahoma for ASC, what would you like people to know about Oklahoma they may not know?

A similarity I found very interesting between Korean people and Oklahomans is that we're very hardworking and that our core values are pretty similar, like family, work ethic, and our love for food. Also, the people are very nice. Southern hospitality is real!

Can confirm! Talking about food, is there a food that you grew up with that you associate with Oklahoma or with your Korean background?

Both my parents, fortunately, are wonderful cooks. Very fortunate to have had home cooked meals growing up. I think, specifically because it gets so cold in the winter in Oklahoma, my mom made the best like beef stew. It was always so good to have after coming in from playing in the snow or coming home from work as I got older. Just this freezing cold outside and my mom's fresh beef stew. It was so good. I miss it.

How is it being involved with the American Song Contest? How did you get involved and what's it been like so far?

I mean, it's been a dream come true thus far. When we first received the news, that ASC is going to be a thing, me and my team were stoked because we were actually longtime Eurovision fans. And then when it came time for me to be selected as the representative for Oklahoma, I lost some marbles because I was not expecting to be chosen as the representative singer for Oklahoma. Given that I am a K-pop artist and as a fellow Okie, we might associate, you know, Garth Brooks or Reba. But seeing as I got to compete, and I'm still going, to be able to compete through the semifinals not only as an Oklahoman, but as a K-pop artist, I think it's really cool to show the different facets of culture that Oklahoma and America have to offer.

American Song Contest in on NBC, Monday nights at 8/7c.