Alexandra Lahey ( ) is an Australian

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released three full length albums: '' I Love You Like a Brother'' (2017), '' The Best of Luck Club'' (2019) and ''

The Answer Is Always Yes ''The Answer Is Always Yes'' is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Alex Lahey. It was released on 19 May 2023 via Liberation Music, and supported by a North American tour from May to June. It is Lahey's first record to feat ...

'' (2023). In addition to her solo work, Lahey has a reputation as a sought after collaborator, and has co-written and produced for artists including

Maggie Lindemann Margaret Elizabeth Lindemann (born July 21, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 2016 breakout single "Pretty Girl (Maggie Lindemann song), Pretty Girl", which peaked at number 4 in Sverigetopplistan, Sweden, number 6 ...

, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers,

Christian Lee Hutson Christian Lee Hutson (born November 5, 1990) is an American singer, musician and songwriter. He began his career as a member of The Driftwood Singers, before signing to Anti- (record label), ANTI- as a solo artist in 2019. Hutson has since releas ...

, The Buoys, Gordi and more.

Early life

Alex Lahey was born and grew up in Albert Park, a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, where she lived with her parents and younger brother, Will. At 13 years old, she started taking saxophone lessons while teaching herself guitar. Following high school, she started university courses in both music and arts but dropped out of the music component to join local group, Animaux, on vocals and saxophone. In 2014, her question asking from how high a steak would need to be dropped to be cooked by the heat of atmospheric re-entry appeared in

Randall Munroe Randall Patrick Munroe (born October 17, 1984) is an American cartoonist, author, and engineer best known as the creator of the webcomic ''xkcd''. Munroe has worked full-time on the comic since late 2006. In addition to publishing a book of the ...

's book ''What If?''. After completing her arts degree Lahey decided to start a solo music career.

Career

2016-2018: ''B-Grade University'' and ''I Love You Like A Brother''

Lahey's song "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me" received ''Pitchfork'''s Best New Track Award, and it was voted into the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2016 at No. 97. Lahey subsequently won a

Triple J Unearthed Triple J Unearthed is an Australian digital radio station and online music discovery platform. It is a sister station of Triple J, owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Unearthed began in 1995 as a regional talent competition open to ...

prize, leading to a performance slot at

Splendour in the Grass Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...

and a nomination for a J Award as Unearthed Artist of the Year. In June 2016, Lahey won the Josh Pyke Partnership, for unsigned artists, which is co-sponsored by Pyke,

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA) and

Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(AMCOS). She received a

AUD The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD; also abbreviated A$ or sometimes AU$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; and also referred to as the dollar or Aussie dollar) is the official currency and legal tender of Au ...

$7500 grant, a song writing mentorship from Pyke and introduction to music industry officials. Lahey won the prize ahead of 200 entries and Pyke explained, "the song she submitted was immediately stuck in my head, and her lyrics were compelling and clever. Her turn of phrase was quirky and intelligent, and really relatable... I reckon most of us have been in the situation that's portrayed in the song 'You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me'." Lahey's debut extended play (EP), ''B-Grade University'', was released on 29 July 2016, via Caroline Australia Records with distribution by

Universal Music Australia Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (UMA) is the largest Australian music corporation. It is a division of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Australia's corporate headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia. Labels Universal Music ...

. It reached No. 95 on the ARIA Top 100 Physical Albums and No. 8 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums charts. In January 2017 Lahey signed to

Dead Oceans Dead Oceans, Inc., is an American independent record label founded in 2006 and based in Bloomington, Indiana. History On June 30, 2006, Phil Waldorf founded Dead Oceans with Chris Swanson. Swanson suggested the name Dead Oceans, which came fro ...

, which re-released her EP. On 6 October 2017 she issued her debut album, '' I Love You Like a Brother'', through her own independent label, Nicky Boy Records/Dead Oceans via Caroline Australia/Universal Music Australia. Laura Stanley of '' Under the Radar'' observed, " heshares scenes from her own period of self-discovery, which makes for a fierce and incredibly fun debut full-length... the record standouts happen when Lahey and her bandmates zoom through spells of heartache with candidness and in a sharp pop-punk style." ''I Love You Like a Brother'' was placed on several albums-of-the-year lists, including ''

Bandcamp Daily Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epi ...

'' (at No. 40), ''

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

'', the ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...

'', '' Under the Radar'', ''

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, before broadeni ...

'', and redbull.com. ''

Spin Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. ...

'' would also cite the album as one of the magazine's 13 "Favorite Overlooked Albums of 2017". After touring Australia through October 2017, Lahey undertook an international tour of US and Europe from December 2017 and April 2018. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2018 The 32nd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2018 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...

she was nominated for Breakthrough Artist – Release.

2019-present: ''The Best of Luck Club'' and ''The Answer Is Always Yes''

In May 2019, Lahey released her second album '' The Best of Luck Club''. The album was produced by

Catherine Marks Catherine J Marks is an Australian record producer, mixing engineer and audio engineer. She has worked with such artists as boygenius, Foals, Manchester Orchestra, The Killers, Local Natives, Wolf Alice, Beware of Darkness, The Big Moon, Fra ...

along with Lahey. Lahey spent all of 2019 touring Australia, North America, Europe and the UK and had extensive touring plans for 2020 before they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The song "Misery Guts" from the album was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. In 2020, Lahey wrote and recorded the original song "On My Way" for

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...

's '' The Mitchells vs. the Machines'', now Netflix’s biggest original animated release of all time. The song was also released on the official film soundtrack via

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired ...

. On 21 October 2021, Lahey revealed she had signed with

Liberation Records Liberation Records is an American record company based in the Los Angeles area known for do it yourself ethos and pioneering guerrilla marketing strategies. It was formed by then 16-year-old underground rock music fanzine publisher David Taba in ...

and released "Spike the Punch". On 31 August 2022, Lahey released single "Congratulations" and announced national tour, commencing in October 2022. It will be her first since 2019. Her third studio album, ''

'', was released on 19 May 2023.

Personal life

Lahey is gay. Her partner is fellow Australian musician Gordi. The two released a collaboration, "Dino's", in early 2021. Lahey is an avid supporter of the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...

and performed at the club's 150th anniversary game at the MCG in 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other appearances

Selected production and writing discography

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. , - , rowspan="4" ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, rowspan="2" , herself , Best Independent Artist , , - , Breakthrough Independent Artist , , - , ''B-Grade University'' , Best Independent Album , , - , "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me" , Best Independent Single or EP , , - , rowspan="3" ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, herself , Best Independent Artist , , - , ''I Love You Like a Brother'' , Best Independent Album , , - , "Every Day's the Weekend" , Best Independent Single or EP , , - ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, ''The Answer Is Always Yes'' , Best Independent Rock Album or EP ,

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards have been presented annually since 1982 by the

(APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". ! , - ,

, "Everyday’s the Weekend" , Song of the Year , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the

Australian music industry The Australian music industry refers to the collection of individuals, organisations, businesses and activities that are involved in the creation, production, distribution and promotion of music in Australia. The music industry encompasses a wide r ...

. ! , - ,

, ''I Love You Like a Brother'' , Breakthrough Artist , , , - ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, ''The Answer Is Always Yes'' , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , -

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, herself , Unearthed Artist of the Year , , - ,

, ''I Love You Like a Brother'' , Australian Album of the Year , , -

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. ! , - , rowspan="3",

, "You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me" , Best Song , , rowspan="5", , - , rowspan="2", herself , Best Female Artist , , - , Best Emerging Artist , , - ,

, herself , Best Solo Artist , , - ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, herself , Best Solo Artist , , - ,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, "Dino's" (with Gordi) , Best Victorian Song , , , -

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

, herself , The Heatseeker Award (Best New Act) , , - , rowspan="2" ,

, rowspan="2" , herself , International Live Achievement (Solo) , , - , People's Choice - Live Act of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" ,

, rowspan="2" , herself , International Live Achievement (Solo) , , - , Victorian Live Act of the Year ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahey, Alex Australian rock singers Australian women rock singers Australian rock guitarists Australian women guitarists Australian saxophonists Australian women saxophonists Australian keyboardists Australian women keyboardists Living people 1992 births 21st-century Australian singers Australian women singer-songwriters Musicians from Melbourne 21st-century Australian women musicians Dead Oceans artists Australian LGBTQ singers 21st-century Australian LGBTQ people 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters