Student Artist Spotlight: Alex Kaf

You guys, we seriously can’t stop singing her songs.

by CHLOE HECHTER ★ JANUARY 16, 2021

Syracuse freshman Alex Kaf is a Pennsylvania based songwriter, our peer, and our latest obsession. While somehow maintaining the already hectic schedule of the SU freshman that we know all too well, Kaf has already managed to put out her debut single, Summer Love Song, which is available on all streaming platforms, and release a new song, Alien Love Song, which became available on January 15.

Knowing that we were in the presence of the next Taylor Swift-Maggie Rogers hybrid who also happens to rock a lot of orange, we had to know how she does it all, so we invited her here for an interview on her music, balancing her schedule, and her future career.

When did you start writing music?

Alex Kaf: I started writing music when I was 14, inspired by my exposure to Carole King’s most famous album, Tapestry. I felt like that was the most accessible way to tell a story—it took my already existing passion for singing and gave me an avenue to tell my own story rather than someone else’s. I’ve always been super inspired by Taylor Swift and all of her music and just how relatable it is—even before I was writing songs, I was writing journal entries, poems, short stories... I’d always listened to a lot of female artists, and that subconsciously inspired me to start writing music of my own. 

*Writer’s note: okay, but don’t we all just love a good cry to some early 2000’s T-Swizzle?

What was your inspiration for your upcoming single, Alien Love Song?

Alex Kaf: My inspiration for Alien Love Song was—you know, a boy—as all great inspirations are... I wrote the chorus of the song winter of 2019, and then I wrote the rest of it over the summer of 2020. It follows the story of a nonexistent or one-sided relationship that I led for far too long with a boy who was a year older than me. Basically, I was so blinded by my feelings for him that I didn’t realize just how disconnected we were—I didn’t realize how obsessed I was with the idea of him, not with who he actually was. Once I realized that he didn’t have a realistic place for me in the life he was going to lead, I wrote a song about recognizing that I had to move forward.

How do you continue to stay inspired to write songs while you’re also keeping up with your busy schedule at school?

Alex Kaf: It’s really my way of journaling and reflecting on everything that’s going on around me. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to make sense of my first year of school or adjusting to my schedule. With so much unknown, it gives me a second to be with myself and my thoughts and acts as my greatest comfort—it’s something that I’ve always known and what feels most accessible to me. It’s also definitely a way of venting—if something happens, it’s much easier to move past if you can make a catchy hook about it rather than dwelling on it for the past few months. It’s a more fun way to cope. 

I’ve been adopting a pretty rigorous schedule. Maintaining that leaves me with very minimal free time, so I typically end up writing my music and feeling most creative at night or when I go to sleep. In terms of writing, I don’t really get to choose when inspiration hits—if I’m in the middle of a class writing lyrics down in my planner, that’s just what has to happen. It definitely takes a tremendous amount of dedication to uphold this type of schedule—I’ll dedicate a block of time in my week that’s dedicated to music, research, and building my social media presence. 

Social media is definitely a massive part of how people find me and my music—it’s a major platform, especially in college. There’s literally no better feeling than introducing yourself to someone and them saying they already know you because of your music. I’m hoping to incorporate a music industry minor into my curriculum to continue to learn about something that I’m so passionate about. Given the amount of walking time at school, I’m also given the opportunity to just listen to more types of music and genres to gain more musical knowledge—so I can take what I’ve learned from other artists and integrate it into my own music. If someone says something to me or texts me something that sparks an idea, I’ll write it down—try to remember your 4 a.m. dorm room conversations, because that can spark some of the best material. Even though I’ve only had one semester on campus, I’ve learned that networking is super important, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask friends that might know more about something.

What’s your favorite thing to write about?

Alex K: Relationships. Bonus points if it actually happened. I feel like I write my life more interesting than it actually is sometimes, so bonus points if it’s about real life—I guess that’s the songwriter version of manifestation—like, we songwrite things into existence. I love writing about the people in my life and the people who used to be in my life—it’s a perfect way to reflect on what’s happened. I subconsciously take a lot of inspiration from the thoughts I have right before I fall asleep—that’s where a lot of it comes from, that’s what people can really connect with. Then I’ll ultimately wake up at 2 a.m. and make a voice memo... I’ll be like “oh, I love this chorus…” and then I’ll go back to sleep.

**Writer’s note: we should also mention that Alex is working on a song called Bathroom Party, and for legal reasons, inspiration was not drawn from her real life.

You can jam out to both of Kaf’s singles on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music… and of course stay tuned for all future projects! You can also find her on Instagram @alexkafmusic or at Bleu Monkey eating a spicy tuna poke bowl.