What does Alex Winston think of her age?

M: Well, we have Alex Winston in the studio today. Hi, Alex.
W: Nice to see you.
M: How old are you?
W: I am 23, but for some reason everyone thinks I’m 19. I don’t know who started that rumor, but I’m 23.
M: I’ve seen on a lot of posts that you’re 19!
W: I mean, the thing is, most people would probably be excited about that, but I’m really okay with my age. I’m like... can you guys get it right? I’m 23. I never want to re-live those teenage years. I’m totally content being 23.
M: How did you start out performing?
W: Well, I feel like I’ve been doing it my entire life. I started taking music lessons and singing when I was about ten. I started bands at a pretty young age and played with my friends back in Detroit. I’ve always known that I wanted to do this. It was all I was ever interested in doing. I never had, outside of music, any extracurricular activities mat I took part in.
M: Are... are you a classically-trained opera singer?
W: I guess. I took opera lessons. I can’t read music to save my life, but I would just copy and get away with it. I think that they thought I could read music, but I can’t. I would just listen. I did that for about ten years. I would listen to my teacher and the melodies. She would sing it. It was really me just mimicking. That’s one of the reasons I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore. I felt that I really couldn’t be creative with opera. You’re supposed to sound this way here. You’re supposed to crescendo here. You’re supposed to do that. I had no sense of identity while singing that kind of music.
M: Who and what are some of your influences?
W: Well, really all over the place. Detroit, definitely because of Motown and Stooges. When you come from a place like Detroit, you’re really proud of what you have there. I grew up listening to a lot of that stuff, but also early rock-and-roll like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis. I feel like as I grew older, I’ve been working with different musicians, people that are constantly showing me different things. One of my old bandmates was really into metal and ’80s rock, so I really got into that, too. I also love country, folk, and strong female voices, like Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, PJ Harvey, and Kate Bush.
M: I was trying to think of comparisons, but I was having a really hard time because your voice is so different. I could definitely see a lot of that in your music. I couldn’t really define it, which is cool because it’s so hard to find something so original.
W: That makes me really happy, because it seems like everybody wants to do this comparison game. Just because I’m a young girl that makes somewhat "left-of-center" pop music, they want to tell you that you’re like this person instead of taking it for what it is.
M: Which artists have you had a great experience touring with?
W: I hate saying I’m a new musician, because I’ve been doing this forever, but they like to put new musicians on a lot of weird bills. I’ve toured with Freelance Whales and Ted Nugent; the spectrum is that crazy. I’d say opening for Chuck Berry was such an important night for me. Anyone that I’ve ever wanted to share the stage with, he’s in my top five. That was really cool. I just felt like, where am I supposed to go from here—I played with one of my idols. It’s just impressive to me that he is still doing what he does. He’s been playing since ’50s. He just puts on such a good show. Even if he messes up a few chords, I mean, come on! It’s Chuck Berry!
M: What was the most meaningful song to you on Sister Wife?
W: I think the most heartfelt real song on that album was "Don’t Care About Anything." It’s the only song I’ve ever written with just a guitar and singing. Obviously, you’ve spent some time in New York. I moved there and it was a bit much. It was a bit overwhelming for me. I didn’t want to go out. I just felt a little homesick. I was just waiting to feel excited about something. I went through a phase of feeling kind of dull. It’s really easy to shut off in New York and stay in your apartment.
M: Why the name Sister Wife for your mini-LP?
W: I call my backup singers my sister wives. To me, they are my best friends. We are all super close. It’s kind of like the closest relationship you can have without being blood related, to me. It’s a joke that they’re sister wives—obviously, we’re not polygamists.