JS: I have been a fan of yours since “Warlord’s Daughta” from Di Preparation, this is a completely new Lexie Lee now Agent Lexie. What inspired the change? You look all incognito
AL : LOL. haha. “First off thanks for being a fan. It means a lot to me that you've been there since the beginning. Agent Lexie is another aspect of my personality. Reggae/Dancehall, & Hip Hop can be very limiting, especially for women. There's always the "bad bitch" "the conscious" artist, and so on but there's really not much room for individuality in terms of both subject matter and stage performance. I'm an artist. I want to do performanceart. I don't want to have to bring a guy up on stage to wine up on me in order to get a forward or grow dreadlocks and sing about Jah Jah.I'm an agnosticthat loves all types of music; a heterosexual woman that thinks her vagina is nobody's business but her own; is for gay/human rights, a writer,and most importantly, I'm just me. I felt I needed to explore whatever I wanted without being confined to a genre.
I may do another dancehall album again, I don't know but I want the freedom to do what I want to do when I want to do it, and if I do a dancehall album it will be done my way."JS: I know you once lived in LA and then moved to Stuttgart, Germany, that is a big move. What caused that?
AL: "I don't really think of it as a big move. I'm an immigrant so moving is in my blood. Most of the time I have no idea where I live. I'm always spending a year here, a year there, or a few months here and there. When I first started out in music I had some of the best times touring Europe, especially Germany and not tomention I met the two loves of my life there: My hubby and German beer. I've met and worked with some of the most talented and down to earth artists and producers in Europe like Mrcl, Marten Hörger,DJ Tease, Leeroy Thornhill, Florian Richling, and many more.
It's a completely different vibe than LA. Everyone I've worked closely with in Europe is more into the music than theirown egos. I like working with people that you care about and who care about you as well. Europe is also great for alternative types of music that don't necessarily get played on top 40 radio, which evens out the playing field for new and independent artists."JS: I hear a lot of Pop, Electronic with some Rock influence on your new album “ Battle Like a Champion”. Has living in Europe influenced your music taste?AL: "Europe hasn't influenced my music taste so much as it's influenced the way I work. Before moving to Europe, I mostly listened to rock, hip hop, and electronic music. I got into dancehall much later but it was always fun to listen to and dance to in Jamaica when I went on holidays.
I got into dancehall because I wanted to write for other artists. I've always been open to all types of music, with the exception of R&B, but I don't really care about genres, it's about the artist for me. If you were to ask me what my favorite album was of all time, my answer would be Fleetwood Mac's album "Rumors" or The Cranberries"No Need To Argue."
JS: Have you been back to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vietnam, since the last time you went?AL : "I haven't been back to Saigon since my last trip. I took a much needed 3 year break from touring and music to record my new album, study, and enjoy married life but whenever I do make it back to Saigon there won't be any eating of Cobra snake or drinking of its blood either." Check out this clip of Lexie Lee in Vietnam.
JS: Speaking of the new album"Battle Like A Champion", what is this album all about, what is the overall theme?AL : "The album is a progression from light to dark and everything in between. It's life experiences told from the perspective of a woman through the varying stages of development. It's about taking ownership of yourself, defining yourself and not letting others do it for you. It's about individualism, telling and writing your own story.
All types of themes are discussed on the album from isolation, sex tourism, girls night out, partying, sex, sexism, racism, abuse; you name it, it's on there. It's about life in general. There are a lot of truestories on there, both from my own life and the experiences of people I know personally or through friends, and of course general observations." JS: Who did you work with on this album? And how did it come together?
AL: "I executive produced the album along with my husband, Kahlil (Lechelt), and the majority of the album, with the exception of 2 tracks, was produced by Mrcl. Basically it came together because the three of us were really good friends, loved each otherswork and it all just fell into place." JS: Any music video in the works?AL : We definitely have some in the works, hopefully I'll release them this time. LOL. I've had such bad luck with videos in the past, having spent a great deal of cash on them only to never release them. But I know a lot of people want to see me in a video and I want to give that to my fans. It's very important in this day and age because it's another way for my fans to interact with me.
JS: I love the album, so far my favorite songs on the new album are “ iRule” , “Gorilla”,“Shot in the Dark”, Caribbean” "Don’t get me Started” “Turn it Back Around”, I still hear that Lexie Lee feisty attitude in those songs. Which song did you have the most fun recording?AL : I'll always be feisty. It's in my DNA, at least on record. haha. I loved recording all the songs. I don't think the process was more fun for one vs. the other but if I had to choose one, I'd say Gorilla. I loved picking out all the different Gorilla sounds. That was awesome. It's a song represents displacement and the effects of being removed from your natural habitat and being thrown into an unfamiliar and hostile setting. As you know, Gorillas are native to the West Central Rainforests of Africa but there are quite a few in captivity in otherareas of the world. There are no Gorilla's in the Amazon except in captivity in zoos, like the Gorilla named Idi Amin at the Belo Horizonte zoo in Brazil. Gorillas are an endangered species worldwide because of things like poaching, etc, and wouldn't be surprised if one day the only Gorillas that we see are in zoos. Gorilla is also a play on words between Gorilla and Guerilla. This made me think a lot about how individualism is being replaced by group think inour society. It's the kind of genocide that doesn't leave behind physical bodies but it kills nonetheless. I thought a lot about my experiences when I first moved to the States and how it made me feel being on the outside and how other kids reacted to this little Jamaican girl that sat in the front of the class and answered questions, etc. I was a spectacle, much like a Gorilla in captivity, to a lot of kids. I didn't really fit it in and I was ostracized for it, simply because I was an individual. It was the first time in my life I learned that being into science or doing well in class and speaking proper English was considered acting "white." I felt like I was dropped smack dab in a place that is completely foreign to me much like an animal in a zoo. And just like Gorilla's in captivity, I was now introduced to a way of living that was in complete contradiction to me as a person. Gorilla allowed me to express this quiet kind of rage and defiant spirit that I think a lot of people who can't necessarily be themselves because of the confining boundaries of their environment feel. It allowed me to channel my inner Che and live out the fantasy of a caged animal ready to wreak havoc. JS :We should do a contest to see which video you should make. What do you think?AL: That would be fun. I'm always keen to know what people think. Sidenote : I think it should be "Carribean". JS : Planning on any collaborations in the near future?AL : I'll be featured on several tracks from Smash Hifi's, Marten Hörger & Leeroy Thornhill's (formerly of the Prodigy) upcoming album. I'm also working on new music with a couple people that I want to surprise my fans with. JS :What is your personal message to the fans?AL :"Be Yourself. I know it's cliche but it's so important right now because so many people succumb to group-think and we're constantly being bombarded with images and ideas ofwhat we should be, what we are, and who we are. A transgender young man was brutally murdered by a heartless mob of people last month in Jamaica because he didn't fit into whatever role society prescribed for him(Click here for the story) Incidents like that are the consequences of group think. 80 percent of women in the U.S. aredissatisfied with their appearance( Source). And more than 10 million are suffering from eating disorders(Source)
There's so much emphasis placed on appearances in our society and it's not just physical. Men must appear to be "masculine," people are encouraged to project the idea of wealth so much so that girls in Jamaica and the states are painting the bottom of their shoes red just to appear to have on Louboutins. (Source) I mean it's clear that a lot of these messages are reinforced by the media but they pervade every aspect of our society. Just look at the bleaching epidemic in Asia and Jamaica.
"I know we all get hit with this message that we're not good enough but we don't have to buy it."
The issues mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the destructive aspects of social programming. I know I'm going off on a tangent here but as a woman of color, from a multiethnic background, people are always trying to define me and I have to reinforce my identity on a daily basis. Instead of appearing to be what you're told you should be, be yourself. If you're busy being someone else, you're not living."JS: Planning any promotional tours?AL : "We're planning a promotional tour for next year to support the album."JS :What’s next for Agent Lexie or Lexie Lee?AL : Everything! I've only just begun.For information on Agent Lexie visit any one of these links below :
Website : www.agentlexie.com
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/agentlexie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/agentlexie
MySpace: www.myspace.com/lexielee
Instagram: www.instagram.com/agentlexiego
Twitter www.twitter.com/agentlexiego
That was one of the best interviews I have ever done. Thanks Agent Lexie!