BobbyCast Presents: Unsigned & Independent: Lexie Hayden - From Intern to Full Time Artist

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the sixth and final episode of this limited series podcast. It's called Unsigned and Independent with Kevin O'Connell. On this episode, Kevin has a familiar face to everyone here at the Bobby Bones Show, Lexie Hayden. Lexi was once an intern here while in college before going back to finish school and then moving back to Nashville for good in order to chase her dreams of being a musician. One thing Kevin has discovered with these independent artists is their ability to remain independent and be proud to do so, but also be striving for more, and Lexi is a great example of that. Lexi still has held a full time job while continuing to perform on nights and weekends. She's appeared on an MTV reality show. She's most recently teamed up with Pepsi and United Masters for a project to highlight independent artists, which they talk about here. She's also been out and opened for me on some shows. Now, a lot of these artists don't have management teams. In the next six months can vary for them because there are no plans in place. They're just working trying to go week to week, and Kevin finds that fascinating and that's what he's here to do. So Lexie Hayden is her name, and this is Unsigned and Independent with Kevin O'Connell. Welcome to the sixth and final episode of Unsigned and Independent. This is Kevin O'Connell. Thank you so much. If you listen to any of the first five as well. We've had some great artists, great bands, all tell their stories also unique, and this one is no different. With Lexie Hayden. Alexis great. She was an intern here Bobby Bone Show a while ago, and now she's chasing her dream still in Nashville. She's got a lot of things in the works right now which we dive into, like an MTV reality show that she did earlier this year, and how she balances having another job while still trying to pursue the music career. She's great, her story is great. You're gonna really enjoy this. They'll follow her at Lexie Hayden, follow me at Kickoff, Kevin. Make sure you share the episode, share the artist, share the music, share it all. Thank you so much for listening. Here's Lexie Hayden. Hey Lexie, how you doing today? I'm good? How are you doing good? Doing good it. So you used to be an intern here for the show, is that correct? Yeah? And it's always really weird being back in the studio because I wasn't intern here in fourteen. I was twenty years old, a long time ago. Yeah, so that makes me almost thirty now. Well, I am over thirty and thirty one, So don't worry. It's not as bad as they say. It's not as good as they say. It's not as bad as they say. Um, right around the corner. But when did you or did you come here to Nashural for the internship or did you come here for music and that kind of landed in your lab? How did that come about? I came here specifically for the internship because I hadn't graduated college yet. It was like in between junior and senior year, so the internship was actually credits for my you know, my in music industry minor in college. So I specifically moved here for this internship and obviously to make connections and end to dip my feet into Nashville because I'd never really been here or connected with people, and you know, it was kind of like taking someone who had really never been here or like been in the industry and like throwing her in like head first, like at the Bobby Bones Show, like meeting like every country music star you could ever imagine. And it was like it was almost like too much, too fast, because then when I moved back to Nashville permanently, like a year later, it was like whoa, I you know, now I'm kind of starting from the very beginning. But it was it was so so important for me to have that internship and making those relationships with everyone at the show was was so beneficial. And I still obviously nurture those relationships today, right, right, And Bobby andself, I know, Bobby, is you know a fan of yours? You were on the show? You're here what back in April or May maybe something like that, right, And Bobby has been such a good help to you, pushing your music, pushing you as an artist. And is that something that you still have a good relationship with Bobby or is that now more professional or is it also like a personal relationship with him as well, because I know he's helped me out in my year and a half that I've been here tremendously with his podcast and a lot of things. So I just kind of want you to talk about that a little bit with him. Now he's helped you push you a little bit as well. I think that there was a big gap in between like me moving here permanently like after the internship and then Bobby kind of like me ending up back on Bobby's radar. I think it was very Bobby of him to like let me do everything myself and like righte and record and get noticed and start like gaining all this traction. And then Bobby was like, you know, I notice your hard work and you're doing it the right way, and I respect that, and I'm going to start helping push you a little bit, which is kind of what he does, Like he wants to see people do the work, and then he wants to be like, Okay, I see you did the work, and I respect that because Bobby loves people who work hard. And then I think the first time he had kind of like um recognized me like publicly was on the Bobby Cast. I think in or and I released an album and they highlighted it on the Bobby Cast. And then after that it was just kind of like full swing, like I was on the Women of Our Heart con rougeau with like every single song I released was pretty much on the Women of Our Country Show, and then you know, opening for Bobby coming on in the show. As an artist, I became the National Spotlight Artist of the Week one week with one of my songs, and it just kind of like I think, from then on, he just continued to support me, and it's been incredible, Like I can't ask for anything more. Yeah, he's awesome. You moved from Virginia, is that right? And you grew up did you grow up loving country music? Is music something that you wanted to do forever? Did you know Nashville is in the um back of your mind? Oh? Yeah, Nashville was like number one for like most of my life. I knew I wanted to be a country singer. I loved country music. I never listened to anything else. It was like in middle school, I would sing Martina McBride, Tricia Yearwood, Faith Hill, Like I had a karaoke machine and all the CDs were just female country. Every CD that I had for karaoke, it was female country hits. So it was like Sarah Evans, you know, all those people that shaped me Um growing up, Shania Twain, everyone like that, And so I knew I wanted to move to Nashville. There was never there was never any other plan for me. Um. But I did go to college in Virginia, which I don't regret. I've I've loved my four years at James Madison University, which is in southern Virginia, and and then I moved here right after. So I feel like I moved here at the perfect age I had just I was like one month into being twenty two, and um, it was the perfect age to move here. And how much has changed for you in the what is its six seven years that you've been here, I guess as an artist, not because you said you intern went back and then came back right correct, Okay, so ever since you moved back, permanently everything has changed. I look at where I am now, and I think it's you get to an age like I'm twenty nine, where you could you have to stop comparing your story to everyone else is. And I think that's the most important part of being in this industry, is that everyone's story is different. And if you would have told me that my year this year is probably the biggest year that I've had as an artist. And if you would have told me that this year I would have of a song and country radio with Priscilla Block. If you told me that, like five years, I would have been like, I would never have guessed that, Like ever would I have predicted that. I mean, she was like one of my really good friends, and we wrote together as friends, like neither of us had anything going on, like and we wrote that song but none of us had nothing going none of us had nothing going on. So like, I just never could have predicted that that I would have a top song with Priscilla Block, like as an independent writer, never could have predicted that that I would be on an MTV show this year. Never never was that on my list of things I was gonna do this year. I didn't wake up and be like, I want to be on MTV um and then working with Pepsi now as a one of the twelve Pepsi artists. I just everything that's happened, I could have never predicted it. So I think it's just you just stopped comparing your story, and you stopped trying to like set these unrealistic goals and expectations and and just write it and know that your version of success is whatever you make it totally agree, totally agree. I do want to go back to I'm glad you brought up the MTV and the PEPSI I do want to go back to the MTV and I want to have you kind of explained on what this show was. It was a reality show, right, a music show. Because I don't watch MTV anymore, I'm like, I mean we talked about it when he came on the show six months ago, and I'm like, I don't really know what this is, so kind of explain what that it's called? Take uh sorry not take me on becoming a pop Star? Correct? So what is becoming are you? Are you a pop star? I don't know. You didn't become one. So when they cast in me for the show, it was called the MTV Music Video Project. It wasn't called Becoming a pop Star. Like it had a totally different name, and it was a new show, like first season, you know, things were bound to change, so like obviously, like the name changed a few times, I think before they like settled on a name. But like I was so confused when I hopped on the first zoom with like the producers and they were like, our new show name is becoming a pop star, and I was like, UM, should I be here in this meeting like on the show UM? But they casted me like a casting person I think went to the Whiskey jam the head of Whiskey, jam Ward Gunther, and said, you know, we want to represent all genres of music on this new TV show on MTV, and do you have up and coming country artists that you could recommend? And Ward gave out a ton of names, mine included, and I was one of the people that UM was approached by casting and I kind of went through casting even though I really never wanted to be on a TV show like that. It was never something I wanted to do, but you know, it was seemed like too good of an opportunity to turn down and something I felt like, you know, why would I not do this? Like? And so I did it and I was one of eight on the show. I was then only country artist on the show. Everyone else was like pop, hip hop, R and B RAP and so I really stood out in that way. And you know, Joe Jonas was one of the UM judges yes, which for me, I didn't find that out until the day I got to l a ex for you, Okay, Okay, I didn't know if you met like, oh pop, I'm not really but at the same time, I mean the Jonas brother for a twentysothing year old girl, that's got to be exciting. Oh. So, they didn't tell us who the judges were until we got to l A and they have us in this room. They have like a power point going and telling us all about the show and what what we're gonna be doing, because you know, it's still at this time. We're kind of like, okay, we got to l A, like what's going on? And then they're like, here's your judges, and they showed Joe Jonas and I'm like, what, I'm like, Joe Joan, I'm about to meet Joe Jonas. Not only that, he's about to know who I am as a songwriter and an artist. And at the very so, I guess the I should tell you. The synopsis of the show is that we had to write songs for each episode, which is why I did want to do it, because the show was based on original songs. So we wrote a song for episode one, and our task was to write about our hometown. So I wrote a song called Dear Nashville, and that was my episode one song and you had to create a music video at home for it, and that's how they cast to the final eight. Is based on your song, your hometown song and video. And so that was on episode one, was my hometown song and video. And then I made it to episode two with that six of us, and it was duets week. So then we went and did duets and um another contestant, Yeah, and that was a grand name, Amira Daughtry and she was a Muslim African American artist, and we created one of my favorite songs of all time and it won the fan favorite video for that episode. And you guys just met on the show. That's awesome and and at the finale, Joe Jonas said it was his favorite song of the whole season. How cool is that? Did you get it on recording? Did it's on the it's I mean you could, I mean it's on the finale. And they never released the songs, which is such a bummer. But I have, I have, you know, hope that they will release the songs to Spotify someday. But it's called Sunshine and it's just a really powerful song. And we actually just released another duet together, me and Amira two weeks ago, so our relationship is still going strong. No way, where is she in Nashville here or No, she's in Atlanta. It's not too far. Yeah, I went to Atlanta and we recorded in June, and then we went to California and did all the content and it came out about two weeks ago. It's called Work Till the Morning. That's awesome. Good for you, good for you both. So what did you take from that experience? Good and bad? Um, not every TV show is going to make you famous, because there's so many TV shows out there, and it was an amazing experience. Um, I got comfortable being on camera. I love I love being on camera. I love attention. I love like I'm just a big personality. So it was so much fun for me to be on TV and to like learn what goes on behind the scenes. Like now when I watch reality shows, I'm like, I know exactly what y'all be doing behind the scenes. Now I know how this works. Okay, they did this a million times, Okay, and so I know that. I got to meet Joe Jonas and Becky g was another one of the judges, and I did I actually did choreography and our video for Duets, which is so out of my comfort zone. And I just you know, learned so much and got so much credibility, I think for just being on TV and MTV and meeting and I would have never made a song with someone like Amira if it wasn't for MTV. That's awesome, That's cool how that all works out. It comes full circle of the good and the bad. But at the end of the day you look at the positive of it and you're like, well, yeah, I would have never met this person or done this or experience this, and it all I kind of molds you into who you are today and take forward with you. Right. What about social media? I want to touch on that real quick with TikTok. Are you pretty popular on TikTok? Because I like to talk about this with each artist that comes in for this podcast, because you get a little bit of the older crowd that are like, I don't know about you know, social media, but for somebody I know Charlie Reynolds. A few episodes ago, she talked about how I found her on TikTok, that's how it came across her and then she came in here. Is that something that you use to your advantage, because I know that you have a trend called take me Home? Was that correct? Yeah? That will. When take Me Home came out, it kind of went viral. I don't really know what people can. I mean, viral has a different sense of meaning for everybody, but I think it has about four thou views and um, but on top of the views, like what happened is that everyone started making videos to the song, like lip syncing to it and and so it was like I think seven plus videos of people just making their own videos, which is so cool because like I didn't tell any anyone like go make a video to this song, like hey, show me your video, none of that. It was just like people made videos on their own, which was cool and um that I think was the most fun part about that song is how people related to their own stories of like how they wanted you know, someone in their life that you know didn't make them settle. And um, I think TikTok is an amazing tool for independent artists. And it's a struggle because it's like you put so much weight in what you're posting and how many views you get, and I think it's easy to get really caught up into it. Um. But at the same time, like, I've made so many fans and I've made so many like I've had so much fun on TikTok, like, and I try to post every single day. I try to do things. If I see something's working, I try to run with it and do that. Um. But it's been an amazing way to share my music. And it's actually technically the show was discovered by TikTok. That's MTV show Boy, So technically TikTok is the reason I got on the show. So you try to use it to your advantage, right, not and not necessarily take advantage of it. But it's a platform at the end of the day, at the platform for your artist or for whoever is trying to be creative and to use that to reach a bigger audience, especially as an independent artist. I feel like nowadays, and what I'm discovering while doing this podcast is you can be independent more nowadays than you could maybe ten twenty years ago because you have more platform and are you do you love that aspect of it, being able to do what you want, when you want and the music that you want and still reaching a major platform because of TikTok because of Instagram or Twitter or Facebook, whatever it may be. Yeah, I mean you can reach so many people. I mean when I had my actually one of my most viral videos I think was like over half a million views, was of me hearing sad songs on the radio for the first time. Uh, and it was the Women About Her Country show, And it was the first song that had ever played on the Women About Her Country Show. So it truly was the first time hearing a song of mine on the radio and it was just my reaction and it got It's the reason I have, like I think a lot of the followers I do now because people saw that video like two years ago. Um, but I think people just love to root for the underdog on TikTok. That's really what it comes down to, as like you're you feel like you're supporting somebody who didn't have that opportunity or doesn't have someone to speak for them or a voice. Like for me, I don't have a manager, I don't have a publisher, I don't have an agent, I don't have anything. But I've still been able to make this whole career for myself and people on TikTok they see that, and it's me saying I'm an independent artist. You know, I've been here for you know, it's like five years at the time, and this is my first time hearing myself on the radio. And people want to see that. They want to support you, they want to feel like they're helping you make it. And is that something you want to stay with as far as independent and you know, the unsigned and independent road going down or is it just one of those If offer or a deal or whatever comes that's the right one, then maybe I'll think about it. Yeah, I think I think it would be the right deal. And I think that there is there's pros and cons to both being independent and being not and I think that, um, you know, you can ride out the independent wave as long as you want. At some point, if I had the right deal, I would totally take it because there are just some things that I probably would never be able to accomplish, especially as a female independent artist, like without a label or without a booking agent or something like that. In reality of like taking a song to country radio, you know that's millions of dollars and going on major tours. I mean that takes a booking agent there's only so much I think you can do up until a certain point. Um, But I'm not going to go out and like make my whole life searching for that deal. I'm gonna work as hard as I can until somebody notices. And speaking of independent artists, you yourself are doing some work that correct with Pepsi and United Masters. Can you speak on that a little bit and kind of describe or explain what that is. So at the finale of the MTV show, the whole show was put on by Pepsi, so it was a Pepsi show. So the whole set was Pepsi. We only drank and ate Pepsi products on set. I'm not lying when I say no. That's why I'm laughing because I know you are not exaggerating at all. You were being dead serious and that is all that was on that set, oh all, And even I mean, I just went to New York with Pepsi and it was like, no one brings any non Pepsi products into this room. Because I've been around, like going to events. I'll be with like Anheuser Busch rep or something right with but light and all that, and They're like, dude, do not even bring a course like near me and they are dead serious. All my friends joke about it now. It's like a huge running joke. It's like, don't you dare bring that coke lexi? Okay um. But so at the finale of the MTV show, they put us. They brought all the contestants back for the finale to l A to like be on the finale episode, which was really cool because we got to see everyone again and be on TV again. And then they brought us on stage at veryan which is surprise, and they were like, PEPSI wants to continue working with you, and we're offering um these places in the Pepsi Music Lab for all eight of you basically, and so through that, when you know, a few months went, we had a lot of meetings with the United Masters and Pepsi and then we all officially, I think there's six of us from the show that are officially in the program. And so we're gonna be releasing two songs with Pepsi and United Masters, which if you don't know who, United Masters is their distribution service, So they're like tune Core or one RPM, like it's what you used to distribute your music to Spotify and Apple Music. So we we picked two songs. So I have two songs that I nerve and heard before and um I recorded them about a week and a half ago. And then they'll go over to Pepsi and United Masters and they're gonna come out next year UM with them, and they're gonna do everything they can to create opportunities for us in the next fifteen months that we're in the program. Wow, that's super exciting. Yeah, that's that's that's awesome. See another thing that came out of the MTV and telling yeah you you just Yeah, I am so glad I did that show. Um, I don't regret it at all. That's awesome. Man, it sounds like it's leading to a lot more opportunities, which at the end of the day, it's all about the networking and creating more opportunities for yourself. Yes, um, well, what what else future wise next six to twelve months outside of that? Do you have planned? You have some some singles coming out and the music that you want to talk about or what's in the works. So next year is kind of a mystery for me, But I kind of like it that way because I feel like that's what this year was for me and look what happened, and um, I'm excited. I think that I'm finally ready, like I'm getting to the point where, Um, this year, I've been able to really live off my music financially, which has been one of the coolest parts of this year, especially with having a song country Radio, being on this TV show, working with Pepsi, and I've had a lot of sync opportunities with music as well. So it's really something that I've been working where my whole life is be able to financially depend on music. And I think I'm finally next year will be that point where I can do music full time because I still nanny a little bit. That's what I wanted to ask you about that. You're You're one of the few where I've talked to where, you know, a lot of people move here and they work another job until then, and a lot of people I've talked to you so far they finally worked up to where they only play music for the last couple of years. But you're still working another job while doing your music currently. Correct, And what do you You You said you're a nanny, Yeah, but the nanny is like two hours, like three or four days a week. Yeah, but two hours with kids that can sometimes seem like it's and you know, I really don't even know that I can give up the kids like I and they're getting too old now where it's like the perfect time where like they're not even like the oldest is not thirteen, so it's like they don't I mean the youngest is five, but like it's like almost like the perfect time because I'm not needed as much. I'm more of like an uber driver, like I'm taking a gymnastics I do car full line. I was joking the other day, I was like I literally picked up the kids like harpal and I went to c M a party. I was like, from the carpal line to them, Really, that's what it is. Do you ever have Did you ever have a lot of trouble not necessarily now, but say a few years ago juggling the balancing act And how many late nights did you have doing music in early morning? Did you have to do that a lot? It was it was really hard. And now I finally feel like I'm at a point where I have the perfect schedule and my schedule is so flexible to like I went to New York for the Pepsi stuff two weeks ago, and you know, I just tell the mom and nanny. I'm like, she knows my music opportunities come first. She's a manager as well, she manages Phil Vasser, and she does a lot of different stuff, so she knows, she knows the drill, she knows what's up. So if I'm like, hey, i gotta go to New York the whole week, She's like, go girl, I love it. It helps to have that support, especially somebody local. Do you have that back home as well with your parents and your family? Are they're very supportive? Yeah? My mom sent me was at spin class this morning and she made her spin teacher play my new song with a mirror work till the morning. They were spinning to it this morning. Yeah, did ever everyone go crazy for it? Yeah? And it's it's such a sink song, so I'm really excited to see what It's so different for me. It's it's like, uh, it really like it sounds like some of you and hearing a commercial, it's really not like country is my other stuff. But I think it's to the point of my career where I've thrown so much stuff at the wall to see what works. I'm like, I'm just gonna throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. It's called Work Till the Morning, Work Till the Morning, and it is out correct. You can go streaming if you're listening to this right now, go stream it Work Till the Morning by Amra Unplugged and Lexie Hayden, and listen to it when you're at the gym. I promise it'll pump you up. I love that. I love that, Lexie. I've had a great time doing this. This has been awesome. Is there anything else you'd like to say or promote talk about? Yeah, go listen to Work Till the Morning. And I've got two Branny songs coming out next year and I'm just super excited to see what this next year brings. And go independent artists. Love it, love it, keep push and for where can they find you? On social media? Um, Lexi Hayden, Eli x I E. You can't forget the E on the end of Lexi and then Hayden and it's just Lexi Haydden music on TikTok, I'm on Facebook, YouTube, I'm everywhere. Go find her. Alexi Hayden, She's everywhere. You can find her. Lexi, thanks a lot, Thank you so much for having me