OTS Magazine is proud to present an exclusive interview with Korean-American artist, producer, and performer AleXa, whose fearless approach to music, identity, and creative freedom continues to redefine the landscape of global pop.

This editorial brings together an exceptional international creative team, with beauty creative direction by Esteban Villanueva, makeup by Stefan Rogo using MAC Cosmetics, and hair by Adam Lukacs using IOMI and Maria Nila. Together, they create a striking visual narrative that reflects AleXa's bold artistry, individuality, and ever-evolving creative vision.

From winning NBC's American Song Contest to captivating European audiences through Melodifestivalen 2026, AleXa has continued to break boundaries across music, fashion, and culture. As a Korean-American artist navigating multiple identities and industries, she represents a new generation of creatives whose careers transcend borders while remaining deeply authentic.

In this exclusive conversation with OTS Magazine, AleXa reflects on creative freedom, identity, women's empowerment, global artistry, and the lessons she's learned while building a career entirely on her own terms.

Honest, empowering, and refreshingly candid, this interview offers readers an intimate glimpse into the woman behind the music and the exciting new era she's now embracing.

When I really think about every major event, performance, and achievement that I’ve gone through in my career, I feel like the biggest moment that brought forth any substantial change was definitely doing the American Song Contest back in 2022. While it was an American broadcast centered around a European competition, I finally garnered attention back in Korea, where I live, and I truly felt seen as an “idol” for the first time in my career.

Winning ASC was such an enormous achievement for me, and there was so much love and support and many positive outcomes that came from participating in the program. Through my experience in the show, and from what came after as well, I will say that I learned that attention is fleeting; you need to make the most of the spotlight while it’s on you before it starts to fade.

I've always considered myself a bit of an outsider my entire life, never really blending in or belonging to one specific group. To this day, I’d say that sentiment still rings true – about my music and me. I feel like there’s no specific niche that I fit into. My mother, who is Korean but was adopted at a young age, had never really been in touch with her heritage, so despite my coming from a mixed background, I never felt “Korean” growing up. When I moved to Korea and got properly introduced to the language and culture, that’s when I began to feel more in touch with my roots. Even though I am mixed, I was perceived as Asian nearly my entire life by everyone around me, so having this weird disconnect between my appearance versus what/how I felt culturally was a huge identity clash for me. At the same time, I’m an American-born citizen but never really felt at “home” where I was born – Tulsa, Oklahoma. Coming to Korea, especially in the beginning, I felt all too culturally “American” and felt like such an outsider in my mother’s home country. I’ve learnt, adapted, and transformed over the years and feel so at home in Korea now. That being said, being thrust into the Swedish spotlight was another huge game changer that felt completely out of my comfort zone and really gave me a bit of an identity crisis again. I’m a Korean-American artist who debuted as a K-pop idol who’s now participating in a European competition that just happens to be Sweden’s most important pop culture event of the year. My multiverse of madness truly never ends, haha…

Back when I was actively promoting as an idol, my entire concept was based around the visuals, rather than the sound. The visuals came first, and the songs were written around those concepts. I truly enjoyed the hard-hitting and intense songs and choreographies that I got to perform in those early years, but it is truthfully hard to say that any of it felt organic. Nearly 95% of the music that was put out while I was under my former label was all provided, pre-written, and just thrown at me in the recording booth. I was rarely allowed to touch my songs, even just for lyric revisions. So now that I have complete and total freedom to try out whatever I want, it’s like I’m having a metaphorical fashion show – I get to walk the runway showcasing things I’ve always wanted to dip my toes into, sounds I’ve always liked, and lyricism that feels fun and true to myself and my life, finally.

At this point in my career, I refuse to not oversee nearly every single aspect of what goes into my artistry. Having no autonomy over myself for seven years unfortunately had a negative impact on my life, and I am trying my hardest to rectify, remedy, and rebirth myself in a way that will allow me to grow and flourish both as an artist and as a human being.

Participating in Melodifestivalen 2026 feels like the weirdest fever dream in the best way. Such an odd and unexpected turn of events with some of the most incredible people that I’ve ever had the chance to work with. I’m so grateful for my teams over at Kreation Music Rights & Sony Music. The folks in Sweden were definitely intrigued by my entry, to say the least, haha… I garnered an entire new fanbase that I never had even imagined. I’m so grateful to everyone who voted me through to the semifinals and who was supporting me every step of the way. Being able to meet Swedish fans in person, I can definitely say that they are a bit more shy and reserved than other fans, but the love and support is still ever present.

Many people see the entertainment industry as a competition at the end of the day – I refuse to see it as such. I don’t care if I’m the “best” or the most “famous”. I’m an artist because I love music and I love performing. Needing to have an ever-changing approach to your artistry is such a tiring way to navigate the industry – for me, I’m just doing what I want and having fun while making my dreams come true. It’s a blessing that I’ve been able to stay in the industry for as long as I have, and I’m only just now in the driver’s seat for the first time. I’m excited to see where my journey takes me.

Oh, no doubt about it. There were many moments throughout my career where I’d lost my confidence, my will to continue, my love and my passion for music and performing… Those moments truly felt like the deepest and darkest moments of my life. Thanks to my loving fans all around the world, who so kindly and generously give their support day in and day out, I had some positivity to reflect on during those negative times. I was also able to navigate out of that darkness because of my incredible friends. I’m someone who firmly believes that the company that you keep says a lot about you as a person. Sure, the internet may see shallow connections on social media, where celebrities follow each other and who they post, but it’s the connections that happen off-screen and the moments that you share with those people that can really be healing for the heart and mind.

I can only hope to see the future of the music industry being filled with more fearless and resilient artists. I want to see more people who reject authority, people who want to carve their own path, people who don’t care about the numbers, the brand deals, the “fame”… Artists who are passionate and refuse to let that flame die.

My fashion and aesthetic choices are ever-changing. I grew up heavily alternative, and I feel like that’s an obvious statement to make given my current appearance. The tattoos and piercings are here to stay. There are some days, however, when I want to seem softer and more digestible to the general public, and I wonder about how certain outfits would look without all my ink showing. Some days I want to dress hyperfeminine; some days I’m sitting in a masculine energy. Some days it’s alternative-forward looks with leather and spikes and hardware; other days I dress like a grandma who knits on a park bench every Tuesday afternoon. I’m all over the place – in so many aspects of my life, haha.

At the end of the day, I love every single song that I help create, and I can only hope that my fans do, too. Not everybody is going to like everything, but as long as somebody is listening to what I release, then that makes me happy. I want my fans to know that I’m having fun and I’m finally enjoying life as an artist.

I want nothing more than to see more badass women become prominent figures in the music world. We have such strong women in the industry right now who have all faced relentless criticism from the public but continue to be true to themselves and their artistry no matter what. I’m a HUGE fan of Megan Thee Stallion and everything that she stands for. She’s an entrepreneur; she’s a pioneer; she’s health-conscious; and she has accolades upon accolades for many achievements, both as herself and as an artist. I respect the hell out of her.

I would have to say Vivienne Westwood, hands down. I LOVE Vivienne Westwood. I was introduced to the brand in my teenage years through one of my favourite manga/anime, “Nana”. Teenage me could never afford it at the time, so it was always just a fantasy of mine, but now as a successful adult, I own so many iconic Vivienne pieces and am always looking to expand my collection.

I need to stop doubting myself. I’ve always been my biggest enemy, my biggest critic, and my own biggest hater. I do think a lot of it stems from external stress and negativity and pressure that I experienced over the last couple of years, but recently, I’ve stopped being so hard on myself. I still think critically and logically about every move that I make; nothing I say or do is ever approached with an “F-it" mindset, but I don’t worry myself sick anymore.

The Joys of Freedom and Living on My Own Time.