Alexandria Corn is a young, spunky country singer that dreams of making it big in the Nashville country music scene. She’s not afraid of hard work (her time trying out for American Idol proves that) or chasing her dreams. Nashville Noise sat down with the talented singer to get to know her a little bit better.
Nashville Noise: When did you first realize your passion for country music?
Alexandria Corn: I grew up in two different households [her mother and her father’s], listening to many different genres of music. Country was a big influence on my sister and I. The first album I ever received was Shania Twain‘s Come On Over… I don’t think it was until my first trip to Nashville when I knew I really wanted to become part of the country music community. I fell in love with every little thing about it, but mostly the fans. The dedication of the fans and how for the first time in a while, I saw people genuinely happy by music that moved them and made them feel a certain type of way.
How did trying out for American Idol influence your career journey?
American Idol was my first biggest test to myself… I say it was a test because it took a lot of mental and physical push, and being so young at the time, I didn’t really know I had it in me. Every day, my passion grew stronger and I think it was at its strongest point when I was cut from the final audition. I didn’t let it discourage me in any way, but I think that’s what you have to be strongest about. It gave a young 16-year-old girl hope.
Your first time at CMA Fest also really influenced you.
I fell in love with Nashville the second I stepped off the plane, maybe it’s because it reminds me a little of my hometown… The whole week at CMA Fest was the best experience that I’ve had to this day. I got to see and meet so many of my favorite performers from Taylor Swift to Hunter Hayes. I think CMA week is a must-go-to for all artists. You can find amazing performers performing at almost every venue in Nashville during that week. I’m hoping that this year, that will be me!
During that time you also met Jillian Farrar and wrote your first single. Tell me about that first songwriting experience. What was it like?
Jillian is a brilliant songwriter and I am the luckiest person to have met her. It happened in such a crazy way. I think God brought us together for a reason. We talked about working together in Nashville, but I was only there for a few days. When I flew back to New York, she sent me some songs she was working on. I fell in love with her style of writing.
We wrote “Say It Again” over Skype, as I was sitting on my bed one rainy night in upstate New York. It was our first time writing together, so we didn’t really have a direction yet of what we wanted to write about. We were talking through Skype, it was a very poor connection and it was breaking up. One of us said “Wait, say that again? Say it again?” We thought it was a cool title and kind of ran with it. It’s funny how a song can come about.
Since then, you’ve played for some big festivals and opened for some huge acts. What have you learned through the process?
It was a crazy past year. To be able to open up for artists who I used to watch in concert is just a dream come true. For me, it all happened very fast, and I never really had the time to stop and breathe and say “Wow… I dreamed about this point in my life and career for so long and now it’s happening!” Of course, it did not come easy, and I learned a lot about myself during all of it. But the biggest thing I learned was to trust myself. There is always going to be a lot of people telling you what to do and what to say.
The year has just started. What do you hope to accomplish this year and beyond with your music?
I’m working on a bunch of new music now to release. I’m working on my EP as well. But my biggest thing this year is to move from L.A. to Nashville. I’ve had my fun in L.A., and I’ve met some pretty amazing people along the way who have inspired me like crazy. So it’s time to make that move — and I think it’ll be the best yet.
Stay tuned for more from Corn as it’s released and be sure to check out her music on Spotify.
