A few months ago, we got a chance to interact with Lexxi Saal when she released “Break a Bottle”, giving us a glimpse into her art. The 21-year-old singer/songwriter is already working to carve a niche for herself in the industry and has performed alongside megastars such as Demi Lovato and Fifth Harmony.
Lexxi has recently released her new single titled “Running”. When we said that “Break a Bottle” was a mere glimpse into singer’s vocal prowess, we really meant it. Her new single is a powerful ballad with a strong message.
While the discourse for mental health has been initiated online and offline, there is still a stigma around anxiety and depression. Contributing her part to the conversation, Saal’s single acts as an initiator for conversation around mental health. Pouring her heart and soul into this beautiful song, Lexxi is trying to convey the severity of the situation.
“The average person has about 60,000 thoughts a day… that’s a lot of internal dialogue. I want my fans to know they are not alone and to remind them to turn off their critical inner voice and become the best version of themselves to avoid any interruptions and live their best life.”
She tries to explain how it feels to have a constant internal struggle and why it’s okay to talk about it. In an interview with CelebMix, Lexxi talks about the inspiration behind “Running” and the creative process that went behind creating it. Check out the complete interview below:
Congratulations on “Running”. We absolutely loved the single. Please tell our readers about the track.
Thank you, I’m glad you loved it. My fans would write to me often talking about their personal experience and inner struggles that they were dealing with. Thankfully we are living in a time when it’s okay to talk about mental health issues without social stigma. Depression is real we are losing too many beautiful souls. In my recording, I wanted to give a raw, vulnerable vocal delivery letting them know that they are not alone.
The narrative and the questions put forth in the track strike a chord with a lot of people today. We would like to know more about the selection of the topic and what kind of creative process did you go through to pen down the song?
Through “Running” I want to encourage the people listening, to be honest, and open with themselves and their thoughts. Raise awareness and keep people talking so those in need of help will know where to go and how to recognize small signs they might need help. I hope to start conversations, conversations on some topics in which many people relate but don’t want to talk about.
The average person has about 60,000 thoughts a day, that’s a lot of internal dialogue. I want to let those who are listening know they are not alone and to remind them to turn off their critical inner voice. Writing this song started to flow right from the beginning. It was not like I sat down and said: “I am going to write a song about….” No, I sat down to my piano one night and it just came through.
Vocally too, we found it to be quite powerful. The track really shows your vocal prowess and invokes some of the deepest emotions in the listener. How do you see your development as a vocalist from your first release till “Running”?
Thank you I have been blessed with my vocal abilities and hear and feel a lot of growth as an artist. You know music is art and you never know what is going to come from your inner creative it is never manufactured so sounds often evolve and often surprise.
Will your fans get a chance to see the music video?
I am releasing a lyric video for “Running,” and I am really excited for the fans to see it. One of my talented friends Michael Jean created the animation and video and I absolutely love it.
Today, a lot of artists have come forth to talk about anxiety, depression and over the last few years, there are some people (popular and unpopular) that we have lost due to these issues. How do you think can industry help in normalization of conversation around mental illness?
In this industry as well as many others I think mental Illness should be spoken about and cared for. Specially hectic schedules body image pressure to be number one charts etc makes possibilities of depression possible. It is no secret many greats suffered from depression silently in their own homes, what if we could have saved them through therapy and simply knowing help is out there.
Sometimes you have to be in the uncomfortable situation of being the person that has to say “I know you are suffering let’s get you help”. Substance abuse alcohol is often turned to when mental health issues are present. It is important to talk about, it is important to know and understand what people are going through. If you talk to someone about what you are dealing with you can get proper treatment by professionals who want to help want to see you be the best version of yourself.
We recently discovered http://lexxiloves.org. Please tell us about LexxiLoves.org
Yes! I would love to tell you about LexxiLoves.org I founded the foundation when I was eight years old. I discovered that my mom was in foster care I couldn’t imagine one not being as blessed as I am with my family. I wanted to give of myself and support those in care. We work with the children in foster care, providing them with support. Our mission with LexxiLoves.org 501(c) is to make a child smile. We have many programs through LexxiLoves.org including our annual holiday drive where we collect and receive donations for the kids in care.
We have “Music Makes the World Go Round,” giving those in care who are musically inclined, the opportunity to learn and play the instrument, to give them the platform and ability to follow their dreams as anyone deserves to.
Would you like to share with your future projects or endeavors?
I have a release I am so looking forward to in the next few weeks and I am writing a lot for myself as well as television and film so I will have some exciting things in the future to share with you.
You can stream “Running” on Spotify:
Share your thoughts about the song via tweet @CelebMix.