Alex Lahey | |
|---|---|
Alex Lahey in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Alexandra Lahey Albert Park, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres |
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| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | alexlahey |
Alexandra Lahey (/ˈleɪhi/LAY-hee[1]) is an Australianalternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released three full length albums:I Love You Like a Brother (2017),The Best of Luck Club (2019) andThe Answer Is Always Yes (2023).
In addition to her solo work, Lahey has a reputation as a sought after collaborator, and has co-written and produced for artists includingMaggie Lindemann,Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers,Christian Lee Hutson,The Buoys,Gordi and more.
Alex Lahey was born and grew up inAlbert Park,[2] a suburb ofMelbourne, where she lived with her parents and younger brother, Will.[3] At 13 years old, she started taking saxophone lessons while teaching herself guitar.[4] Following high school, she started university courses in both music and arts but dropped out of the music component to join local group, Animaux, on vocals and saxophone.[4] In 2014, her question asking from how high a steak would need to be dropped to be cooked by the heat ofatmospheric re-entry appeared inRandall Munroe's bookWhat If?. After completing her arts degree Lahey decided to start a solo music career.[4]
Lahey's song "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me" receivedPitchfork's Best New Track Award,[4][5] and it was voted into theTriple J Hottest 100 of 2016 at No. 97.[6] Lahey subsequently won aTriple J Unearthed prize, leading to a performance slot atSplendour in the Grass and a nomination for aJ Award as Unearthed Artist of the Year.
In June 2016, Lahey won the Josh Pyke Partnership, for unsigned artists, which is co-sponsored byPyke,Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) andAustralasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS).[5] She received aAUD$7500 grant, a song writing mentorship from Pyke and introduction to music industry officials.[5] Lahey won the prize ahead of 200 entries and Pyke explained, "the song she submitted was immediately stuck in my head, and her lyrics were compelling and clever. Her turn of phrase was quirky and intelligent, and really relatable... I reckon most of us have been in the situation that's portrayed in the song 'You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me'."[5]
Lahey's debut extended play (EP),B-Grade University, was released on 29 July 2016, via Caroline Australia Records with distribution byUniversal Music Australia.[7] It reached No. 95 on theARIA Top 100 Physical Albums and No. 8 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums charts.[8]
In January 2017 Lahey signed toDead Oceans, which re-released her EP.[9] On 6 October 2017 she issued her debut album,I Love You Like a Brother, through her own independent label, Nicky Boy Records/Dead Oceans via Caroline Australia/Universal Music Australia.[10][11] Laura Stanley ofUnder the Radar observed, "[she] shares scenes from her own period of self-discovery, which makes for a fierce and incredibly fun debut full-length... the record standouts happen when Lahey and her bandmates zoom through spells of heartache with candidness and in a sharp pop-punk style."[12]
I Love You Like a Brother was placed on several albums-of-the-year lists, includingBandcamp Daily (at No. 40),[13]Noisey,[14] theSydney Morning Herald,[15]Under the Radar,BrooklynVegan, and redbull.com.[16]Spin Magazine would also cite the album as one of the magazine's 13 "Favorite Overlooked Albums of 2017".[17] After touring Australia through October 2017, Lahey undertook an international tour of US and Europe from December 2017 and April 2018.[18] At theARIA Music Awards of 2018 she was nominated forBreakthrough Artist – Release.[19]
In May 2019, Lahey released her second albumThe Best of Luck Club. The album was produced byCatherine Marks along with Lahey. Lahey spent all of 2019 touring Australia, North America, Europe and the UK and had extensive touring plans for 2020 before they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The song "Misery Guts" from the album was featured in the video gameTony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2.[20]
In 2020, Lahey wrote and recorded the original song "On My Way" forSony Pictures Animation'sThe Mitchells vs. the Machines, now Netflix’s biggest original animated release of all time.[21] The song was also released on the official film soundtrack viaSony Classical.[citation needed]
On 21 October 2021, Lahey revealed she had signed withLiberation Records and released "Spike the Punch".[22]
On 31 August 2022, Lahey released single "Congratulations" and announced national tour, commencing in October 2022. It will be her first since 2019.[23] Her third studio album,The Answer Is Always Yes, was released on 19 May 2023.
Lahey is gay.[24] Her partner is fellow Australian musicianGordi. The two released a collaboration, "Dino's", in early 2021.[25]
Lahey is an avid supporter of theSt Kilda Football Club[26] and performed at the club's 150th anniversary game at theMCG in 2023.[27]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [28] | ||
| I Love You Like a Brother |
| 15 |
| The Best of Luck Club |
| 30 |
| The Answer Is Always Yes |
| 55 |
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| B-Grade University |
|
| Between the Kitchen and the Living Room |
| Title | Year | Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Air Mail"[33][34] | 2015 | Non-album single | |
| "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me"[35] | 2016 | B-Grade University | |
| "Let's Go Out"[36] | |||
| "Ivy League"[37] | |||
| "Wes Anderson"[38] | 2017 | ||
| "Every Day's the Weekend" |
| I Love You Like a Brother | |
| "Lotto in Reverse"[40] | |||
| "I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself"[41] | |||
| "There's No Money"[42] | |||
| "I Love You Like a Brother"[43] | 2018 | ||
| "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself"[44] | 2019 | The Best of Luck Club | |
| "Am I Doing It Right?"[45] | |||
| "Unspoken History"[46] | |||
| "Welcome to the Black Parade" (Triple JLike a Version)[47] | Non-album single | ||
| "Sucker for Punishment"[48] | 2020 | ||
| "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)"[49] | |||
| "Dino's" (withGordi)[50] | 2021 | ||
| "Spike the Punch"[22] | |||
| "Congratulations"[23] | 2022 | The Answer Is Always Yes | |
| "Shit Talkin'"[23] | |||
| "Good Time"[23] | 2023 | ||
| "They Wouldn't Let Me in"[51] | |||
| "The Sky Is Melting"[52] | |||
| "On the Way Down"[53] | |||
| "Ego Is Not a Dirty Word"[54] | Mushroom: Fifty Years of Making Noise (Reimagined) | ||
| "Newsreader"[55] | The Answer Is Always Yes (re-issue) | ||
| "When the Rain Comes Down"[56] | |||
| "Break the Ice" (with Bob Junior) | 2025 | Non-album single | |
| "Don't Wanna Know" / "Rock & Roll Queen"[57] |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Skinny Dipping" (Stand Atlantic featuring Alex Lahey)[58] | 2019 | Skinny Dipping |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "On My Way" | 2021 | The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| Year | Artist | Song | Label | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Sweater Curse | "Close" | Independent | Co-writer |
| 2020 | Gordi | "Sandwiches" | Jagjaguwar/Liberation | Add. engineering |
| 2020 | Gordi | "Limits" | Jagjaguwar/Liberation | Add. engineering |
| 2020 | BLOXX | "Give Me The Keys" | Chess Club | Co-writer |
| 2020 | Maggie Lindemann | "Knife Under My Pillow" | swixxzaudio | Co-writer |
| 2020 | Maggie Lindemann | "Crash and Burn" | swixxzaudio | Co-writer |
| 2021 | Keli Holiday | "Where You Feel" | Independent | Co-Writer |
| 2021 | Japanese Wallpaper | "Leave A Light On" | Wonderlick /Sony Music | Co-Writer, backing vocals |
| 2021 | Gordi | "Grass Is Blue" | Jagjaguwar/Liberation | Producer, engineer |
| 2022 | Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers | "Pretty Good for a Girl Band" EP | Domestic La La | Producer, co-writer |
| 2022 | Christian Lee Hutson | "Rubberneckers" | Anti | Co-writer |
| 2022 | Maggie Lindemann | "how could you do this to me" ftKellin Quinn | swixxzaudio | Co-writer |
| 2022 | Gordi | "Way I Go" | Jagjaguwar/Liberation | Producer, engineer, co-writer |
| 2022 | Maggie Lindemann | "cages" | swixxzaudio | Co-writer |
| 2024 | The Buoys | "Check Mate" | Sony Music/Arcadia | Co-writer |
| 2025 | Gordi | "Peripheral Lover" | Liberation | Co-writer |
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally asAIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017[59] | herself | Best Independent Artist | Nominated |
| Breakthrough Independent Artist | Nominated | ||
| B-Grade University | Best Independent Album | Nominated | |
| "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me" | Best Independent Single or EP | Nominated | |
| 2018[60][61] | herself | Best Independent Artist | Nominated |
| I Love You Like a Brother | Best Independent Album | Nominated | |
| "Every Day's the Weekend" | Best Independent Single or EP | Won | |
| 2024[62] | The Answer Is Always Yes | Best Independent Rock Album or EP | Nominated |
TheAPRA Awards have been presented annually since 1982 by theAustralasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".[63]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Everyday’s the Weekend" | Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [64] |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating theAustralian music industry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | I Love You Like a Brother | Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | [19] |
| 2023 | The Answer Is Always Yes | Best Adult Contemporary Album | Nominated | [65] |
TheJ Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio stationTriple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016[66] | herself | Unearthed Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2017[67] | I Love You Like a Brother | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
TheMusic Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me" | Best Song | Nominated | [68][69] |
| herself | Best Female Artist | Won | ||
| Best Emerging Artist | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | herself | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | |
| 2019 | herself | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | |
| 2021 | "Dino's" (with Gordi) | Best Victorian Song | Nominated | [70][71] |
TheNational Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016[72] | herself | The Heatseeker Award (Best New Act) | Nominated |
| 2017[73][74] | herself | International Live Achievement (Solo) | Nominated |
| People's Choice - Live Act of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2018[75][76] | herself | International Live Achievement (Solo) | Nominated |
| Victorian Live Act of the Year | Won |
Born and raised in the suburb of Albert Park, Lahey was interested in music from a young age.