Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Hi I’m Alex and I sing and play guitar in Fountain Island. Started the band in 2020 after having a long break from music. Started with a few demos that I sent to a good producer friend Joe Marsh who convinced me to make it a band. Fast forward 5 years later and here we are! I’ve always been musical and grew up in a musical family, a lot of my extended family play and even teach music! I originally wanted to play drums, my favourite part about music as a kid was the beat and rhythm. Listening to the Police that my dad put on drives to school really informed my early taste for music!
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Fountain Island”?
A: So a lot of bands we look up to are really about nurturing community culture and having tight nit groups around common interest and having their own space! Something we really want to focus on is developing more opportunities where we can meet people out and about or before shows! A big thing we want to start doing is live hangouts and acoustic street sets as well as meet ups where we can have fans make their own merch with us as well as ask us questions about everything music and anything else! We’re very much about the DIY band scene and many of us in the band have been part of pop up shows, events and local scenes and grew up in those bands so have always had that ethic of giving back deeply rooted in our own style.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Right now, creatively it’s Waterparks. They really deep dive into making interesting and genre bending music while still retaining that tongue in cheek light hearted vibe while tackling heavy personal topics. Another is the reason Fountain Island even got started, All American Rejects. They’ve been really making waves with their house shows and backyard gig tours recently which really cements them as real down to earth guys that are really going against the grain and making their own path. Really inspiring! Fun fact the band is actually named after them!
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Girl You Got Me.”?
A: ‘Girl You Got Me’ is a jilted love song about falling for someone who doesn’t fall back as hard. An emo song masquerading as bubblegum pop. Really paying homage to all the pop, emo and pop rock bands who can really send a poignant message over a catchy beat and chorus. Think Marianas Trench, Waterparks and Good Charlotte!
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Upbeat!
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Girl You Got Me”?
A: Like most bands, there’s always people who come and go that always makes getting your art out tricky. The biggest challenge was knowing when to take the time to regroup and now that the 3 of us are ready it’s never been a better time to get this song out there.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Our message is simple live everyday like it’s a holiday! Celebrate the little things and the big stuff comes naturally. Our goal is to show you that there’s a home for everyone! No matter your taste, you can find your people. And celebrate your differences! All three of us have felt like the outcasts before and it’s through music that we found our place, we just want our music and our shows to be that for someone else!
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Hands down we can all agree on John Feldmann as he’s touched so much great music that we all grew up on. Great musician, songwriter and producer he has it all! Personally it has to be Awsten Knight. I really feel we have a similar approach when it comes to writing and I imagine the skies the limit being in a room with him creatively plus we both have pretty extra energy so it would be nice to have someone to match that.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Try absolutely everything. It’s too easy to see music as a hurdle or something that requires qualification to even get near. Fail a lot! No greater teacher than that. And make friends! Easier said than done but definitely reach out to people with similar interests or who are already in a position where you want to be. Asking questions is the best way and you will definitely make friends and that’s the easiest way in to getting closer to where you want to be.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I definitely wish someone had shown me all it took was to say ‘I’m making a band’ and get it done yourself and to just put up an ad looking for others to make it with me.
