Kennesaw State student and bedroom pop artist Lexy Grizzle released her latest single “im sorry i cry” on Jan. 3.
“When do I get better?” her resigned, lo-fi voice sings in the latest release, carried forward by soft background harmonies and the rhythm of the drums. Grizzle cited indie pop and hyper-pop musical influences like Joji, Clairo, PinkPantheress, Faye Webster, Billie Eilish and FINNEAS.
According to Grizzle, “im sorry i cry” was inspired by her experience of coping with depression while living out of a hotel after her apartment flooded on Christmas night.
Grizzle said she writes and produces her music entirely independently. She was classically trained in piano and studied music for a year before switching to general studies. Nowadays, she works out of her bedroom or her car, armed with a MIDI keyboard and snippets of lyrics she writes during spikes of inspiration.
On the topic of mental health – a subject at the core of much of Grizzle’s work – Grizzle stressed the importance of staying true to one’s self in spite of anxiety.
“Whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you feel happy in your skin, whatever hobby you enjoy doing, just do it and don’t care about how anyone else feels about it,” Grizzle said. “Never stop working on your dreams.”
According to Grizzle, she discovered her passion for music during the pandemic in 2020 after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend.
“The last message I ever sent to him, I was like, ‘I’m gonna make music. I’m gonna start making music because I think that’s what would make me happy,'” Grizzle said. “So that was kind of like a catalyst.”
Grizzle said that she has had plentiful time alone since she became a fully online student in 2021, but this gives her more opportunities to explore her creativity and develop her musical style.
Grizzle’s advice for other aspiring musicians at KSU is to always be networking, even if it is something as simple as chatting with other KSU students online through social media.
“You’ll never know who is gonna be a good connection for you,” Grizzle said.
Grizzle also revealed that new music is on the way. Her upcoming song “simply,” inspired by her issues with insomnia, will officially release on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 and can be pre-saved now.
Lexy Grizzle can be found on Instagram at @lexygrizzle. Her music can be found on SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Music.
