2022 was a big year for Alex Vaughn. Since signing with Love Renaissance (LVRN), Vaughn has been a rising star in R&B, opening for Summer Walker, playing her hometown festival Broccoli City, releasing her debut album The Hurtbook, and most recently, a standout performance on BET’s Soul Train Awards. But for Vaughn, all of these achievements are just a chapter of a larger story. A story she has been preparing for her whole life. 

A constant in Alex Vaughn’s story has always been music and how she has used that as a form of expression. Vaughn joined Road Trip Playlists in our Brooklyn studio for photos and to discuss her latest project. She told stories of herself literally running from the bathtub to the piano at her grandmother’s house and being fascinated by the different sounds that came from it. That fascination quickly evolved for Vaughn as she grew up and took both classical and jazz piano lessons which led to a full scholarship in classical music. 

After attending college for a time and feeling that it didn’t align with her, Vaughn made the scary move to leave school. Again, music remained a constant, and the singer-songwriter was determined to pursue it. 

“I ended up leaving, and I didn’t have a plan what was gonna happen next, but I just knew that I needed to pursue music, and I needed to figure it out. And nothing can nothing’s gonna deter me from that. And I think that attitude has kind of just led me to different positions from dropping my first EP to, you know, just navigating through teams and doing covers and just music and, I guess, being here,” Vaughn said. \

After releasing her EP and covers, Vaughn then caught the eye of a major record label during the pandemic performing on LVRN’s Instagram Live talent show. In October, Alex Vaughn released her debut album The Hurtbook via LVRN/Interscope Records, and the singer-songwriter credits some of the “self-work” she did during that project to open up a new chapter for her. 

“I wanted to grow, and I want to become better. And I know in order to get there, it starts within. So I just started doing some self-work, and it became painful,” Vaughn stated. 

Just as Vaughn escaped the bath and ran to music as a form of expression as a small child, she used music to feel and express her “feels,” even the painful things through The Hurtbook.

“So, you know, when I was in the studio, I was like, Man, I’m gonna have to talk about, but I just know that I’m like, really going through this with my friend right now. And so once I shared it, I, you know, with the other writers. They were going through the exact same thing. So I think once you just get past that hurdle of being embarrassed by whatever your truth is and then realizing that you’re not the only person feeling that way, it becomes much easier to say it out loud, and you become comfortable in your story,” Vaughn said. “And, and yeah, I think that helps. Yeah, I think it’s it’s a process like the whole Hurtbook, every song is So Be It, especially it’s just like a process of like coming to terms with what things are and being okay with it.”

Through The Hurtbook, you are able to both hear and feel the honest feelings that Vaughn shares through her powerful vocals and songwriting. Not only do you feel it, but you relate to it. You relate to listening to the coming to terms with hard feelings and get lifted from the self-belief that Alex Vaughn exhibits in her art. 

“I think that’s probably the biggest thing from The Hurtbook being okay with feeling the feels. It’s all part of the process. It’s all part of your story. It’s part of your book,” Vaughn exclaims. 

The Hurtbook becomes a powerful example of embracing the highs and lows of your story, and for Vaughn, it is just an early chapter in an inspiring book on her way to becoming one of the biggest names in R&B, where we predict her to be. 

Alex is currently on tour with Ari Lenox, get tickets to see her perform live here.

See the full transcript and gallery from our interview with Alex Vaughn below. 

Full Alex Vaughn Interview

So this is Road Trip Playlists. I start out by asking people what is on their road trip playlist. What are you listening to when you’re like commuting or just things for your day or even like the boring parts of your day?

Ashley Vaughn: Hmm, it varies. I have a bit of Tame Impala on my road playlist. I have some Thundercat on my road playlist. I have the internet. I have Mary J. Blige. I’m a different type of cruise playlist person.

You just released your debut project, ‘The Hurtbook‘, which is on my road trip playlist and I’m sure is going to be on other people’s as well. I wanted to ask about the Hurtbook. How’s it feel to get your debut out into the world? How’s it felt to have out?

It’s been amazing. It’s been a relief, you know, I’m in the incubator with my music 99% of the time, and you’re with it for so long that you start to get cabin fever, and you feel like these songs shouldn’t be out anymore, you just start to overthink them. So to finally have them out, it’s just like another level of freedom and release. And I’m so glad that people are identifying and relating to them as well because these are all things that were very personal to me, that I felt alone. And so you know, it’s just it’s a really, it’s a really fulfilling feeling.

I loved the message of self-belief in the record and reading about how it evolved. It started as your thoughts on relationships but became more than that. How has this project changed from the start to now? 

So when I started working on this project, it was right before the pandemic. So it was a whole other world we were living in, so to speak. And there were different things that were important. And once the pandemic started and things started, so slowing down, you started to really reflect on yourself and what you want for yourself and all the things that I was writing about, they just didn’t seem as important. You know, they were about romance, and they were so much more happening than romance, and I wanted to grow, and I want to become better. And I know in order to get there, it starts within. So I just started doing some self-work, and it became painful. And then I realized that what I was doing was like starting to show in or not show in my friendships and in other situations. So it was really just a way to use the experiences to help me teach myself, if that makes any sense.

You mentioned friends, and I have always said that friend breakups are harder than any other relationship breakup. You put this thought into song with ‘So Be It,’ can you tell me a little bit about how that song came to be?

Yes. So ‘So Be It’, was about a friend breakup. And I hadn’t been in a relationship as serious as a friend relationship, you know, so that was a feeling that I’d never experienced. And, you know, part of me wanted to be really mad and mean that we have beef. But that wasn’t the case. It was just life lifing and just times changing. And you know, so be it. It was kind of the response that was more powerful than saying like fuck it. It’s just like, you know, I’ve done all I can, and you know, there won’t be any love lost, but I have to move on. And it was probably the most painful song I created on the project.

It is hard, and a song like that really resonates with people. You said it might be the most painful song you wrote on the project, but what is it like then releasing songs that are painful like that? 

Well, it’s definitely a process. Well, you know, as an artist, you know, you want to do things the right way, whatever that is. So, you know, when I was in the studio, I was like, Man, I’m gonna have to talk about, but I just know that I’m like, really going through this with my friend right now. And so once I shared it, I, you know, with the other writers. They were going through the exact same thing. So I think once you just get past that hurdle of being embarrassed by whatever your truth is and then realizing that you’re not the only person feeling that way, it becomes much easier to say it out loud, and you become comfortable in your story. And, and yeah, I think that helps. Yeah, I think it’s it’s a process like the whole Hurtbook, every song is So Be It, especially it’s just like a process of like coming to terms with what things are and being okay with it.

You express your emotions so much through your music in The Hurtbook. You’re a classically trained musician. You went to music school. Has music always been an outlet to express emotion?

So I’ve always had access to a piano since I was a little girl. There’s always been a piano, whether it be at my grandparent’s house and my grandmother’s. I mean, on my parents’ house, there was always something for me to just bang on the keys and just get my thoughts out. It wasn’t until I started like getting my feelings hurt like my boys. Or I started really turning to songwriting. But it’s always been my biggest form of expression. I’ve always been a pretty fun happy, go lucky person. And I still am and a very fun person. But sometimes, being the fun person. You’re not taking it seriously when you’re experiencing serious, serious emotions. And you know, the keyboard, the piano, is always just the most non-judgmental place.

I loved reading about, like, from when you were five and six years old, running from the bath to to the piano. And like doing that, did you always love the piano? Because all my friends that took piano lessons growing up hated it.

I was also one of those kids. Let me just be clear. So I was a lot. I was a lot younger. I guess I was like maybe. I mean, if I’m running from the bathtub, I was still getting cleaned. I was like I was very small. But it was just you know, you just press it in a new sound will come out. And it just was interesting to my little brain. And it evolved into piano lessons. I took classical piano lessons. And yes, I hated them. Like the pressure.

What do they call the like tests you do in those pressure-filled lessons, adjudication? Where you are judged very closely? I hear some of those piano lessons can get intense. 

I never had, I believe it’s called adjudication. We had something with voice vocal, we had a vocal thing like that called jurisdictions aside an experience of a piano by experience some voice. But I mean, every time you had a lesson, you’d have to you know, remember the last thing you were taught. But after the classical lessons, her son ended up teaching me jazz piano, where I started learning about like Stevie Wonder and chord progressions, where it became more fun. I still dropped out of the lessons. But I definitely gained more of an appreciation and a lot more information on music and music theory.

It’s fun to hear these stories. I didn’t really grow up with music and then found what music I loved, got obsessed, and then started writing about it, but that was just like six years ago. Did you always know you wanted to pursue music professionally?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, when I was a kid, you know, you’re in ballet. You’re in cheerleading. I used to want to be a train conductor because of the outfit because the overalls. I wanted to be in the Army because my dad was in the army, mainly because of the outfits though, but it’s always been music. I’ve always wanted to be a singer. I didn’t know what it looked like. So I’m so so fortunate and blessed to be in this position. Now. But it’s definitely always been music for me.

When did it start becoming a reality for you? I know you started posting to social media and got the attention of Love Renaissance from a talent show. You’ve put so much into this, and it’s amazing to see where it has taken you, but when did it start to feel real? 

Well, you know, like I said, I’ve always wanted to pursue music. I’ve always wanted to be an artist. And I think there’s was something ingrained in my body that was just like, figure it out, you’ll figure it out. So it’s never really been any true. I mean, there’s been plenty of obstacles, but nothing’s ever really gotten in the way of the music. So I mean, I went to college on a full scholarship for classical music. I didn’t want to go to college at all. And I told my parents that of course, they weren’t going for it. I had a full scholarship. But even after going, I was like, this is just not aligned with this is not aligning with me. So I ended up leaving, and I didn’t have a plan what was gonna happen next, but I just knew that I needed to pursue music, and I needed to figure it out. And nothing can nothing’s gonna deter me from that. And I think that attitude has kind of just led me to different positions from dropping my first EP to, you know, just navigating through teams and doing covers and just music and I guess being here.

Well, you left that full music scholarship. Was that scary? What was that time like for you?

Oh, no, it’s felt like that the whole time. I mean, I knew when I was decided not to go back to school that my parents weren’t gonna be happy, my family was going to look at me crazy. But it’s either I do what makes them comfortable, or do what feels good to me. So it was like, fucking, it was rough. But again, like nothing was gonna get in the way of what I wanted. So it just was what it was. And thinking back on it, it’s kind of wild being 18-19 with that type of attitude. But that’s how I felt it had to be that way.

Now that you’re here, what has been one of the biggest wow moments for you in that process?

Um, I think one of the biggest things that I’m proud of is being okay with feeling with feels, you know, the whole point of The Hurtbook was to not be afraid to feel your feelings, especially when we’re adults and trying to figure out how to adult and, you know, sometimes when we have certain mishaps or setbacks, you want to coat it in something else, or, you know, find a way to neglect our true emotions. So, you know, I want to practice that, and I want to preach what I practice, and it hurts, but I’ve learned so much about myself, and I’ve become way more comfortable with myself and my lower moments and lower spaces. And it’s helped me, it’s, um, it’s still it’s still work. It’s still work. But yeah, I think that’s probably the biggest thing from The Hurtbook being okay with feeling the feels. It’s all part of the process. It’s all part of your story. It’s part of your book.

Well, it’s amazing to see as you have been open with your emotions, you have in a sense, been set free in the process, and the coolest part is that people are responding and feeling the feels with what you created. That music has taken you to some pretty crazy stages recently. You performed at the Kennedy Center, Broccoli Fest, and The Soul Train Awards. How has that been for you? 

I think this entire year has been that for me, like, I mean from, from signing back signing last October to dropping Mirage at the top of the year to every single performance. Like I couldn’t say one’s bigger than the other from every opportunity opening up for summer Walker in her enormous crowd, to Broccoli city, my first festival in my hometown. Then I performed at the crypto arena. And that was a sold-out show, and it was filled with R&B. Just to be part of that. I mean, every single thing has been huge to me, I’d have to say Soul Train is the most recent and biggest thing just because I’ve watched every award show on BET from the couch and my family. And now I’m gonna be on the screen.

The Hurtbook opens up new chapters for you, and I wondered what is coming up next for Alex Vaughn? 

I am I’m excited, of course, to put out more music, you know, and I just bought the product a month ago. But artists, I’m just ready to put out some more stuff like hey, here, for example, we listen to some more, I’m ready to put out more music. I’m ready for tour. You know, performing is my favorite aspect of being an artist. So I’m just ready to just keep sharpening that sword. I’m excited to really like expand in my creativity. Like, I’d like to try acting and see what that’s sitting on. And just really just dip my hands into different pots. I’m most excited to see just what worlds opened up for me in these upcoming years.