Rising country artist Roman Alexander chatted about his new single “Mess Me Up,” his love for country music, his “Between You & Me” duet, and being an artist in the digital age.
The song was written by Alexander, Grammy-winning songwriter Josh Kerr and Jordan Minton (who has worked with Keith Urban and Dan + Shay), and it was produced by Jared Keim and Josh Kerr.
On his newest radio single, he explained, “I wrote ‘Mess Me Up’ with Jordan Minton and Josh Kerr while on a writers retreat at the lake house. I honestly don’t remember how the title came about exactly, but we started talking about all the things that can mess someone up… Nothing messes you up more than a situationship.”
He opened up about his music and songwriting inspirations. “Ever since I was eight years old, I have always loved the idea of being able to go out on a tour and play for crowds all over the country and world,” he said.
“My inspiration for songs differ from situation to situation, and often comes from life experiences… but the main inspiration for my music is simply just making music that I love and getting to take that music out on tour and share it with crowds. Music that hopefully moves people,” he said.
Country music
Alexander is drawn to the country genre for a variety of reasons. “I love the honesty in country music. I love the storytelling… And, more importantly, I love the power it has to relate to anyone regardless of their background. There is a country song for everyone,” he said.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, now with streaming and technology being so prevalent, Alexander said, “It definitely has its ups and downs, like anything in life. It has more positives than negatives because of its ability to help reach so many more people on a massive scale.”
Alexander continued, “Streaming has changed my life and taken my career places I could have never imagined. That being said, things move quickly these days… so always having new ideas, new music, and still trying to find time to focus on yourself and keep your people happy at the same time can sometimes come at a cost (your mental health).”
“Overall, the digital age has been the start of so many new careers. With TikTok alone, the amount of discovered talent is mind-blowing. It’s quite impressive,” he said.
‘Between You & Me’ duet with Ashley Cooke
He also spoke about his “Between You & Me” duet with Ashley Cooke.
On this Ashley Cooke duet, he said, “It’s a quite lovable song, I must say, especially with Ashley’s angel of a voice on it. I originally released the song myself in 2020 on my EP of the same title, and it quickly blew up.”
“After a few months, we wanted to figure out how to keep the traction… and what better way to keep traction than to release a new version with Ashley. At the time, she didn’t have much music out, so it was the perfect song for her to get her feet wet on,” Alexander said.
“That song took both of us on a roller coaster ride that we have yet to come off of. Especially her. I’m so happy for her and everything she is doing,” he added.
Alexander listed such female country artists as Carter Faith, Megan Moroney, and Kelsea Ballerini as his dream collaboration choices in music.
Future goals
Regarding his plans for the future, Alexander said, “The goal for the future has always been to be on top of the world. But for right now, I’m focused on this year and planning for the next year.”
“For this year and next – lots of touring, new music, and more touring, with hopefully an Opry debut sprinkled in there somewhere. And, of course, what would any of that be without a whole lot of cigars and celebratory tequila shots mixed in?” he said.
Success
On his defintion of success, Alexander said, “For me, it’s simple: success is waking up every day and looking at yourself in the mirror, knowing that you are going to possibly fail, and not being afraid to fail (and picking yourself up when you do). It’s not about how many times you hit, it’s about how many times you can get hit and still stand up and do what God has placed you on this earth to do.”
“Of course, hit songs and sold out crowds certainly scream ‘success,’ but the only way to achieve that is to fail and still keep working,” he said.
Alexander concluded about “Mess Me Up,” “The song is about a situationship. Most of us have had one (or many). They happen, and sometimes you just wanna have a couple of drinks, and call that person you know is a bad idea invite them over. We’ve all been there. No shame in that.”
“Mess Me Up” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Roman Alexander, and his new music, check out his official website and follow him on Instagram.
