An interview with Lexi Anand – The Vanderbilt Hustler

I sat down with first grader Lexi Anand to talk about her musical roots and how her music career has evolved since coming to Vanderbilt.

Correction: This sentence incorrectly states that Lexi Anand performed at the Grand Ole Opry instead of attending the awards ceremony. Fixed on March 17th at 9:53pm CDT.

One of my favorite things about going to school in Nashville is that you can walk 5 minutes in any direction and hear live music. This includes your own dormitory. At Vanderbilt, we are blessed to be surrounded by talented musicians wherever we go.

Occasionally, as you walk down the West 4 hallway to fill your water bottle or knock on your friend’s door, you’ll hear Lexi Anand tinkering with new melodies and old favorites on voice and guitar. . Most people hate hearing someone’s speakers blaring music through a wall, but it’s hard to get annoyed when you get to hear the first hints of a talented musician’s future releases. I sat down with Anand to learn more about her musical journey and experience as a college musician in Nashville.

At his home in Naples, Florida, Anand wrote his first song when he was six years old and named it “When I Wake Up.” She was always singing — she was only a few months old when she enrolled in her first Kindermusic class, then discovered her mother’s old guitar in her closet. I started learning and naturally combined the two to create my first song.

Anand now finds that the 30-minute morning drive to elementary school with his mother and sister helped him decide if he would become a future artist.

“Every morning all three of us would drive there and listen to artists like The Beatles and Sting. I feel like I’ve really grown musically, especially as a songwriter.

Anand continued to write music throughout elementary school and in middle school participated in a performing arts program, Camp Broadway, which allowed her to showcase her talents in New York. She started working at her recording studio in New York during her freshman year of high school and when she was in her senior year she released her EP titled ‘Young Possibilities’.

Anand has been heavily involved in the music scene from an early age, and coming to Music City for college helped fuel her ambitions and deepen her involvement in the industry. She only applied to schools in major cities like New York, Nashville, and Chicago for her entertainment goals.

“Vandi worked and was perfect,” said Anand. “I feel like this is the best situation that can happen.”

Anand plans to pursue an individually designed interdisciplinary major. This allows you to take songwriting and vocal performance classes at the Blair School of Music and combine business and economics classes at the College of Arts and Sciences. As she explained her academic plans to me, I could hear the excitement in her voice as she pondered about her educational experience here so far and the one to come.

“Vanderbilt allowed me to work on my craft, especially songwriting,” said Anand. “Diana Walker is my songwriting professor and she is an amazing teacher. I can’t say enough good things about her. It helps me grow as a writer because they give me feedback and critiques.”

For Anand, the songwriting process comes naturally.

“My favorite thing in the world is writing hooks,” said Anand.

She begins by sitting at a piano or guitar and fiddling with vocals until she finds the melody. Then she puts the melody and lyrics together and, voila, a song is born.

Anand’s long-term goal is to emulate people like Ed Sheeran and Julia Michaels, who make their living as both singers and songwriters, so that they can not only write and perform their own songs, but also perform other songs. She is currently working in Nashville recording studio, Black I am an intern at Bard.

Anand also started early on the performance side. She has performed at various music festivals in the past and is currently signed to Three 13 Management and she is MMG New York. Additionally, she performed at her Vandyville tailgate and listening room and attended her Josie Music Awards ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry. Later this semester she will be performing at her Vanderbilt’s. lights on the lawn festival.

Like any aspiring music artist, Anand wants to spend as much time in Music City as possible. Over the summer, she will be staying in Nashville to work on her latest single, “Exit,” which will be released later in the summer. While her first EP is funky digital her effect-driven upbeat electro her pop, Anand is about to branch out for this new release.

“My music coming out in the summer will definitely be more acoustic and more indie,” said Anand. “I really like someone like Gracie Abrams and I’m trying to get more of that acoustic pop vibe.”

Keep your eyes and ears open for this summer’s “Exit.” Whether she decides to turn indie, R&B, pop, or rock, I’m excited to see what new styles Anand will try with her music.