on his debut album sea/sandsAbraham Alexander reflects on his upbringing as the son of Nigerian immigrants in Greece and his family’s journey to eventually settling in the United States.
Melissa Bullock, host:
Take the time to learn about singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander. He just released his debut album titled ‘Sea/Sons’.
(Sound bite of the song “EYE CAN SEE”)
ABRAHAM ALEXANDER: (singing) Mama said I always was (ph) – Faith is strong, but my love is weak.
Brock: Abraham Alexander was born in Greece, the son of Nigerian immigrants. His family moved to Texas when he was 11 and he stayed there. Alexander never planned his career in music. A chance encounter with musician Leon Bridges set him on that path. He’s currently touring nationally, heading to Bonnaroo and the Newport Folk Festival this summer.
(Sound bite of the song “EYE CAN SEE”)
Alexander: (singing) In my eyes, oh, in my eyes.
Brock: On the cover of his album is a picture of Alexander as a boy walking knee-deep in the sea with his brother and friends. It’s a photo he recently rediscovered.
Alexander: That photo brought me so much emotion. This will be the last time we stay in Greece. I remember her mother telling us: I had to get out of the water. But we were so lost in the vast ocean, so lost in the vastness of childhood, you know, in the best way. And that’s what I remembered when I saw the photo again. And my thoughts were, oh, I want to go back to those days.
(Soundbite for Abraham Alexander Song “Bella Dawn”)
Brock: That was the turning point, right? That was right before your family came to America.
Alexander: That was last minute. That was the last time. yes. A few weeks later, I believe, we were on a plane to America.
Brock: What was the impetus for that? Why did your family decide to leave Greece?
Alexander: You know, they – they wanted something better for their children. we were poor So poor is even a kind word for it. we had nothing at all. And there was a lot of racial tension going on in Greece as well. And just getting a specific job was hard. So they applied for lottery visas. We were accepted into America and thought that Texas was the perfect place to raise a family.
(Soundbite for Abraham Alexander Song “Knee Deep”)
Brock: There is a song called “Knee Deep” that I think is obviously a spin-off from that image.
(Sound bite for the song “Knee Deep”)
Alexander: (singing) Kneeling in the unknown – 10 years old and he’s still growing. His feet are cold, but he’s still bold. he told me so he knows
yes. Because I saw her mother crying that day when she told us we needed to get out of the water. And now she looks back later and finds out she was talking to herself. And she was crying because she had to come out of the water, kneel in the unknown, and accept the possibility of going to a new country in search of a better life.
(Sound bite for the song “Knee Deep”)
Alexander: (singing) Hurry up, she said. hurry up. Let it dry. Let it dry. there is a place to go. there is a place to go.
Brock: You know, I think we hear your mother’s presence through a lot of these songs. Shortly after you came to the United States with your family and moved, your mother died in a car accident.
Alexander: Yes, she was killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway. And I think it was the first time in my childhood that I felt that the world had wronged me. Over the last few years, I’ve been trying to understand why. And in a way, writing this record was a catharsis of being able to express that feeling again. And my mother was and still is dear to me, and she still inspires me. So when I close my eyes to write a song, I can’t help but think of her mother.
Block: Let’s listen to your song “Heart Of Gold.” I think this is very similar to what we just talked about.
(sound bite for the song “Heart of Gold”)
Alexander: (singing) I can feel the love in your mother’s eyes. And from her father’s hand, the battle rages on my skin.
Brock: Abraham, the first line of that song is clearly a mother’s love. And the second line – from my father’s hand, a battle rages on my skin.
Alexander: Oh.
Block: What’s going on there?
Alexander: So my father was abusive? And one of my earliest memories is of him kicking the floor. And, you know, it was difficult. Because I’m trying – as a child, it looks like I’m trying to figure out what the power relationship is between father and mother? And who will protect you and who won’t? And as you get older and see the scars on your body, you start to feel contradictory. And he writes: The battlefield is on my skin, and elements of my brain are trying to figure out if it’s love. It wasn’t, and I was trying to cooperate with my mother, but you know, when I was often beaten, I saw her mother’s face. There were times when she cried and couldn’t show her emotions. So I’m trying to filter all of these. And “Heart of Gold” was the first song I wrote.
(sound bite for the song “Heart of Gold”)
Alexander: (singing) It’s getting cold. My heart grows cold.
BLOCK: I wonder what it would be like to play that song live, how hard it would be.
Alexander: As you know, it used to be very difficult, but now it’s getting better. The reason is that the weakness I experienced has now become a strength. When you have a weakness and let it out, it no longer has power over you. So I think the more I sing it, the less power it has over me and the more power I have over it. And I hope that anyone who hears it and sympathizes with what I’m saying will be relieved of the problem. they feel.
(sound bite for the song “Heart of Gold”)
Alexander: (singing) And heart of gold, keep going. Keep pressing. Oh my soul, please stay strong.
Brock: You’re going to be adopted in Texas, separate from your biological family?
Alexander: Yes, I did. And “Blood Under The Bridge” is a song dedicated to them. And while they say blood is thicker than water, that doesn’t necessarily apply to me. And it gave me life, and it was there for me and taught me how to care and love. And I am so grateful to them for giving me the courage to really pursue what I thought was unattainable.
Brock: I’ve been talking to Abraham Alexander. His debut album is ‘Sea/Sons’. Thank you for speaking with us.
Alexander: Thank you very much for inviting me.
(Sound bite for the song “BLOOD UNDER THE BRIDGE”)
Alexander: (singing) Scars don’t blind you. Silver lining – I wear it proudly on my sleeve.
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