It’s a cold Thursday evening as a stream of fabulously dressed people ascend the staircase of high-end central London bar and restaurant Inca to celebrate the release of newcomer Alex Ko’s debut EP SENTIMENTS. Emerging from darkness Alex’s showmanship was evident from the second he suddenly appeared, performing in the middle of the room, and making his way to the stage. Performing his brand-new EP between pauses to showcase his effortless humour and story-telling skills, Alex’s impressive vocals didn’t miss a note. Gliding between full voice and falsetto whilst dancing through intricate riffs Alex and his band brought a new life to the already emotive songs.
We sat down with the rising talent to discuss the process of creating the EP, his background in music, how it feels to be an artist in 2025 and of course what’s next.
SENTEMENTS has just been released, what an incredible body of work. What has the process of creating it been like?
Alex: Honestly, it’s been very unique. Previously I’ve always created music on a piano, or I’d create layers of vocal beats on my phone and then take the ideas to a producer to build from scratch. With creating SENTIMENTS, I decided to do things a little different. I auditioned beats made by producers that I admired and producers that were already creating music I loved. I guess I flipped it on its head. Instead of starting from scratch I tested myself by writing to these beats that had already been created. In that way it felt a little bit more collaborative, I really wanted to challenge myself. In the past I’ve always just told a producer what I wanted so this was very different.
How did you find the experience and would you use the same process again in the future?
Alex: I did enjoy it, but I really love to build from the ground up, I love that unique type of experience – being able to say, “I created that bassline” and “we’ve built this” it’s amazing to know every single layer and every single nuance of the song. During the mixing process of SENTIMENTS I discovered every instrument and we have taken bits out and added things in but I guess it’s just a different way of working. I’ve enjoyed it. One thing that’s been great is I haven’t had to rely on so many people and that’s made the process quick, more straightforward and given me time to be creative.
You live in London now but were born in Manchester and have British and Chinese roots – how has this wealth of heritage and cultures impacted your music?
I had to grow to love and appreciate who I am and what I bring to a table. It’s something that I really had to learn to love, just because, in all honesty, I’ve never felt massively welcomed in many circles, whether that’s personal or musical. I’m not stereotypically what people expect when it comes to an R&B/Soul artist. My heritage has been something that I have had to learn to love, and realise that I am unique. What I bring to the table is positive rather than negative. I think having that experience and being very lucky to have such a supportive family behind me has encouraged me to keep pushing myself as well as the idea of always trying to open new doors for myself. I think that’s probably the most impact that it’s had on my music. I’m half Chinese but I don’t actually speak Chinese so I wouldn’t say musically that’s had any impact on my sound but, I think definitely the troubles that I’ve experienced through my dual heritage has had a massive impact on how I approach music and just my professionalism. I think it’s made me want to be as professional as possible and easy to work with and hopefully that makes people come back for more.
Like you said it’s about opening doors for yourself, I feel like within that you’re opening doors for other artists too, which is beautiful.
Yeah, I think this is the thing; I still don’t feel like I’ve got that community. I had a conversation recently about the fact I look Chinese, but I don’t speak Chinese. I sometimes feel like I haven’t been fully welcomed into that community because I don’t live the Chinese experience in that way, I’ve been born and raised British, but I also don’t look British, so I’m not always treated like that either. I’ve not actually found my community that I can really flourish in yet. So that’s something that I want to try and build for people like me, because I know there’s so many people that feel the same way. I’m not just talking English and Chinese; I’m talking about all biracial people that feel the same. I have friends, and peers, and we have these conversations, and I’m like right, we need to come together. It’s not even a case of let’s create a ‘music agency’ or create a business concept. It’s more like, let’s come together and just support each other and have each other’s back.
What do you most want people to take from SENTIMENTS?
I want people to feel inspired by it. This project is born out of the past three years of my experiences and growth. I’ve always been very introspective, and I’ve been proud of myself for being that person who implements self-growth. I’m not someone who needs to be told I’m doing something wrong; I can actually look into myself and then write about it, and I want people to look at it and go, this is actually really inspiring, and beautiful. I’ve purposely tried to make it a little bit more poetic, not necessarily, rhyming, ‘door with more’, you know? I mean, I’m trying to make it a conversation and something that you can listen to and go, “wow I felt that”.
Talking of inspiring, the track “Powerful” is a really inspiring track, and I think it’s also a track that most people can relate to in some way or another. What inspired that song, set the scene for us.
The idea for “Powerful” actually came whilst I was going through a stage where I was in sweats all the time, but I was so fucking comfortable. I was so happy. I was so happy that I didn’t have to plan an outfit the night before. There was a time when I’d have to hit the gym every single day, I’d have to look a certain way, as I’ve grown and become more comfortable within myself, it’s almost like it was, an element of freedom that my outfit doesn’t define me. Whatever I choose to put on that day that makes me feel comfortable and makes me happy is where the power lies. Basically, I’m saying you don’t have to walk around in designer gear to feel powerful. It’s literally just about having that inner confidence to be whatever the hell you want to be that day. Some days I’m in sweats, the next day I’m in this lime green coat and the next day I’ve got this brightly coloured knitted babushka head dress on because that’s how I felt that morning. ‘Powerful’ was also the last song that was written for the EP. I wrote it with my best friend, Drew Whittam about four months ago. I needed something that felt inspiring and that ends the EP on such a strong note; something that was a little bit more pop focused and epic sounding.
Big question but how does it feel as an artist when you’ve worked on something for a long time and then you hand it over to the world?
Oh my God. It’s scary, exciting, it’s a relief. It’s joyful. It’s sort of a whirlwind of emotions, you know? For the last three years, this has been a day in, day out process, and you become very attached to it, but I’ve been releasing my own music since 2015 and with every project I’ve grown as a person. I’ve learnt to enjoy the process and let go of expectation; I’ve let go of the definition of what success is. My mom always asks me, “So you’re new single is out, have you made money yet?”, but I’ve learnt to get rid of that idea that you have to make money off of something to be successful and now I really just enjoy it. This is the most free I’ve ever felt releasing something because my expectation on myself is more realistic and my idea of success is different. I’m successful because I’ve done it. I’m so proud of this project it’s taken three years to do this. Sometimes I doubt myself. Sometimes I thought maybe this isn’t going to happen, but I’ve done it and that’s success. I listen to the songs when I’m in bed and I think, yes good boy!
You started off in musical theatre, to be specific you played Michael Jackson in Thriller Live which is incredible. What do you feel that experience has taught you within your artistry?
It was truly an amazing experience, it’s Michael Jackson! I got to travel the world because he was so popular everywhere. Everyone loves Michael Jackson. I got to travel the world on the back of the King of Pop, which was a true honour. That experience taught me a lot. Off the top of my head, I can definitely say it taught me discipline, showmanship, how to connect to an audience, the importance of eye contact and a good smile. Honestly people don’t even need to hear you sing, but if you look at them and you give them a good smile, it makes them feel so much more connected and seen.
I’ve seen you perform, and your ability to play and interact with the crowd really comes across. Is musical theatre something you’d ever want to go back to?
Oh, I’d love to go back. It’s gruelling, hard work. I give massive respect to anyone who does it, because eight shows a week is no joke. I’ve always said if someone creates Mulan the musical, I will happily play Mulan, that would be amazing. I will be a guy, playing a girl, playing a guy. Failing that, I will happily be Pocahontas. If that ever happens, I won’t just be auditioning, I will be paying them off to try and get the role that’s like a dream for me.
How would you describe being an artist in 2025?
It’s complex. I think you have to be everything. You’re a singer, a model, a performer, influencer, manager, content creator. You’re literally everything. It’s tough, but it means you have so much more control. I really can control my narrative, no one’s talking on my behalf. In a way, it’s very freeing, but with that freedom comes a lot of hard work to get things going and get things off the ground.
What does the rest of 2025 hold for Alex Ko?
Who knows? Honestly, I feel like the world’s my oyster right now. I’m going to keep pushing my pen. I’m going to get on more stages. I really want to expand my network and reach out to other creatives, and I’d love to get some really good remixes of this EP. I’m trying to reach out to DJs who could take elements of the songs and breathe new life into them. Imagine “Powerful” with a really cool dance techno remix playing in Ibiza. I go to Ibiza every single year, so I want to be in a club and hear my voice. I’m going to work on that for sure. I’d love to do something for summer, something that’s a little bit more light-hearted and fun. I’m just going to keep on pushing.
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Words: Tallulah Syron