Alexander Stewart chatted with Billboard on the red carpet of the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.
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00:00 I am here with Alexander Stewart.
00:01 Alex, can I call you Alex?
00:03 Are we friends?
00:03 - Whatever you want.
00:04 - Well, what do you prefer?
00:05 - You know, it's just actually a funny,
00:07 oh, hello, conversation.
00:08 I always say whatever you want on my friends,
00:10 they're always like, "He likes Alexander."
00:12 I'm like.
00:13 - I feel like if I called you Alex,
00:15 and you said, "Nah,"
00:17 that the vibes, I'd be like, "All right, it's Alexander."
00:19 - I'm never gonna say,
00:20 I personally don't mind that much,
00:21 but I have a slight preference towards Alexander,
00:24 but I'm not gonna tell people that.
00:25 - Okay, well, I like, it's you!
00:28 (laughing)
00:30 - I mean, if you wanna be called
00:31 whatever you wanna be called,
00:32 you let us know what it is.
00:33 So, Alexander, it is.
00:35 You release "I Wish You Cheated."
00:38 - Yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:39 - And it's amassed critical social, you know, acclaim.
00:44 How and why do you think fans resonate to that song so much?
00:47 - Oh my God, well, first off, thank you.
00:49 Second off, it's really interesting,
00:51 because I didn't know how people were gonna react to that,
00:53 'cause the title, in general, "I Wish You Cheated,"
00:54 and the whole concept is like bizarre.
00:56 Like, it's very weird,
00:57 but I think that's part of why.
00:59 It's just what it's saying.
01:00 It just says it in a weird way.
01:02 Tons of people throughout any relationship,
01:05 it ends, it's just 'cause they fall out of love,
01:07 and that's like a horrible, sad thing.
01:09 And so, to kinda like make it a little playful,
01:13 to something that I think a lot of people,
01:14 or maybe everyone on this planet
01:15 has experienced at some point,
01:17 I think that's what resonated.
01:19 I think it was a slight playful twist
01:20 on the heartbreaking thing that most people do experience.
01:23 - So, you've been dancing around this idea of saying
01:26 this is what a lot of people experience.
01:28 Did you experience it?
01:29 Is it coming from a place of heartache?
01:33 - Yeah, I mean, absolutely. (laughs)
01:35 I grew up with the running theme of my life
01:38 being unrequited love,
01:40 and also, when I got finally into my first relationship,
01:43 it was exactly that.
01:45 There was no big fight.
01:46 There was nothing.
01:47 It just kinda fizzled, and we grew apart,
01:52 and it sucked, and it just had to come to a conversation.
01:55 And I remember sitting there being like,
01:57 my God, I wish something happened.
01:59 I could just be mad, but I couldn't,
02:01 because nothing happened.
02:02 And then it's honestly more heartbreaking
02:05 than some of the other breakups I had where I did.
02:07 - I mean, relationships are so tricky, right?
02:09 You wanna grow with someone,
02:10 but sometimes you guys grow apart.
02:12 And then you're like,
02:13 I wish I had something to anchor these feelings towards.
02:15 - That's exactly what it is.
02:17 I wish you cheated.
02:18 - I wish you cheated.
02:19 I mean, do you have plans for an album?
02:21 - Absolutely, oh my God.
02:23 I'm really hoping for,
02:25 I don't know what I'm allowed to say or not,
02:26 but Q1 of next year would be kinda the dream.
02:29 - I mean, that's a couple of months from now.
02:30 Have you been writing away?
02:31 - It's coming up soon.
02:32 I mean, I'm just basically trying to pick the songs
02:36 I wanna put on this album.
02:37 It's like the last four years of my life
02:38 put into this 40-minute project.
02:42 It's impossible to pick them.
02:44 I keep writing more songs,
02:45 and I'm like, oh, I wanna swap this one out,
02:46 but how can I take that part of my life out?
02:47 It's just the weirdest thing ever,
02:48 but I think it's time it comes out.
02:50 I haven't put an album ever,
02:51 and I have like 20 songs out, so it's time.
02:53 It's time.
02:54 - That's so exciting.
02:55 So do you have any artists here you're interested in seeing,
02:59 possibly collaborating with?
03:00 - Oh my God.
03:01 I mean, the absolute dream of all time would be Doja Cat,
03:04 just 'cause it's Doja Cat.
03:07 I don't know what to tell ya.
03:09 I'm so excited to see her perform tonight.
03:11 I was on the car ride here,
03:12 and I was like, oh, maybe I'll see her on the carpet,
03:14 and as I'm pulling up, I saw she posted all her carpet stuff.
03:16 I was like, no.
03:18 - Well, you might see her inside.
03:19 - Possible.
03:20 I mean, let's manifest, let's manifest.
03:22 - Manifest.
03:23 I will see Doja Cat inside.
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