ABOUT ALEX 

An unforgettably original lyricist, the music of Australian singer/songwriter Alex the Astronaut cycles through a series of radiantly detailed slices of life. Alex documents moments of both the seemingly mundane - from a haircut, a therapy session, a trip to the beach and to the supermarket - to the utterly life-changing - experiences as a caregiver along with the PTSD that followed and their recent diagnosis with autism.

The 27-year-old artist imbues their songs with equal parts self-awareness and sensitivity, imagination and idiosyncratic humour and in its intimate exploration of post-traumatic growth, Alex cements themself as a truly essential songwriter capable of transforming the way we view ourselves and the world around us.

“I’d read a few books about post-traumatic growth and was struck by how trauma can negatively impact so much of your life, but it can also help you to connect better with people based on your shared experience,” says Alex. Along with magnifying her sense of empathy, that revelation soon inspired Alex to embrace a new level of emotional transparency on How to Grow A Sunflower Underwater. “I’d written a couple of songs that were far more vulnerable than anything I’d done before, and I started to see that I needed to keep being that vulnerable if I wanted to make something that contributed to the world,” she says. “I like to write songs that have a purpose to them—so even if it felt uncomfortable sometimes I had to tell myself, ‘Let’s just keep swimming.’” 

Alex's sophomore album, How to Grow A Sunflower Underwater, explored Alex's revelation about how trauma can help connect people. Along with magnifying their sense of empathy, Alex was inspired to embrace a new level of emotional transparency on the album understanding that they needed to continue being vulnerable if they wanted to make something that contributed to the world. These efforts have paid off, with Alex undertaking a 13-date Australia tour in celebration of the release, and plans to tour in the USA this year.

How To Grow A Sunflower Underwater peaked at #47 on the ARIA charts, and was nominated for the Best Adult Contemporary ARIA award. The album placed in NME's 25 Best Australian Albums of 2022, and was featured in Billboard, Mashable, Consequence, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, NME, Rolling Stone Australia, The Guardian, and many more national and international publications.

Alex the Astronaut has taken their music to the stages of international festivals like the USA’s SXSW, the UK’s Great Escape, Primavera Sound in Spain, Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival as well as Splendour in the Grass and triple j’s One Night Stand at home. They’ve also performed a sold out national tour with co-headliner Stella Donnelly, as well as their own sold out headline tour in 2018. 

In 2020, Alex shared their debut album, ‘The Theory of Absolutely Nothing’, exploring friendship, love, loss, pain and change, weaving a constellation of stories about the personal reckonings that come with growing up. Brought to life with bright melodies, plucked guitar and Alex’s unmistakable vocals, the album is the work of a storyteller attuned to the world around them. The album peaked at #22 on the ARIA charts, and coincided with a nomination for the ARIA’s ‘Breakthrough Artist’ award. Release highlights included media coverage from NY Times, NPR Music, BBC Radio 1, triple j, The Guardian, Line of Best Fit, Brooklyn Vegan and receiving an honourable mention in Rolling Stone Australia's Top 200 Australian Albums of All Time list.