Photo: Alysse Gafkjen
Alexandra Kay is embracing a season of growth with her highly-anticipated sophomore record, Second Wind.
Kay, 34, radiates a sense of renewed, unapologetic fearlessness on the 14-track album, produced by Andrew DeRoberts. The Illinois-born singer-songwriter, known for her viral “Coffee Covers” on TikTok, as described it to iHeartCountry as “a breath of fresh air,” resonating with its title both romantically and professionally. Kay beamed about her “effortless, beautiful, natural” new relationship after healing from a divorce, and boldly powering through the ups and downs in her career to reach this moment.
The songs appearing on Second Wind — including debut single “Straight For The Heart” — will show listeners “sides of me that they’ve never seen before, but they’re going to really feel me authentically throughout the record,” Kay said. She pointed out the “AK to the core” songs, including “What He Does,” and spotlighted “Cupid’s A Cowgirl” and “Feminine Energy” as “lighthearted, turn-it-up, ‘party with your girls’” anthems. “I’m pushing the limits for myself, but very much feel like my feet are on the ground.”
1. Better Off (Alexandra Kay, Dan Pellarin, Jet Harvey)
2. Nobody (Alexandra Kay, Emily Falvey, Pete Good)
3. Straight For The Heart (Jimmy Robbins, Karley Scott Collins, Sasha Sloan)
4. Right Now (Alexandra Kay, Jon Nite, Andrew DeRoberts)
5. Tomorrow Problems (Alexandra Kay, Jon Nite, Andrew DeRoberts)
6. Big Boy Boots (Alexandra Kay, Ava Suppelsa, Kevin Gruft, Maggie Champman)
7. Hell Right (Alexandra Kay, Andrew Capra, Ava Suppelsa, Lauren McLamb, Rocko Beall)
8. Measure Of A Man (Alexandra Kay, Allison Veltz-Cruz, Andrew DeRoberts)
9. Old Me (Shane McAnally, Sasha Sloan, Henry Agincourt Allen)
10. Cupid’s A Cowgirl (Alexandra Kay, Kevin Gruft, Cheyenna Rose Arnspiger)
11. The Last (Alexandra Kay, Jon Green, Andrew DeRoberts)
12. What He Does (Alexandra Kay, Andrew DeRoberts, Allison Veltz-Cruz)
13. Feminine Energy (Alexandra Kay, Lauren McLamb, Andrew Capra, Rocko Beall, Matt Wynn)
14. Second Wind (Alexandra Kay, Rocko Beall, Cheyenna Rose Arnspiger, Kevin Gruft)
“I’m so ready to share these songs with the people who have been with me every step of the way,” Kay said in a statement. “Over the past two years, I’ve done a lot of growing — and over the last year, I’ve had the chance to write about the version of myself that’s emerged from that growth. This album reflects a new side of me, and I can’t wait for my fans to experience it live — especially the happier songs that I’m hoping they’ll be screaming right back at me from the crowd.”
‘Straight For The Heart’
Jimmy Robbins, Karley Scott Collins and Sasha Sloan teamed up to write “Straight For The Heart,” Kay’s debut single, and Kay knew before she finished listening for the first time, “I absolutely need this song.”
“It's about somebody who is telling the person that they love when they can feel them drifting away, ‘don’t let me down easy because the second that I feel like there is a chance that we’ll be together, I’m going to take that chance. I need a clean break in order to go,’ Kay explained. “And what’s crazy is that I really, very much felt that in my personal life when I was going through a divorce three years ago. It was really hard for me to have to have that clean break because I obviously still care about all of the people that, you know, were my family for 11 years, and care about him as a person and want the best for him. But in that moment, I needed that clean break …so, I very much relate to it.”
Kay also knew immediately that she wanted “Second Wind” — which she wrote with Rocco Beall, Cheyenna Rose Arnspiger and Kevin Gruff — would serve as the project’s title track. It appeared the perfect fit, now that Kay feels “loved the way that I always imagined love would feel like,” and endured “a very tumultuous career” so far. “Every single time that I’ve gone back down to rock bottom, I just shook off the dust and climbed back up to where I am now,” and now, she’s ready to take the world “by storm.”
The Coffee Girl’
Kay’s viral TikToks played a role in inspiring a new goal for the singer-songwriter. She’s covered current hits and classics by Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, The Chicks, Jo Dee Messina and many more while making herself an iced coffee, even catching the attention of some of the original artists. For example, McGraw said “I love her voice,” when he shared his reaction to Kay’s rendition of his 1990s hit, “Don’t Take The Girl,” in 2021. He later included Kay in the lineup of his tour, and said “I hear a lot of Dolly in her voice.” Kay has since former a friendship with Messina, who was one of her surprise guests at a recent show in Nashville, Tennessee (along with Shenandoah’s Marty Raybon, plus Cooper Alan and Thomas Mac).
Now, Kay fulfilled her new dream of opening her first brick-and-mortar coffee shop. The Coffee Girl marked its grand opening on June 19 in Kay’s hometown of Waterloo, Illinois. The bright, pink, floral space — which offers signature, featured drinks inspired by Kay’s music — holds sentimental value for the artist who’s rapidly on the rise. Her father retired from his former job to serve as the general manager of the shop, and the cafe that formerly occupied the space was a go-to for Kay and her sisters. She and her family often gathered there after church, “and it was really important to us before I even bought the building,” where she even lived with friends in the connecting apartment. “It was very serendipitous. …I’m really happy to know why everything happened the way it did.”
Kay’s go-to coffee? An iced, sugar-free vanilla latte with almond milk and cold foam. While speaking with iHeartCountry, she noted that the “Straight For The Heart”-inspired drink is a latte with rose and vanilla syrups, vanilla cold foam and edible rose petals.
‘So Stoked To Be In This New Chapter’
Kay’s journey has taken a series of twists and turns as she worked to build her career as a country artist, and looking back, she wouldn’t tell her younger self a thing. Instead, she chooses to continue charging forward with a renewed toughness and fearlessness, performing the music she’s passionate about for energetic crowds.
“I wouldn’t want to tip her off on anything because all of the let-downs that I’ve experienced in my life is what lit the fire to get me to where I am,” she reflected. “I would’ve just let everything play out exactly how it did because I believe that that’s why I am where I am. I believe that that’s why, when I stood on stage in a packed arena with Jelly Roll, that’s why I was broken down into tears because I remember what it was like to play for one drunk guy on a bar stool for four hours a night. I remember what it was like when I would play these cover songs, and sure, people would come to watch my cover band, but then the second I sang an original song, everybody would be talking over me the entire time. And that was a horrible feeling. But I fought through it and I think that that’s why I’m so tough today and that’s why I truly am fearless in this industry because I’ve been knocked down so many times and I’ve recovered. What’s the worst that can happen? I think that that’s a superpower.
“I’m so stoked to be in this new chapter,” she added later. “We made it to the next chapter. We’re on album two [following 2023’s All I’ve Ever Known]. It’s crazy. I’m so excited. …We leveled it up. Our set is amazing [on tour]. The whole stage is full of flowers. It looks like a fairy garden up there. I’ve got multiple outfit changes. …We put so much work into it, so I’m glad everybody’s having a good time.”
Find the full Second Wind album on iHeartRadio here. Listen to a few of the songs and see a list of Kay’s remaining tour stops below.
Second Wind: The Tour Dates:
Oct. 28 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
Oct. 29 - Little Rock, AR - The Hall
Oct. 30 - Columbia, MO - Rose Park
Nov. 1 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
Nov. 2 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center
Nov. 4 - Tucson, AZ - Encore
Nov. 5 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Nov. 6 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Nov. 8 - Reno, NV - Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort
Nov. 9 - Boise, ID - Shrine Social Club
Nov. 11 - Colorado Springs, CO - Phil Long Music Hall
Nov. 13 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion Ballroom
Nov. 14 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
Nov. 15 - Clive, IA - Horizon Events Center
Nov. 16 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave