Interview - Ross Alan

Ross Alan is an LA based, glitter-covered, non-binary pop experience. Described as “undeniable pop with catchy melodies, deep velvety vocals and lyrics that hook into its listeners,” they discovered the most inspired version of themselves in music and made it their home. Their newest singles ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘Control’ are a departure from their recent radio pop sound and brings them into a new refreshing realm of acoustic sentimentality.

They’ve been working for the last decade releasing music and working with producers like Chris Young (known for his work with Christina Aguilera) while performing at venues such as Pete’s Candy Store (NYC), Davenport’s (Chicago), as well as Hotel Café and Whisky A Go Go (Los Angeles).

This self-identified #BalladQueen is set to release their brand-new EP titled, Revelation, due out April 28, 2023 (produced by Jamie McCardle of ‘olderbrother’ and Ivan Fiallos-Zambrano, known for his work with Jason Derulo).

We sat down with Ross Alan to discuss their music and much more. Here is what they had to say: Hey Ross Alan, welcome to FLEX! How are you? Thank you so much for having me! As of right now, I’m riding on a high! Had a sold out show last night in Hollywood promoting this new single and my new EP. Shows always leave me on cloud nine. Just so excited to have this new workout.

Congratulations on your brand-new single ‘Homesick’ - what inspired this particular song? ‘Homesick’ is the telling of my younger self realizing I didn’t know what home meant. Everyone identifies home as family and where you’re from and I didn’t feel those things. I’m from Ohio. I moved away to Georgia for college and all my friends were saying they were homesick. I didn’t have that feeling and I realized it was because Ohio never felt like home. So the smallest identity crisis ensued and I suddenly felt so alien. So writing this song is a navigation of those feelings.

And do you have to be in a certain mood to write? I am always writing. I write lyrics everyday. I’m on my guitar developing songs regularly. Music is my blood. I knew at a young age there was no other path. It’s actually so funny to me dropping what feels like a small body of work because I know how many songs I’ve actually written. So people get one song from an artist but they don’t realize there were probably 40 that didn’t make the cut. How was the recording and writing process? Honestly a blast. I moved to Los Angeles in 2021 and it was an inspiration from day one. Getting my base camp set up and finding the right people was less effort than I truthfully expected. Jamie McArdle, my producer based in NYC, introduced me to Monolithic Sounds and Ivan Fiallos-Zambrano who did the vocals and it was such a chemistry click. They are both such incredible producers and you can tell because the work flourishes and I sound the best I’ve ever sounded. For viewers that don’t know Ross Alan, how would you describe your sound? It is undeniably pop, very queer, but it’s also a bit of an enigma honestly. The industry says to stick to one thing, but I’ve alway been a bit of a genre nomad. I’m constantly changing and shifting. In the last couple of years I’ve done radio pop but this album leans a little more country. My vocals are deep and it lends to the folk sound well, which I love. But I think as an artist, and as a queer person, it’s my job to push the box and subvert expectations with all of my writing and my activities. And what are some of those activities that you engage yourself in when you aren't writing or recording in the studio? I’m a huge cinephile and social butterfly. So I actually host a bi-weekly scary movie club at my place and am always hitting the theaters. Outside of movies, I love going to karaoke bars and trying new restaurants and going on hikes in Griffith Park.