When Alexandra Kay looks in the rearview mirror of her life, she sees the hesitant, confused girl she once was—spending long days at a Waterloo, Illinois, coffee shop with more questions than answers.
“There was a time back then that I had to ask myself if I could really grow in the soil that I was currently in, and at that time, the answer was no,” Kay says. “I removed myself from a lot of things that I think were holding me down…and I took off.”
Get a guide to the region’s booming music scene
Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres.
What she has accomplished since then is nothing short of astounding. After starring in Netflix’s series Westside, Kay released her debut album, All I’ve Ever Known, in 2023. It quickly found its way to the top of the iTunes All Genre and Country charts globally. She toured with the likes of Jelly Roll and Brad Paisley. Now, she finds herself armed with a new love, a renewed sense of confidence, and the keys to the old coffee shop that she has now made her own.
“When I look back at that person [I was before], I do not even recognize her, and I’m really proud of that,” Kay says. “I don’t know at that point in my life that I ever saw myself accomplishing what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
The former independent artist is now signed to BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, and these days her schedule is packed with tour dates around the country. Her closest stop to home in the coming months is at Rose Park in Columbia, Missouri, on October 30.
“I went and I did everything I said I was going to do, and now I come back and am trying my best to use everything I’ve learned and accomplished to better our home and our community,” Kay says. “One thing that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is how I want to do good with what I’ve learned. And the first thing on my mind has always been going home to Waterloo. It made me who I am.”
Some may call it coincidence, but Kay calls it destiny. Her first major move in Waterloo was to acquire the former Bean Tree Café, her go-to spot for more than 17 years, after the previous owners retired. Now dubbed The Coffee Girl, the shop continues to provide the community with their favorite menu items but in newly vibrant surroundings.
“I feel like God always does this ‘invisible string’ thing where he puts me in places much earlier in my life, and then years later, I’m always brought back to those places,” Kay says. “I think instead of saying, I’m going to leave this all behind, I went back, and I’m just rewriting my story.”
It’s this story that she continues to tell through her music—and especially on her upcoming album, Second Wind, set for release on October 24. The album will include already fan favorites such as “Feminine Energy,” “The Last,” and “Cupid’s a Cowgirl.”
“I’m just sharing my life through my music as I go along,” Kay says. “When I was writing the songs, I was in the middle of my divorce. But as the album goes along, you literally hear as I become 100 percent confident in my own skin. I think that Rocko [Beall, Kay’s boyfriend and guitarist] really brought that out in me. That’s what you hear once you get to the second half of this album.”
In short, Second Wind tells the story of Alexandra Kay’s evolution.
“Especially in small towns, people say, ‘Don’t ever change,’ but the thing is, change is not a bad thing,” says Kay, who co-wrote all but two tracks on the inspiring album. “Change is a really beautiful thing. And especially in my case, from who I used to be—thank the Lord I changed. Stick to your roots, believe in what you believe in, and stand your ground. But you can evolve. That’s a beautiful thing. Don’t be afraid of that.”
With those roots firmly planted, Kay is no longer afraid of returning home again.
“This will always be the place that grounds me,” she says. “At the beginning of my life, I really felt like I needed to outrun my past. And now it’s the place where I come home and I can be Lexi. That’s what everybody’s called me my whole life. Everywhere else, I am Alexandra Kay. But here—that’s where I’m really just Lexi.”
