sad alex is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, artist, and self-described “content goblin,” whose work blends confessional pop songwriting with internet-native humor. Across her career, she’s built a world around emotionally specific, hyper-relatable songs, from her own releases like “dating myself” to songs written with/for artists including 88rising, NIKI, Rich Brian, gnash, and Jordin Sparks. We sat down with Alex to talk about writing songs that start as jokes but land emotionally, using Suno as a creative sketchpad, and bringing song ideas to life in short-form.

You've described yourself as a "content goblin," but you're also a serious songwriter with credits across your own music and songs for other artists. How did those two sides of you – the songwriter and the internet person – come together?

The biggest value that my social media content has provided is in the working relationships I have curated from connecting with people through it. Whether it's someone reaching out as a fan of my work or me reaching out to someone I am interested in working with, the social media side of what I do helps connect the dots and brings us together to collaborate. I see it as almost a visual resume of what I do.

Your songs often feel funny and painfully specific at the same time. How would you describe the world of sad alex to someone who's never heard your music?

I think the project started out as blunt, quirky, sometimes TOO vulnerable honesty, and has evolved into an even more millennialcore version of that. I like to shed light on the niche things that make us realize how little of our experiences are truly unique and original. That camaraderie can help us feel less alone in the more scary versions of those.

“I like to shed light on the niche things that make us realize how little of our experiences are truly unique and original. That camaraderie can help us feel less alone in the more scary versions of those.”

Before Suno, what would usually happen when you had a weird, funny, half-formed song idea? Did those ideas become songs, content, voice notes, or just disappear?

I would say the majority still disappear. At this point in my career I have written so many songs and concepts it can be hard to keep track of it all. But in one of my projects from last year I dove into some of the demo ideas that I have always liked but have never been able to fully flesh out, often getting stuck on them so they wouldn't make it on a past album or EP. Hearing some of the Suno versions of these demos helped me hear how a finished product could potentially sound, and I was able to cherry-pick the things I liked from them and build them into a final version of the song that I was happy with.

Tell me how Suno fits into how you work. When does it come in, and what does it let you do?

For me, I only use Suno to solve a problem. Whether it's a vocal I need switched from male to female or visa versa (this happens a lot in the songwriting world), an instrument part that I am unable to play or source in that moment (strings, electric guitar, etc.), or a quick base of a demo I am stuck on that I can build off of or around. And always only for songs I own 100 percent of the copyright of. If you are going to upload a song to Suno, make sure you own it entirely or have approval from your collaborators!

You've always been very native to short-form video (including Hooks!), demonstrating the way a joke, lyric, or tiny truth can become a whole song world. How do you think about turning music into something visual?

Recently, I try to think about the things that I want to see, that I will stop for when scrolling, etc. It can be easy to fall into certain habits and formats with your content, and in a world where everything is so oversaturated it becomes more and more difficult to stand out. Trying to make things that genuinely make me laugh, smile, feel, etc is usually the recipe for a good piece of content.

A lot of artists are skeptical of AI in music because they worry it replaces craft or authorship. As a songwriter, what parts of the process still feel most human to you when you're using Suno?

I saw an interview recently where they described how human creation is inherently forward-thinking, while AI is inherently backward. There are many ways where AI software can be useful to us, but it by definition cannot think forward in the way we can. That's what makes a song feel fresh, a lyric feel special and unique, a vocal delivery connect with the listener.

“If there is a tight deadline, lack of budget or collaborator, sometimes this can act as the assistant you need in that moment.”

What would you say to another songwriter or artist who's curious about Suno but doesn't want to lose what makes their work personal?

In this industry, the more autonomy you have in your own creative process the more productive and powerful you can feel. If something can help you finish a production, flesh out an idea, get the appropriate vocal on something so you can get it to where it needs to go, that can make all the difference. If there is a tight deadline, lack of budget or collaborator, sometimes this can act as the assistant you need in that moment.

What are you working on right now, and where do you want to take sad alex next?

I am having a blast launching my new kids music and YouTube channel (under “happy alex”), while also prepping for summer sad alex releases. Keep your ears peeled!

You can find more of sad alex’s work on Suno, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify.