FEATURED ARTIST *ERIC ALEXANDRAKIS*

ERIC ALEXANDRAKIS

RETHYMNO, Greece

Eric Alexandrakis from Rethymno Greece has released his latest track titled 'My Rainy Day'. Having put the song in at Number 1 in our Weekly Top 10 Indie-Rock this week we wanted to find out more! Opening with a Twee-sounding melody this track opens with an ultimately catchy vibe. As the track progresses we hear a real catch indie rock-inspired production. Eric has had a number of notable moments so far in his music career. In a caption, we were told that he is a "Grammy-nominated Electromanic who drinks wine with John Malkovich, and was discovered by Duran Duran's John Taylor." We decided to reach out to find out more in an interview with Alex which can be found on our Featured Artist page. Click the link below to stream 'My Rainy Day'

STREAM HERE

We were really intrigued to find more out surrounding the journey of Eric Alexandrakis so Tamara Jenna got him to spill the story behind his success.

Firstly, I'd like to say, I LOVE your work, so I'm super excited to interview you!

You're very kind, thanks for that and for the interest.

You're a Grammy Nominated Artist! How did that come about?

Generally, it was submitted for the award, and the voters supported it. Everything is timing!

You've worked with a number of notable brands over the years - MTV, NBA, CBS, Discovery Channel, Nike, and Live Nation to name a few. How did you go about securing those industry links?

It's like with anything really where one has to stay focused on the task, and network the heck out of one's self. Once you have one success, you can basically bounce around to get more, as the previous gig fuels the next one, and so on. I'm very much a go-getter who doesn't take no for an answer...not easily anyway. You also have to know what the limitations are, always have a credible presentation, and that failure means "just try it a different way".

What would your advice be to those who are looking to do the same?

Be excellent, be diverse, be open to criticism, always try new things, read everything, absorb all forms of art, take care of yourself, have confidence, assume that no one will care as that will make you more determined, be organized, don't start a family until you're set, and be humble. Also have fun. It's all a test of your commitment to the craft.

When did you first have the realisation that you were an artist?

Professionally when Viacom licensed my 4-track cassette recordings. I realized then that it could be a job. Personally, there was never a realization. It was more of an instinct which I thought everyone had.

When creating the track/tracks, who were your biggest artistic influences?

It depends upon what I'm working on. At the moment I'm writing a tune for a major Latin pop singer, so I'm drawing a lot from Latin Reggaeton pop, but adding my own twists and turns from my childhood heroes, which always seem to make their way into the mix somehow. A few months ago I wrote a tune for a major band, and that was full on 1984, which is my favorite era in music. I suppose if it comes down to it, my biggest influences are late 60's pop, mid 80's pop, John Williams, and Greek music from the 60's and 70's, but inspiration can literally come from anywhere, or anything. To get more specific, any time I lay down a vocal, I ask, "WWSLBD?"...which stands for "What would Simon Le Bon do?" He's my favorite, and his approach to harmony and melody has influenced me more than anything, even when playing other instruments. It's that whole doctrine of "choose the unexpected notes, and surprise the listener". That was a big epiphany when I was 8 or so.

What are your ultimate career goals?

I literally don't think about that anymore, but having a tune featured in a major ad, and/or major film would be cool. Making more recordings with my heroes, and just interesting sounds...making a body of work that is worth leaving behind... Generally my goals in life are to see my offspring happy and successful, and to find my place in all of this. Still searching...

How would you define your sound?

I like to call it "Electromanic". Colorful, melodic, cinematic, and energetic. I always feel like an experimental art school student, and it seems that's how it all looks and sounds, like on my https://www.instagram.com/esgalexandrakis.

What are your future plans? What can we look forward to for the rest of 2022?

I have a list on my studio wall of 12 albums that are demo'd, partially completed, and completed that are awaiting release. It's quite frustrating as I write all the time and never seem to catch up, but I also have a few documentaries in the works, NFT plans, more music supervision...I have no idea really!

Where can we find the track? Links to socials and distribution handles: push.fm/fl/qhjbb0ld