Alexander Stewart on The Fan Reaction to "i wish you cheated," Writing About His Life & Wanting To Collab With Doja Cat

Billboard

2 years ago

Alexander Stewart chatted with Billboard on the red carpet of the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

Transcript

00:00 I am here with Alexander Stewart.

00:01 Alex, can I call you Alex?

00:03 Are we friends?

00:03 - Whatever you want.

00:04 - Well, what do you prefer?

00:05 - You know, it's just actually a funny,

00:07 oh, hello, conversation.

00:08 I always say whatever you want on my friends,

00:10 they're always like, "He likes Alexander."

00:12 I'm like.

00:13 - I feel like if I called you Alex,

00:15 and you said, "Nah,"

00:17 that the vibes, I'd be like, "All right, it's Alexander."

00:19 - I'm never gonna say,

00:20 I personally don't mind that much,

00:21 but I have a slight preference towards Alexander,

00:24 but I'm not gonna tell people that.

00:25 - Okay, well, I like, it's you!

00:28 (laughing)

00:30 - I mean, if you wanna be called

00:31 whatever you wanna be called,

00:32 you let us know what it is.

00:33 So, Alexander, it is.

00:35 You release "I Wish You Cheated."

00:38 - Yes, yes, yes, yes.

00:39 - And it's amassed critical social, you know, acclaim.

00:44 How and why do you think fans resonate to that song so much?

00:47 - Oh my God, well, first off, thank you.

00:49 Second off, it's really interesting,

00:51 because I didn't know how people were gonna react to that,

00:53 'cause the title, in general, "I Wish You Cheated,"

00:54 and the whole concept is like bizarre.

00:56 Like, it's very weird,

00:57 but I think that's part of why.

00:59 It's just what it's saying.

01:00 It just says it in a weird way.

01:02 Tons of people throughout any relationship,

01:05 it ends, it's just 'cause they fall out of love,

01:07 and that's like a horrible, sad thing.

01:09 And so, to kinda like make it a little playful,

01:13 to something that I think a lot of people,

01:14 or maybe everyone on this planet

01:15 has experienced at some point,

01:17 I think that's what resonated.

01:19 I think it was a slight playful twist

01:20 on the heartbreaking thing that most people do experience.

01:23 - So, you've been dancing around this idea of saying

01:26 this is what a lot of people experience.

01:28 Did you experience it?

01:29 Is it coming from a place of heartache?

01:33 - Yeah, I mean, absolutely. (laughs)

01:35 I grew up with the running theme of my life

01:38 being unrequited love,

01:40 and also, when I got finally into my first relationship,

01:43 it was exactly that.

01:45 There was no big fight.

01:46 There was nothing.

01:47 It just kinda fizzled, and we grew apart,

01:52 and it sucked, and it just had to come to a conversation.

01:55 And I remember sitting there being like,

01:57 my God, I wish something happened.

01:59 I could just be mad, but I couldn't,

02:01 because nothing happened.

02:02 And then it's honestly more heartbreaking

02:05 than some of the other breakups I had where I did.

02:07 - I mean, relationships are so tricky, right?

02:09 You wanna grow with someone,

02:10 but sometimes you guys grow apart.

02:12 And then you're like,

02:13 I wish I had something to anchor these feelings towards.

02:15 - That's exactly what it is.

02:17 I wish you cheated.

02:18 - I wish you cheated.

02:19 I mean, do you have plans for an album?

02:21 - Absolutely, oh my God.

02:23 I'm really hoping for,

02:25 I don't know what I'm allowed to say or not,

02:26 but Q1 of next year would be kinda the dream.

02:29 - I mean, that's a couple of months from now.

02:30 Have you been writing away?

02:31 - It's coming up soon.

02:32 I mean, I'm just basically trying to pick the songs

02:36 I wanna put on this album.

02:37 It's like the last four years of my life

02:38 put into this 40-minute project.

02:42 It's impossible to pick them.

02:44 I keep writing more songs,

02:45 and I'm like, oh, I wanna swap this one out,

02:46 but how can I take that part of my life out?

02:47 It's just the weirdest thing ever,

02:48 but I think it's time it comes out.

02:50 I haven't put an album ever,

02:51 and I have like 20 songs out, so it's time.

02:53 It's time.

02:54 - That's so exciting.

02:55 So do you have any artists here you're interested in seeing,

02:59 possibly collaborating with?

03:00 - Oh my God.

03:01 I mean, the absolute dream of all time would be Doja Cat,

03:04 just 'cause it's Doja Cat.

03:07 I don't know what to tell ya.

03:09 I'm so excited to see her perform tonight.

03:11 I was on the car ride here,

03:12 and I was like, oh, maybe I'll see her on the carpet,

03:14 and as I'm pulling up, I saw she posted all her carpet stuff.

03:16 I was like, no.

03:18 - Well, you might see her inside.

03:19 - Possible.

03:20 I mean, let's manifest, let's manifest.

03:22 - Manifest.

03:23 I will see Doja Cat inside.

03:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Alexander Stewart on The Fan Reaction to "i wish you cheated," Writing About His Life & Wanting To Collab With Doja Cat | 2023 MTV VMAs

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