ALEX RADUS – AN ARTIST SPOTLIGHT AND IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW
Photo Brian McCloskey
By Ralph Beauchamp
Alex Radus is a singer songwriter based out of PA. Radus just released his first single entitled “Where Liberty Lives” on the Bigger Beast record label. “Where Liberty Lives” is Radus’ first protest song and it drops at a highly divisive point in American history. Politics today are at a boiling point and the need for unity and understanding are tantamount. Alex Radus uses “Where Liberty Lives” as a calling cry for society to return to civility and love.
Alex Radus creates music that feels both intimate and expansive. He blends folk, Americana and roots rock into a sound that is unmistakably his own. His songs are anchored by thoughtful lyrics and warm, expressive vocals. They carry equal parts vulnerability and quiet strength. Alex Radus crafts arrangements that allow stories to unfold naturally. He draws the listener in with organic instrumentation, subtle grooves and melodic hooks.
Across his body of work, Alex Radus has developed a reputation for sharp storytelling and poetic observation. His sound often balances stripped-down acoustic textures with rich harmonies and dynamic builds. Radus uses that balance in order to create an emotional arc within each track. There’s a lived-in honesty to his music that resonates deeply with his audiences. His ability to fuse personal narrative with broader social themes gives his songs both immediacy and lasting relevance.
In his new single, “Where Liberty Lives,” Radus channels that signature warmth into a stirring meditation on freedom, community and shared humanity. The song pairs heartfelt lyricism with a steady uplifting rhythm that feels both grounded and anthemic. “Where Liberty Lives” stands as a testament to Radus‘ evolving artistry. It captures his gift for weaving meaningful commentary into melodies that feel timeless and deeply human. The accompanying video for the song also solidifies Radus‘ creative acumen by crafting such a poignant message with empathy and grace.
Alex Radus was kind enough to sit with AMP for this in-depth interview.
AMP: Your songs often blend storytelling with intricate melodies. What usually comes first for you – lyrics, melody or a concept?
ALEX: Usually the melody, often with some lyrics. I frequently feel like there is a radio station that only I can tune in to. Sometimes I’ll just hear a song and pluck it out of the ether. One of my fan favorites – a song for my oldest daughter – was written that way in about 20 minutes. “Where Liberty Lives” is an outlier. It started with the concept. But I’ll save that for a later question…
AMP: Are there particular writers, poets or musicians who have shaped your lyrical style?
ALEX: Absolutely – Nathan Moore, Mark Knopfler, Paul Simon, Gillian Welch and James McMurtry are some of my favorites. I love it when songwriters can tell a compelling story in just a few carefully selected words with no cliches or forced rhymes.
AMP: Your music spans folk, pop and roots influences. How would you personally describe your sound?
ALEX: Gooood question… I’ve been calling it “genre whiplash”. It mostly fall under the Singer/Songwriter – Americana umbrella. But I also have a handful of jazz and swing tunes. Genre is just another tool in the toolkit to tell the story. Sticking to one genre for me would be like being an artist who only paints with one color. The common denominator – I hope – is that they’re just good songs, whatever the genre is.
AMP: What themes keep resurfacing in your writing?
ALEX: Gods and devils, space and time, hurricanes (for some reason?), love songs by imperfect narrators, and recently, finding community and meaning through music.
AMP: Your new single, “Where Liberty Lives”, is dropping very soon via Bigger Beast Records.. Can you give us a little insight into the track?
ALEX: “Where Liberty Lives” is my first protest song. I respect the genre, and I’m politically active, but music and politics were streams I didn’t cross. Then Renee Good and Alex Pretti were murdered on video in broad daylight on public streets. And our government lied shamelessly about it. I knew I couldn’t do another concert without having something to say.
I debuted “Where Liberty Lives” a week later. Erik Balkey, an artist rep with Hudson Harding Music, was in the audience. He said he wanted to push it out to 200+ radio stations. The catch? He needed a final master in 6 days! Meanwhile, the next night I played the tune in a small, rural bar in Pennsylvania. The atmosphere was electric and I got a standing ovation. I knew the song needed to be heard. So I got to work recording it for Erik’s deadline.
Two last things I want to say:
The Trump Administration’s lies reminded me of this quote, which was regular reading when I was in high school: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” George Orwell, 1984. I wanted to apply Orwell’s message to current events and explore what it meant to resist Big Brother’s command.
And I was pulled to connect the song to a deeper American identity. I recalled that the first casualty of the Revolutionary War was Crispus Attucks, murdered in the streets by the King’s soldiers. That comes up in the 3rd verse of “Where Liberty Lives”. The parallel is both chilling and hopeful.
AMP: Do songs evolve for you over time when you perform them live?
ALEX: Absolutely. Live is the testing grounds. It either works or it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t, you know you still have work to do. But you have to be careful. Play a mediocre song too long or too often and it will start sounding fine. So it’s a balancing act to figure out when a tune is ready to be workshopped live.
AMP: Many of your songs feel very personal. How do you balance vulnerability with privacy?
ALEX: There is a sweet spot for songs where it’s not too general or too personal. If it’s too general, no one can relate. Same thing if it’s too personal. But if it’s authentic to who you are, and told in an archetypal way, you have something that people can really connect with. That’s what I try to do. If I do it right, the process itself should balance vulnerability and privacy.
AMP: What has surprised you most about being a working musician?
ALEX: I’m having a hard time answering this. Maybe I’ve been a working musician too long to be surprised by anything….Here’s one way of answering it. During the process of releasing “Where Liberty Lives”, many people have said “why aren’t there more musicians writing protest songs?” In reality, there are soooooo many musicians writing protest songs. The real question is “why has mainstream radio been playing the same 300 songs for the last 50 years”? Although I understand structurally why that is so, it surprises me that more people aren’t clamoring for something new.
AMP: If you could collaborate with any artist (past or present) who would it be and why?
ALEX: I’d really love to write and record a song with Janelle Monáe. She’s one of the most creative musical artists I’ve ever heard. I have no idea what we’d create together, but I know it would be awesome.
AMP: Is there a musical direction you haven’t tried but would like to?
ALEX: Hmm. You’re talking to a guy who has a genre bending singer/songwriter project AND an alt rock/post punk band AND a Christmas comedy duo… I would enjoy digging into a particular cultural style of music. I was in Italy last summer and was riveted by this incredible band playing traditional Italian tunes on the street during a midnight festival. They played a version of La Zitella that I can’t get out of my head. I’m planning to learn it for a Django Reinhardt show I’m doing this May. That’s another thing – I dabble in Jazz Manouche. It’s an incredible style of music and a lifelong study!
Views: 1
