Alexa Papas-Musician

Hello, it’s me again!

So, the big day approaches and everything is hectic! An emotional rollercoaster from the moment I arrived home to Cyprus. Preparations, rehearsals, production, family gatherings…

Constantine and I had already finished our recordings remotely, and I had already started the production of the song. However, since we were both in Cyprus we decided to meet and work together to get the end product ready for the wedding.

And we did!

The day was magical! The ceremony was full of love and emotion. Laughters, crying and smiles, filled the atmosphere.

It was the time for the first dance! And the song comes up. ‘Speak softly love’.

I hope they loved it as much as we did creating it for them!

To my dearest couple: I wish you to always be happy and explore love and life together.

Special thanks to Andreas Michalopoulos

You can find a cover of the song ‘Speak softly love’ on all platforms such as Spotify , apple music, amazon music etc.

Give it love! See you on the next project!

Heyy!

The procedure of tying to create something is always stressful BUT always an amazing journey.

Constantine was travelling for work and I was here in the UK working as well, therefore, as you understand everything had to be done remotely with several technical issues.

I get the feeling that things are going just fine and then suddenly when you actually need them to work something goes wrong. I guess this is what makes the creating process more interesting, or, is a message from the universe to remind us that anything worth doing is hard and difficult. (Mics not working, laptops having issues, no internet connection etc.) Or, as a greek song says, Οτ,ι αξι΄ζει πονα΄ει και ει΄ναι δυ΄σκολο. So relax and take a breath.

But we made it! Over plenty of video calls, emails and messages.

Nothing of course would be possible without the help of the brilliant pianist, Andreas Michalopoulos.

…

Hello people,

As I have mentioned in a previous entry, past May was one of the most important months of my life so far. Two of my favourite people became officially one! I had the honour of being one of my sister’s bridesmaids and I took my role very seriously! As a bridesmaid I knew that I had to do something special for the couple. My sister had mentioned years ago, that she wanted me to sing at her wedding and I knew exactly what song she wanted.

So as a disciplined bridesmaid, I begun the preparations for a special gift  for my favourite couple.

However, I couldn’t do this alone. One of the best singers I’ve met, which I now have the honour to call a friend and fellow musician, who also happens to be a dear friend of the couple, Constantine Andronikou, had the same desire as I did. Therefore, we combined our powers and our love for the beloved two, to create something beautiful.

Stay tuned to find out more!

So hello again!!

Before getting into it I wanted to vent a little bit and write about May 2023.

May has been a most important month so far. A month I was looking forward to, however, this is not what I will talk about in this entry

As we all know, unexpected events take place in our lives, and this is what I will be writing about today.

May has taken from me a person that I will always respect and love, a person that has achieved a lot in life and lived life to the fullest. A man who taught his family how to show respect, be generous and help whenever possible. May has taken my grandad, as it did my grandma just a year earlier. I miss their silly fighting and the way they cared for each other. But I hope they are now somewhere together once again. They will always be the best storytellers. I have travelled the whole world through their stories.

Pappu, yiayia, I hope you are now in peace and love, looking over us and guiding us.

As I have already said before, I hope that I will meet you somewhere far ahead.

…

Speak softly love

Welcome to a new blog project of mine.

In this blog I will be focusing on a new cover release.

A song that came to be of great importance to me. Not because of the actual song, but because of the purpose and reason behind making the cover.

Stay tuned to find out more!

Hey there,

The grieving continues. When you realise you’ll never see them again, the thought becomes unbearable. However, life continues, and without realising it you find a way to express that grief and make it creative. Through the thoughts and the memories, and the feelings.

I began to control my emotions. I comforted myself by thinking that they are somewhere out there, and I still care for them and they do the same. We may not talk or see each other anymore but that is how things are. It may seem like I’m suppressing my feelings but for me this is how it feels. I think of them, I watch videos of on my phone and keep their memory fresh in my mind. 

Life was getting back to ‘normal’. Still worried for my future and career. Still thinking of ways to get better and get back on my feet. Many ideas that I want to put into action. Motivation rising and then getting overwhelmed. And the cycle goes on and on.

One day I was just improvising on the piano and the words just slipped out my mouth. All the thoughts and emotions of what happened during the year. And this song became ‘missing pieces’, my debut song. I wanted to give it shape and life.

Therefore with the help of Mayfield studios and their producer Matt, my song was brought to life. It was an incredible journey. A moment of catharsis. ‘Missing pieces’ marked the end of the most significant year of my life so far.

A year which taught me a lot, hurt me, disappointed, as well as made me proud. A year where I cried and laughed with my heart. A year of loss and gain. A year that I hope will give me the boost to create more, and work to make my dreams come true.

I hope that ‘missing pieces’ is loved and appreciated. And a note to self: I hope it to be the first of many to come.

You can find my song on all platforms such as Spotify , apple music, amazon music etc.

And this was ‘my’ 2022

Thank you

And now the aftermath!

Coming back to the UK I found myself getting lost in desperate thoughts and slowly falling into a mild depression.

During my time in Turkey I had to face a personal matter away from my family as well. One of my favourite, most playful souls passed away. Rocky boy, I will never forget you. During the same period my lovely grandma was also giving her own fight. And I was away.

When I came  back to the UK, I was in a deep shock, feeling helpless, angry and disappointed. I tried to fake it and act OK, so I made a few important steps that I was quite proud of.

A month or so after my return to the UK, my grandma passed away. And again, I was away.

I felt vulnerable. My motivation once again was non existent. I had so many different feelings at the same time. I was completely lost. I’ve never felt as homesick as I felt then.

Looking back, I was in a deep state of grief and my motivation regarding music was gone. I was afraid of what would happen next. I could not face going back to my previous job.

I tried to take a break to get my thoughts in order and concentrate. It was hard. Being away from home and not being able to say a last goodbye to the ones I had lost made it even harder.

Yiayia mou I miss you already

…

Χαίρετε! 

So let’s continue from were we left. I tend to get lost in my imagination therefore, I hope the rest makes sense! 

I am off to Turkey for an interesting and life-changing project. Everything is very exciting and ideal at the beginning. Vocal rehearsals every day, meeting fellow artists and singers all sharing the same passion for music. All came from a  different background, and yet, I could feel a deep connection with most of them. I may be a romantic but, I could feel that we all share the same thirst t create. It felt as if we were part of a family. A family that I knew would not be together for long, but  at that time was so precious to me. 

I was completely out of my comfort zone and yet, I found myself free and connected with people I only knew for a few days. My experience in this kind of project was limited, unlike most of my fellow work partners. The experience was overwhelming. I will never forget the instant I stepped foot on the workspace. Everyone was so loving and eager to get to know me. I was part of a team. 

Things were not easy but I never regretted the decision to go there. Half way through the project things became even more challenging, which to be honest I did not mind. At the beginning I did not know what I was getting myself into, but by that point I felt the need  to explore every aspect of my self. 

Truth be told, not everyone wants to see you thrive, not everyone wants or is willing to give you a chance to try. You must have the guts to face every obstacle whether that is a dance routine, or personal issues. 

Unfortunately, my journey to Turkey did not last for as long as I had planned. It was though, a journey that taught me a lot.It made me realise that I must always try hard for what I want to achieve but I should not pay attention to all the people all the time. Some are not really worth it. 

Greatest lesson of all was that you should always stand up again after a fall. 

I gathered a lot of information about the music industry and acquired knowledge that will accompany me throughout my career. 

At that point I came so close to people that I only knew for a few weeks. These are people that if at some point in my life they reach out I will want to be there for them. Artists that I would be so happy to perform with on stage. These are people from all around the world. 

And that is way I will always be grateful for this chapter in my life!

Hola people! 

Getting straight to the point! In my previous ‘diary’ post, I wrote about the day I got an offer for a permanent role at a job that had nothing to do with what I wanted to pursue in life. 

The same day I got a call from an unknown number. As if things were not already messy enough inside my head, I got another job offer! But this time, it was a dream job! And it was for the role I had applied, not believing I would be considered (Mentioned in the previous entry) 

AGAIN, the two little Alexas in my brain (as I like to call them) started having an argument. This would be a dream job and finally the indication I was looking for, that I can make it, even if it was just a tiny step. On the other hand, this offer would be a temporary role at a new country I have never been to, and also doing something that I haven’t necessarily done before in that extend. It would mean that I would have to leave my life in the UK, the people I love, my job and income, all projects running, run towards the unknown and uncertainty. This offer could open so many new doors and horizons, regardless the length of its duration 

The two little Alexas had already created the different scenarios as to how my life would change depending on which decision I make. It was an EASY yes, to the dream job, but HARD Ito follow it. I was afraid to lose everything I already had, but also I felt that I wasn’t letting go of the things I disliked in my life. 

It was a very hard decision but at the same time a very easy one to make. 

I said yes to the dream job, paused all the other liabilities and flew off to Turkey for the unknown!

Hey! 

As I have stated in my previous entry, during  year 2022, I started getting back on track pursuing my dreams. The year started moving quite slowly as I was working at a job which consumed all my energy but was, covid acceptable. When I work on something or collaborating with other people I try to give all my attention and put all my effort to it and be as professional as possible. That does not necessarily meaning that I like what I am doing. However, I tried to find the good and positive aspects of it. I want to believe that I am not a person who likes complaining all the time.  The Job did give me some satisfaction in regards to independency, but I felt that I was wasting my time and energy. 

One night, as the depression was flowing through every inch of my body and blocking every single blood vessel of my heart, I decided to manifest what I really wanted. I started apply for jobs that only had to do with singing and performing. throughout the lockdown I applied for jobs that I felt were more creative and musical, I never stopped. As my motivation guided me for something new, my feelings towards my current job, and letting go of it, were becoming stronger. Finally I gave up on using all the excuses regarding COVID, and realised I had to get out of my comfort zone. 

I applied to one specific job without really believing I had any chance but I felt proud and brave for doing so. 

The next day comes and the head of my current job, offered me a permanent position as they were quite happy with my work. I remember having two very contrasting emotions. First, I felt the satisfaction that I was wanted and that I was actually doing a good job. But I also believed that by accepting the permanent role, would mean that my dreams to be in the music industry would vanish, and that I would fail. I would have to forget my love for music and singing. 

When I was announced the offer, my brain started working out, in the tiniest detail what life would be if I was to accept that offer. 

This is how my brain works, always exaggerating and being very dramatic. When would I finally understand that I am the sole responsible for my life. I was my own enemy. I would be following a path in which my confidence in singing would be lost 

After the panic of the first few minutes, and once my brain settled down, the answer that prevailed was to accept the offer, with the promise to my self that it wouldn’t stop me from doing what I love and keep trying to find my path.