The Los Angeles-based pop artist and singer-songwriter Alexander James Rodriguez offers pure love on a platter with his recent single, "Doesn't Matter To Me."
Fresh off winning the Rising Star Award at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards alongside John Legend, Justin Timberlake, and Kenny Logins, Alexander James Rodriguez is turning heads at a relatively young age. The 13-year-old artist is now kicking off 2021 with his latest single, "Doesn't Matter To Me."
Not wanting to write another love song, Alexander James Rodriguez mentioned that when writing "Doesn't Matter To Me," he came across themes of forbidden love, which can be heavily related to these unforeseen times. Co-written with Alex Jacke and Liz Rodriguez, the song offers an impactful message for any listener.
"Doesn't Matter To Me" begins its venture with plucky guitars and haunting vocal chops, setting a vibrant and heartfelt pop atmosphere. Once Alexander James Rodriguez starts singing his emotions of feeling captivated by someone's otherworldly beauty, we can't help but feel the flair of an early Justin Bieber through his catchy melodies and playful delivery.
The song is incredibly tender and uplifting, taking listeners into various passionate scenes that depict nothing but true love, primarily through Alexander James Rodriguez's spirited performance and vocal delivery. As we make our way to the song's outro, the bright pop sonics and instrumentals lead the way with nothing but life and optimism.
Find Alexander James Rodriguez's first single of the year, "Doesn't Matter To Me," on all streaming platforms, and keep track of the young artist as he makes his way through 2021.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Alexander, and congratulations on your first release of the year, “Doesn't Matter To Me.” What inspired the song's passionate and playful lyricism?
Thank you. I am really excited about my new music in 2021. ‘Doesn’t Matter To Me’ was made fairly quickly. My mom and I were driving and listening to the beat back in September, it’s always good to listen on car speakers. It had a slower beat than my previous song releases, and so after a few times playing the music, she said to me that all she could hear were the words – it doesn’t matter to me. She had the melody for the chorus from that, and I voice recorded her repeating it. We talked about what didn’t matter and what direction it should go. I am only 13 so I am hardly in any romantic relationship, but relationships come in different forms. We talked about what that might mean for different people. She played Billy Joel ‘Uptown Girl’ and we talked it over sitting in LA traffic. Sometimes relationships are forbidden by family or friends, who don’t approve – because of peer pressure, culture, religion, or timing. This became the basic theme of the song. Forbidden love and how it doesn’t matter what anyone says, you just have to find your way.
Who created the beat for your single "Doesn't Matter To Me?" Do you usually work with certain producers or engineers?
We work with many different producers; it depends on the sound/beat we are looking for. ‘Doesn’t Matter To Me’ was given with the idea it would be a hybrid English-Spanish song, but although my mom tried to make suitable lyrics in Spanish, it just wasn’t working. In 2020 we had one team working on my music, but this year, we wanted to mix it up and work with different producers and engineers that could bring new vibes as my voice grew and I personally matured. We are always open to working with new people as it’s important that we explore new beats and expand our vision - I am yet to be fully settled on my own style but I know that I want to write and contribute to every record.
How does the music video for "Doesn't Matter To Me" emphasize the song's passionate and heartfelt theme?
We wanted the music video for ‘Doesn’t Matter To Me’ to be a solitude journey, plus the whole pandemic situation and large sets had us looking for simplicity. My single ‘Your Smile’ was filmed on Malibu beach with a couple of friends so this had to be different. We really wanted to walk in New York or London passing iconic buildings but that wasn’t possible, so we thought of famous landmarks in Los Angeles. We ended up at the famous Thunder Road race location from ‘Grease’ (1978) in Downtown Los Angeles, under the 6th Street bridge. It’s just me and a single camera walking and telling the story of the song. We filmed it on February 21st, and it was a typical sunny Sunday afternoon in LA.
Can you tell us more about your brand and your music? What do you promise to serve listeners through your music?
I am British so I really gravitate towards the Brit-pop culture – One Direction and Take That but as I grow older my personal brand will grow with me – for now, it’s young teen pop, but the new songs for this year are definitely more mature. I am particularly proud of this year’s music because I was allowed to fully write on each and every record. I had a lot of say lyrically on Doesn’t Matter To Me, and what I felt comfortable singing. In particular, the next three coming out later in the year I am involved in much more. By the time I turn 14 in June, I will have musically evolved to my fans that much more and I’m excited to share the different sounds we have been playing with. I promise to always write music people can relate to, happy, fun, pop, and radio-friendly, especially for my age group and peers.
What is the best advice someone has given you when it comes to creating music?
My mom says I have to love my songs as I am the one who will have to live with them for a long time. The writers, producers, and engineers will be gone and what’s left will be me and my music. If I don’t like something, I am encouraged to speak up, offer changes, bring up ideas because ultimately the music I create is tailormade for me, to tell a story I want to tell through music. If I give each song my best, I will be proud of it and it will come across to the listener. She also says – stars don’t brag, they shine.
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