Alexandra Kay has had quite the roller coaster of a career. In a new video shared on social media, Kay recalls the ups and downs, all of which led her to where she is today.
Kay was living in Illinois in 2017, when a friend of hers named Scotty was driving for Uber, and happened to have a passenger who was an executive producer for a new Netflix show, Westside. One year prior, Kay did a cover of Dolly Parton‘s iconic “Jolene,” a song that went viral, with around 80 million views. When the casting director told Kay’s friend that they were looking for a country singer, he showed him the clip of Kay singing “Jolene,” prompting the producer to reach out to Kay about appearing on Westside.
At the time, Kay had just been turned away from The Voice, and wasn’t too optimistic. But only a couple of days later, a casting director calls, which ultimately led to Kay being cast on Westside. The show required Kay to move to Los Angeles in just a few weeks. Kay relocated, renting a room from Scotty.
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What Alexandar Kay Says About Appearing on ‘Westside’
Once Kay was invited to be part of Westside, everything moved quickly for Kay, who believed that the show was going to be a launchpad for the career she spent a lifetime dreaming about.
“I go on to spend almost two years shooting this show,” Kay recounts. “We are told the show is going to completely change our lives. And the premise of the show was nine up-and-coming singer-songwriters, grinding it out in the Los Angeles music scene.”
When Kay was cast in Westside, she was already playing four-hour sets Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights in St. Louis, an impressive feat for any independent artist. Not only did she leave the security of those gigs, but it was also how she paid her bills.
“We didn’t get paid a whole lot,” Kay acknowledges. “It definitely didn’t stretch, seeing as we spent two years shooting this Netflix show, and then it never got renewed for a new season. It’s safe to say that, although I thought it was going to be the thing that changed my life, it definitely wasn’t. But I made a lot of really great friends, and the show is still streaming on Netflix.”
How Alexandra Kay Moved Forward After ‘Westside’
Westside didn’t pan out the way Kay hoped, nor did another record deal she signed, with another record label.
“During that time, I signed a record deal with Warner Brothers Records, and then ended up getting released from my deal, which means, yeah, you guessed it. I’m now on my third record deal,” the resilient singer says. “Nobody can say I didn’t want it. After coming home from that show is when I started the Coffee Cover series. It was history after that. It was a really cool experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Thanks to Kay singing country covers while making her morning coffee, she was invited to open for Tim McGraw in 2022. In 2023, Kay released her freshman All I’ve Ever Known album. In 2025, Kay released Second Wind, her sophomore record, and her first on BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. She currently has a hit single at radio, with “Straight For The Heart.”
Photo Credit: CMA / Erika Goldring