How superstar DJ Alexandra Richards forged her own musical path: ‘I’m not trying to be in my father’s footsteps by any means’

Published On October 22, 2024 » By »

Alexandra Richards

 

If there was anyone who was born to be a nightlife darling, it’s Alexandra Richards. As the daughter of Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards and supermodel Patti Hansen, she grew up surrounded by fashion and rock ‘n’ roll, and by age 14, she was modeling internationally herself. By age 18, she was attending the School of Visual Arts in the nightlife capital of the U.S., New York City, and it was there, during the Meet Me in the Bathroom indie-sleaze era of 2006, that she began DJing in the NYC club scene —  a journey that has now led to a career in music supervision as well.

But it is only now, as a 38-year-old mother of a 3-year-old with another baby due in February 2025, that Richards has released her debut single, “Feel You” — a dreamy Afro house collaboration with dance music duo JAIKO. Speaking with Lyndsanity, Richards comes across as warm, open, and incredibly grounded —  despite the wild reputation of her father, whom she calls her “idol,” and the globe-trotting adventures that being the child of a rock royalty afforded her, she and her older sister Theodora actually always had a stable family life in Connecticut, for which she will forever feel “super-blessed.” She’s also well aware of the “nepo baby” stereotypes that have followed her as she has forged her own, very different career in the arts, but she has quietly built that career, “finding all these places to find joy in music and keep crafting and keep creating,” she says. “I am pretty happy with the past 20 years-plus that I’ve had, taking this slow and steady route. So, we’ll see where it blossoms.”

In the conversation below, Richards opens up about proving her haters wrong when she first became “the it-girl behind the DJ booth,” the perils of modeling as a young girl, New York City in the glorious aughts, the wide-ranging music her parents turned her onto as a little girl, how her parents gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams, her dreams for her own children, and much more. 

LYNDSANITY: Obviously you have grown up around music, pop culture, fashion, and nightlife, so it’s interesting to me that you’re only putting out your first single now. I guess the obvious question to start with is, since you’ve been DJing for a long time but this is your first official recording, what’s the story behind the timing there?

ALEXANDRA RICHARDS: I guess just the organic feel. It kind of took off with JAIKO and my friend Louis Courts, who’s part of JAIKO [along with Jadeyn Madsen]. It was the natural progression of us linking up and meeting. But it kind of all started before that. I started DJing I think in 2006. Previously I’d been modeling, so in my early years I was getting into the nightlife. And then at least six years of my life was just DJing nightclubs and things around New York, just being young and having fun doing it. And then I kind of got out of that nightlife world and started DJing events for fashion, and it was like “the it-girl behind the DJ booth.” That took also another five or six years of my career. But I think why it’s all kind of come together now is I also signed with new management, Total Smash, who’s just amazing and gets me and kind of helped with giving me that confidence and that boost, like, “Yo, you’ve been DJing a really long time, and you don’t have anything really to show for your work.” I think I just needed to sit with that for a minute: “OK, where do I get there? How do I start?” And my relationship with Louis was kind of the snowball to that. And that’s where we’re at now, 15 or 16 years later.

You said it was around 2006 when you started DJing. The aughts were a good time. I mean, “indie sleaze” is back, electroclash is back…

Totally! I mean, it’s so funny that the 2000s now are coming back. I’ve been hearing it in TV shows and I sometimes have that cringe moment, like, “Oh my God, that’s a moment that I had when I was that age, and kids are all reenacting it now!”… But there was just so much exciting music coming out during that time, and for the dance floor. I don’t know if it was just because of my age, but everybody was just dancing and having a good time, and all the places I was playing were these hot New York City moments, like Tao, 1OAK, and Goldbar, just to name a few. When you’re young, and DJing, all of that is just really electrifying.

It was maybe the last era of when that was happening, because I feel like today’s youth, especially ones who spent a lot of their formative years in a pandemic, didn’t get to have that. And they want it now.

I agree. I think also maybe there’s a touch of that for myself, as to having that moment to reflect during COVID of the other possibilities of what I can do for myself in my career. I also got into music supervision, so I have a couple short films under my belt and a documentary that came out this year that’s in the festival circuit, just to broaden my horizons of where music goes. It’s just such a human connection that we need, and during COVID that really showed — locking us down, can’t see each other, can’t be close together. One of my favorite songs was from the Blessed Madonna [“(Marea) We’ve Lost Dancing”]… it was all about human connection and just missing dancing. It is such an awesome song, and it’s really moving. And for myself, thinking about the music that I want to create, it’s really about just connecting everyone.

You mentioned something like the “it-girl” behind the turntable. When someone’s a celebrity, or the child of a celebrity, and becomes a DJ, there’s always a little bit of skepticism, like, “Are they really doing that, or are they just pressing a button?” And then you factor in being a model, and being female in general… I imagine you faced with some skepticism. So, if you weren’t taken seriously, how did you contend with that and obviously overcome that?

I think everybody, in anything you’re going to do, is going to have their opinion. When I first started, I moved to New York in 2004 and I was at art school. I thought it was cool to be a DJ, but I didn’t know anything about it. I was dating somebody who was going around and DJing other spots, and I would go carry his crates and I’d pick out songs. I’m like, “You know what? This is really fun.” And I ended up DJing with a friend of mine who also DJ’d around the Lower East Side, and we ended up doing a one-for-one kind of night. He couldn’t go one day, so I was like, “Oh, I’ll fill in for you. I’ve got this.” And just having my own night really inspired me. It wasn’t like I did it and all of a sudden I got all this attention. It took a long time. I don’t even think anybody knew I was really DJing certain nights up in the bird’s nest or wherever, because I was just learning. I think that also not having Instagram and all of that during those times, it was really nice to just kind of fall into my career the way that it did, where it wasn’t this instant gratification for people to shut you down. It’s really hard these days. I think I’m lucky — I’m knocking on wood that my progression into it was trial-and-error. And I had really good mentors and friends who DJ’d around who would show me things. Anyway, if you love what you do, you don’t fear it. You’re just interested in knowing and learning your craft and always becoming better.

I think there were definitely some haters that ended up coming out, because then there were a lot more girls coming to the forefront of DJing and [male DJs were thinking], “Oh man, they’re taking my jobs!” It’s like, “Dude, it was never your job in the first place. If you didn’t book it, don’t get so sad about it or sour.” So yeah, I definitely had that whole annoying thing where people are like, “Oh, she’s a model.” I’m like, “Did you even know I modeled before?” This was more something that I was passionate about, leaving the modeling behind because that was a short-lived thing for me. I decided, “OK, I have other interests. I’m 18 years old. I’m not just a model. I have other things in my body that I want to explore and get out there.” I think following my heart and doing that and not listening to the [haters] was important.

The other elephant-in-the-room question is about a term that didn’t exist then, but the whole “nepo baby” thing. I’ve talked to lots of second-generation musicians about this perception. Obviously coming from a famous family opens some doors and has advantages, but it’s a fallacy that it opens all doors or it’s a total career shortcut. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this idea that if you come from a certain lineage that people are just handing you your career on a plate, which I don’t think is true.

I think it’s always good to acknowledge. I mean, no matter what interview I do or job I’ve gotten, no matter what, they were going to splash that I was “Keith Richards’s daughter” or “Patti Hansen’s daughter.” There was no way for me to kind of get into the industry, any industry, without the acknowledgement that these people are my parents. I have a great relationship with my family. I’m super-blessed. You’re born into your families; you don’t really have a choice. I think it’s what you do with your craft that’s really important — and how you behave. If you give people the right to call you names or to act a certain way because you do come from a family name, you are asking for it also. I think it’s a double-edged sword, but it is what it is. I’ve got a great relationship with my family and I think being a “nepo baby” for myself, yeah, I don’t know.

Entertainment, modeling, showbiz in general — it’s not always an easy life. As I’ve said, I’ve talked to other second-generation musicians who’ve told me were advised by their own famous parents, “Go to law school! Go to medical school! Be an accountant!” Their parents were wary of them going down the same path. I’m curious about how your family reacted when you wanted to pursue music and modeling. Were they into it, or were they like, “It’s gonna be a tough life, kid”? 

What I take from them is, and I have said this before, is they came from families that they were supporting. So, they both worked very hard to get to where they were at. I think for myself, sitting back and watching them and hearing their stories and hearing their advice about how they took that leap of faith… they were never the type of parent to tell me what to do. I’m not built that way. They just know, “OK, Al’s going to go do her thing,” and they’re proud. If I fail, at least I tried, and if I have success, it’s always, “Good job!” So, I think for myself, I’ve watched them take that leap, and that’s where I get the confidence from —  just doing it and seeing how the outcome unfolds, how the story unfolds.

As a parent yourself, of a toddler and another on the way, obviously this is ways off — but if the time comes when your kids say, “Mom, I want to be a filmmaker, a DJ, a model, a musician,” or whatever, what would you tell your kids about what to expect?

It’s funny. I think I would have more with my daughter growing up in this world with the phone and modeling. Even for me, I mean I’m quite young, but at the same time it’s a very different world from when I was modeling to what it is now. I think I would be a little bit more skeptical if she would want to go into that career right now, just because you’re so young and you [have to] “brand” yourself now. What does that look like? But I don’t know, I think I would lead just like my parents. … I think if you deprive a child from wanting to fulfill their dreams, they’re going to go and do it anyway. So, I think helping them navigate that in a healthy way — I would like to guide my children and try it on, see how it goes. I don’t think I’d ever say, “No, don’t do that.” Maybe if they wanted to be a skydiving instructor, I’d say, “Don’t do that!” [laughs]

You were only 14 yourself when you started modeling…

Yeah, it’s crazy, I know. I look at my niece who’s 14 and I’m like, “I can’t believe I was doing that stuff at 14!” Getting on planes, walking in shows and doing all that. You’re so young, your mind is so [undeveloped], you’re just fresh, and there’s so much negative stuff that can come from modeling in the sense that your feelings could get hurt. You’re just so young and sensitive that you just don’t know how to take that on. You have to really have your guard up. You’ve got to be tough.

Is that why you by the time you were 18, you were already starting to exit that world?

At that time, I was still modeling, but I knew that I was not as invested as some girls that were forging a career into it. … But I had a really good run. I have no crazy stories. I was very lucky in that department. But I did know of girls who were taken advantage of, and that really hurts — that either you couldn’t be there to protect them, or it all happens so quick. You’ve got to really have a good head on your shoulders in the industry. Now I think there is a lot more security, because so many girls have come forward and are talking about it, normalizing the conversation. With protecting the girls, I think is there’s a lot more interest in doing that these days. But you never know.

Some people probably think you grew up very fast, or grew up in a wild and unstable environment. You were raised by this rock star and supermodel, so people assume you were living on Rolling Stones tour buses and jets, and then at age 14 you were off on jets on your own, supposedly living this fast-lane life. But it seems like you had a relatively a normal upbringing, and you’re obviously very grounded. Tell me about how you ended up that way — which sadly isn’t the case for all children of rock stars.

We lived in New York for a little bit and then we moved to Connecticut, and I went to a public school there, K through 12. … We grew up with a tight family up there, and my dad’s side of his family as well. We’re all just a really big family unit, and I think that has a lot to say about both my parents. They’re very similar in that world, with that idea of just keeping us all together.

My sister and I, we took off school — I took off 3rd grade to go and travel with my family for the experience of just seeing other places around the world. [The Rolling Stones] were doing a world tour then, and I think it was like ‘94 or something. And then I was also able to take off some time in 11th grade to go and travel, which was really eye-opening, because going as a teenager and seeing all the different cultures and different music and different places, you learn a lot more from that rather than sitting in a classroom. So, I’m definitely blessed to have had that experience as a family traveling together. I mean, the Stones also are a separate type of family that my sister and I have grown up with, besides the one in Connecticut. So, it was really nice to have both worlds.

What kind of music was played around the Richards home when you were growing up? I imagine it was a home rich in the arts, and maybe some music that was played around the house when you were a kid is stuff you now dip into as a DJ — that you take out of the crate and know will still get the dance floor going.

What’s really resonated with me is reggae. I’ve been a huge reggae fan forever. My earliest memories of me is listening to Gregory Isaacs, Toots and the Maytals, Alton Ellis. There’s so many amazing musicians that my dad would pull out on tape that he ended up passing on to me to have, and I play them for my daughter now because I just want her to have those memories too. Reggae is the type of music that doesn’t just put you in a good mood — it spiritually speaks to you, and I think it’s really good for little kids to hear. So, that’s something that I grew up listening to, besides also a lot of symphonies. I grew up with so much eclectic taste in the household. We could start off with symphony in the morning, then it’s reggae in the afternoon, then it’s rock ‘n’ roll at night. I think for myself, getting into the DJ world, I already had a really good kind of mindset knowing about all different types of music. Forging my way into the EDM world is quite new to me, but when I am out, it’s something that I gravitate towards, something that people like to dance to and also listen to. There’s a lot of Adam Port remixes that I’ve been following, and I love Tems — she’s one of my favorites right now. These are just in the Afro house world itself, which is really the genre that I prefer in the EDM world.

Alexandra Richards

 

There are people who would think, given your lineage, that you would play rock ‘n’ roll, fronting a rock band or whatever. What attracted you to EDM?

Well, it’s funny — I got into DJing because I wasn’t in a band! I got into DJing because I was really playing other people’s music and just kind of curating music in the night. I think certain people take certain things from when we were discussing the whole nepotism thing, like, “Oh, she should be doing [rock].” But really… should I? I’m not trying to be in my father’s footsteps by any means. But I am in the music industry, so being a DJ, you can really venture out into being or playing whatever you want. I am just really drawn towards the Afro house world itself, and Afrobeat. My husband [film director Jacques Naudé] is actually from South Africa, and when we started dating I was traveling down there, and we’d listen to a lot of that type of music. I think incorporating that into dance music itself is really beautiful and powerful, with real instruments and remixing those sounds. It’s something quite fun that I like to do. Therefore, with JAIKO, we decided to go that route as well.

Who would be some of your other dream collaborations? I assume there’s more music to come.

I can’t say who I’m hoping to lock in at the moment, but I definitely want to shine a light on up-and-coming artists. I want to work with some friends of mine who have been really wanting to work with me for a long time. So, hopefully in the new year, I can get a track out before the baby comes. But I’m looking forward to Miami Music Week in March. Hopefully we’ll be playing some gigs down there with some two new songs, so that will be exciting.

Obviously your husband is in film, and you mentioned you do music supervision. Do you have any aspirations to merge your music with film, like film scoring or anything like that?

That’s funny you say that. I was going to send out my track to some music supervision friends of mine, like, “Hey, do you know if there’s a commercial or something? I feel it would be so cool to drop it in there.” I mean, that’s the dream, right? I think also being on that side, being in music supervision, when I’m proposed a project, I really want to make sure that the song will connect with the moment. I want to nurture the seed of the song and see how it goes, see where it floats, and just let it just do its natural progression in the music world. It’s just exciting just to have something out. It’s a new adventure. It was funny, somebody asked me, “How was the release weekend? What did you do?” And I was like, “Well, we just put it out.” I’m just watching the streams go up. It was subtle, but it’s all fun.

It’s all about slow and steady wins the race. Which  brings me to my last question. Obviously your father is 80 years old and still rockin’.  And you’re putting out your first single at a relatively later age, even though you’re still young and already had quite a career before that. So, when you’re age 80, where do you see yourself, career-wise? Do you aspire to that sort of longevity?

Yeah, I hope so. He’s really my idol, and I know for a lot of people he is too. But for me, when I jumped into the DJ world and forged my own career in music supervision and finding all these places to find joy in music and keep crafting and keep creating… I am pretty happy with the past 20 years-plus that I’ve had, taking this slow and steady route. So, we’ll see where it blossoms.

Alexandra Richards

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