SONGWRITER IN LA LA LAND
ATEENAGER who writes songs in his bedroom has signed a music deal with a massive label in LA. Alex Stacey signed a publication deal with Artist Publishing Group (APG), joining the ranks of songwriters who have written for Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber.
After his management sent one of his songs off to APG their chief executive was so impressed he decided to get in touch.
Alex, from Caerphilly, said: “I’ve just come back from an eight-day trip to LA. I just feel so privileged.
“I felt like one day it would happen eventually – I have been writing songs for the last six years – but I never expected it to happen this quickly.
“I’d say it’s one of the biggest music companies right now in the sense of the songs they are writing and the singers they are getting.
“It just means I will be able to write more and my songs get to be in front of the biggest artists.
“It’s definitely going to open a lot of doors for me.”
The boss of APG, Mike Caren, is a top music executive within the entertainment giant Warner Music Group and the company has had more than 15 Top 40 Billboard hits.
Despite reaching such heady heights of the LA hills, Alex still prefers being at home in Wales.
Alex, 19, said: “The plan is to stay in Wales for as long as I can. I’m not really tempted to move out to LA.
“I’m still only young and it’s nice to go out there and enjoy it for what it is.
“But it was an amazing feeling when I came back to home and I saw the ‘Welcome to Wales’ sign. That was a nice feeling.”
He added: “Everything still feels pretty normal. After I got the news I was still just driving around with my mates down Cardiff Bay like we always did.
“It just feels crazy and almost unreal that I went from writing my songs in my bedroom to this.”
A former pupil at Lewis School, Pengam, Alex said he owed a lot to his education and hoped to repay the favour.
“I just need to keep up the hard work and keep up the pace.
“I want to keep my school involved, too, and go back there to give something back to the kids there now.
“The school was a big part in helping me get where I am now.”
The Caerphilly school posted on Facebook: “Massive congratulations to Alex Stacey on his music publishing deal with APG... “we are proud to have been part of your journey.
“Just goes to show that if you think big, work hard and believe in yourself there is no limit to what you can achieve.”
Alex was unable to say which artists he was currently working with, but he has ambitions to team up with some of the biggest stars in the music world.
Alex said: “The music industry changes a lot, so the artists I’d like to work with changes, too. But at the moment I’d probably say Justin Bieber or Drake. All of the big stars.
“The next step for me is to write as much as I can. I’m trying to fill up my diary as much as I can and it’s already happening.”
While out in LA Alex met lead singer of OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, who has written songs for Adele and Beyonce.
Alex said the Counting Stars singer told him to keep working hard.