In anticipation of his new single, I spoke to singer-songwriter Alex Connor about navigating self-promotion in the realm of social media.
“I hate the algorithm; I hate the foreshortening of everything. It’s fucking us all over.” Alex Connor tells me over a pint under a very temperamental May sky. “What gets the most attention is these bite-sized digestible chunks on TikTok or reels, yet I think a long-form song or entire album says so much more about someone.”
According to social media management platform Hootsuite, a video’s exposure on TikTok is dependent on whether it’s watched to completion or not, meaning that shorter videos – around 15 seconds – are more likely to appear on the ‘For You’ page and go viral. This initiates an interesting dilemma – how can content creators maintain a connection to their audiences through 60-second snippets? Can anything be meaningful in 60 seconds?
The 24-year-old from Surrey only started writing and producing his own music through lockdown, yet this seems hard to believe whilst listening to his intricate guitar instrumentals and soul-piercing vocals. Alex’s new single, ‘The Doleful and the Lovely’ showcases his dexterity within both realms of instrumental and vocals. He explained that he was inspired by his new guitar, which is similar to that played by British folk artist Johnny Flynn. Alex added that much of the melodies were also inspired by Blake Mills and the Milk Carton Kids.
Alex would be considered a late starter in the music world. Having only picked up a banjo aged sixteen when a broken knee ended dreams of being a cage-fighter – something which seems worlds away from his soft yet harrowing melodies.
When asked if he thinks the idea that some people just happen to be born musically gifted is bullshit, the self-described obsessive replied, “Yes and no. Whilst researching for my undergrad, I did come across a piece that mentioned that for 5% of people, they can practice something half as much as the other 95% but be twice as good. But for me, I just think that doesn’t mean you work any less. I think people who are that 5% which learn quicker, work just as fucking hard but might get there a bit sooner.”
It became clear that Alex is no stranger to hard work (and/or intense obsession) when he described his trajectory through music. From having learnt to play music by ear (without any formal training) to playing bass in the Jazz band - CHUNK, who also have a new release coming soon - to learning how to record and produce himself. “I probably recorded at least 100 songs within a month of lockdown,” he said. Alex said that he only started posting his music on Instagram because he realised that it was something he was doing all the time.
But it’s evident that no artist is left un-tortured, as Alex spoke openly about the conflict between creating, his principles and social media. “A lot of the time it feels like I’m just screaming into the void,” he replied when asked what his aim in music was. “I think to connect with people is important. But, social media is difficult when you’re from a small town as it’s not common to promote yourself on socials. But then you meet people from London and self-promotion on social media for them is huge and they’re really encouraging”. Alex went on to explain how he feels that self-promotion over Instagram compromises the authenticity of where his music comes from. “I feel like so much of getting popularity and views on Instagram is about playing a game.”
Compared to TikTok, the Instagram algorithm values engagement through comments, DMs, shares and saves, according to the social media marketing platform Later. So, for creators like Alex - who value connection over likes - does this mean Instagram is the platform for authentic success?
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