Meet Foxine Jay | Artist | Musician | Podcaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Foxine Jay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Foxine, what is the most important factor behind your success?
To me, being successful in anything you do, is directly correlated to not stopping. My resilience and drive to create has propelled me to the success and notoriety that I have today. There have been more times than I can count, where I tried something and did not get the outcome I hoped for; with canvases, art projects, events, songs, and bands. Through these disappointing experiences, I’ve realized the importance continuing to push forward and try again. I have been making art under the moniker Foxine Jay for a decade and only in the last 3-4 years did people start asking to write about me and my projects, participate in my ideas and events, and acknowledge my work. When I set out to create something, I create it purely for myself. I continue to share and put myself out there, without the expectation of needing external validation to sustain my creative motivation. I make art and music because my soul absolutely craves it. So not matter how rejected, ignored, stuck, and frustrated I feel, I always return and pivot back to trying again, and again, and again.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My name is Alexandra Pratt and create under an alter-ego, Foxine Jay. I don’t create in one lane, I relish in exploring the limitlessness of my creative curiosity to try new things.I make multimedia art, write and produce music, and I have a podcast with my good friend who is also named Alex called The Alex Files. I started making art when I was a young girl; painting, collaging and crafting with my mom and grandmother (they are both such talented artists!). Creating art and music became my favorite way to express myself and have fun. I got my first drum kit when I was nine and wanted to be in a band ever since.

Born and raised in Portland Maine, I moved to San Diego in 2006 to attend San Diego State University and start a new life out here. As a young adult living on my own across the country, I discovered how much happiness creating art and playing music brought me. I found that instead of going out to party like most of my peers, I craved time at home to create. I created the name Foxine Jay when I was about 20 and decided that all of my visual art would live under that name, in that world. Foxine Jay paints, collages, sculpts with clay, glues things together, and enjoys playing with surreal imagery through photography.

For my solo music project, I have decided to use my own name ALX (Alex minus the E), because the song writing process is a very personal exploration of myself. Before I struck out on my own musically, I played in several San Diego bands over the last ten years. I joined my first band freshman year of College; we were a Riot Grrrl band called Mermaid and I was the drummer. When my time in that band ended, I became the drummer of a band called The Very. While in The Very I decided to teach myself to play the keyboard because I wanted to get out from behind the drum set to sing and dance. I continued playing keys for Marco Polo and Soft Lions, I also stepped in for a few shows with the Wild Wild Wets.

When I left Soft Lions in 2015, I stepped back a bit from the musical stage and worked on producing my own music. I wasn’t ready to play shows yet with this new material, so I turned my focus towards putting together local music and art shows. I helped create a collaborative series of shows, called Femme Forme, a platform designed to showcase female-identifying artists. More recently, in November 2019, I curated Cheetos Fest, a Cheetos themed art show that was officially sponsored by Cheetos and was showcased on the local news here in San Diego. The show raised $560 that was donated to Feeding San Diego. Currently, I’m getting ready to release my first solo EP called ODAT and I’m set to perform live (for the first time since the pandemic) at the Sycamore Den on May 30th!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are two fabulous music venues that are very near and dear to my heart: The Casbah and the Soda Bar!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shout out to my mother Sharon and grandmother Mimi. They raised me with a paint in one hand and craft glue in the other. They are both talented multimedia artists and I grew up watching them constantly create. They lit the ignition and gave me the tools to start a passion that would last my lifetime. I would also like to thank all of my friends and family who have supported and understood my intense desire to create, even when I deviate from the “normal” path.

Website: www.foxinejay.com

Instagram: @foxinejay @aluxe @thealexfilespod

Twitter: @foxinejay @thealexfilespod

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvr2uLzYg1WlO03aQ2n_5kw