Alex Winston

A soulful singer-songwriter with operatic training and a cherubic presence, Alex Winston crafts intricate, vividly hued pop that fuses psychedelic indie rock, folk, and dance elements. Her initial attention arrived via the 2011 Sister Wife EP, which earned apt nods to Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, and Joanna Newsom. The 2012 full-length King Con followed, and after the 2021 electro-pop detour Post Precious alongside MS MR's Max Hershenow, she issued her second album, Bingo!, in 2024.

Winston entered the world in 1987 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a Detroit suburb where parental support nurtured her early musical curiosity. Guitar lessons began at seven alongside her father in their basement, soon leading to encounters with Carole King and Laura Nyro; she pursued classical and opera vocal study while mastering piano on her own. Original songwriting and performances marked her teenage years, culminating in the 2007 debut EP By the Roots.

Her relocation to New York around 2010 opened club stages and sparked work with production duo the Knocks, yielding that year's Basement Covers EP of reimagined Mumford & Sons, Rolling Stones, and Jack Peñate material. The follow-up 2011 EP Sister Wife spotlighted her own compositions such as the title track, "Locomotive," and "Choice Notes," generating sufficient interest for an Island Records deal that issued both the original and a remix edition.

King Con arrived in 2012 as her first full-length, again produced by the Knocks with additional input from Charlie Hugall and Bjorn Yttling; it incorporated prior singles while broadening her instrumental and sonic palette. Touring slots supporting Gotye, Grouplove, and Neon Trees accompanied the standalone 2013 single "101 Vultures" and the 2015 EP The Day I Died.

Signing with 300 Records in 2015 coincided with initial sessions for a sophomore album under Catherine Marks, yet a Lyme Disease diagnosis forced the project aside. Two years of health challenges ensued, during which Winston settled in Los Angeles and formed the electro-pop duo Post Precious with MS MR's Max Hershenow; their 2021 Crown EP featured co-writing with Charli xcx and Ryn Weaver.

Winston resumed solo work by marking the tenth anniversary of King Con with a 2022 vinyl reissue that bundled an EP of reworked tracks. The 2023 covers EP Other People's Love Songs followed, interpreting selections by Daniel Johnston, Magnetic Fields, and Charli xcx. Her long-delayed second album, Bingo!, emerged in 2024, retaining the soulful psych-pop and anthemic balladry of her debut while adding emotional depth and maturity, and featuring the singles "Stassia," "Hot One," and "Where My Cowboy's At?"