Biography
Known for her lushly immersive blend of psych-pop, desert rock, and neo-torch songcraft, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Alexandra Savior McDermott first drew widespread industry attention ahead of her 2017 debut album, Belladonna of Sadness, produced by Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. After parting ways with Columbia, she resurfaced on the 30th Century imprint with her second collection, The Archer, in 2020.
While growing up in Portland, Oregon, the teenager cultivated wide-ranging musical interests that prompted her, at fourteen, to start composing original material. Drawing from Otis Redding, Jack White, Amy Winehouse, and Etta James, she captured melody fragments and guitar experiments on tape as she refined both her lyrics and overall artistic identity. Her initial breakthrough arrived in 2012 with an online cover of Angus Stone’s “Big Jet Plane,” which earned an endorsement from Courtney Love and attracted several label scouts. The next year she abandoned her plan to attend art school, moved to Los Angeles, and received further acclaim when Grammy-nominated Linda Perry likened her voice and style to Fiona Apple.
By late 2013, Columbia had signed her and forwarded early demos to Turner, whose unconventional approach to arrangement and songwriting helped shape the material into a clearer expression of Savior’s own aesthetic. Working alongside Turner and Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford throughout 2014 and 2015, she completed her first album; during the same period the track “Risk” was placed on the second-season soundtrack of HBO’s True Detective, listed under her birth name Alexandra McDermott. She soon adopted her first and middle names as her professional moniker. Belladonna of Sadness appeared in April 2017. Although it garnered strong notices, the record did not achieve broad commercial traction, and Columbia dropped her. Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records quickly offered her a home, where she teamed with producer Ben Cohen for the follow-up. After several advance singles, The Archer emerged in 2020, presenting a more streamlined yet still richly atmospheric sound.
While growing up in Portland, Oregon, the teenager cultivated wide-ranging musical interests that prompted her, at fourteen, to start composing original material. Drawing from Otis Redding, Jack White, Amy Winehouse, and Etta James, she captured melody fragments and guitar experiments on tape as she refined both her lyrics and overall artistic identity. Her initial breakthrough arrived in 2012 with an online cover of Angus Stone’s “Big Jet Plane,” which earned an endorsement from Courtney Love and attracted several label scouts. The next year she abandoned her plan to attend art school, moved to Los Angeles, and received further acclaim when Grammy-nominated Linda Perry likened her voice and style to Fiona Apple.
By late 2013, Columbia had signed her and forwarded early demos to Turner, whose unconventional approach to arrangement and songwriting helped shape the material into a clearer expression of Savior’s own aesthetic. Working alongside Turner and Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford throughout 2014 and 2015, she completed her first album; during the same period the track “Risk” was placed on the second-season soundtrack of HBO’s True Detective, listed under her birth name Alexandra McDermott. She soon adopted her first and middle names as her professional moniker. Belladonna of Sadness appeared in April 2017. Although it garnered strong notices, the record did not achieve broad commercial traction, and Columbia dropped her. Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records quickly offered her a home, where she teamed with producer Ben Cohen for the follow-up. After several advance singles, The Archer emerged in 2020, presenting a more streamlined yet still richly atmospheric sound.
Albums
Singles
