BiB: Lexi Norton (Echos) – How a DM Changed Everything: From Small Town to Millions of Streams!

0:00 What is going on? It is Adam. Welcome back to Bringin It Backwards, a podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode, we had a chance to hang out with Lexi of Echos over Zoom Video. Lexi was born and raised just outside of Portland, Oregon and talks about how she got into music. She said she wanted to be a singer since age 5 years old. She started to take vocal lessons and guitar lessons at 10 after she sang in a wedding. And some of the attendees of this wedding went up to her mom afterward like, hey, you really should do something with Lexi. She's got a lot of talent. So she ended up putting her into vocal lessons and then eventually guitar lessons.

0:45 Lexi talked about an acoustic band that she had started while in high school. We also hear about how Echos was formed actually over the Internet via a Twitter dm. That's where the project began. We talked about the number one she had on Hype Machine with Echos and this new phase of the band. Now there's a band, but this whole new album that Echos has coming out is all done with a band. You can watch our interview with Echos on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at Bringin It Backwards. It'd be amazing. If you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok at Bringin Back Pod. And if you're listening to this on Spotify, Apple Music, Google podcasts, it'd be incredible. If you follow us there as well and hook us up with a five. Star review, we'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcasts, wherever you listen to podcasts, we're. Bringing it backwards with Echos.

1:55 Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bring it back. Bring it back. Hi. Hey. How are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm fantastic. Thank you so much for doing this. Oh my God. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited. I'm excited. I'm Adam, by the way. Nice to meet you. Hi, I'm Alexandra. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you as well. This is about you and your journey in music. We'll talk about the album you have coming out and everything else. Awesome. I'm so. I'm excited. Can you hear me and see everything? Okay, I can hear you and I can see you. Okay, perfect. Is that a real candle lit on the wall behind you? No, it is a.

2:41 It is a battery operated candle. Very good. I didn't want to alert you that your house is on fire. I know. I have so many battery operated candles around the house. They like, they turn on randomly. I don't know how to set them, but like at night they'll both just be like. They just turn on. It's. Yeah, it's cool. And I have like red ones throughout the house. They don't have a timer, but like, they just. Yeah, they come on randomly. So it's kind of. Kind of fits the vibe, I think. Right on. I love it. Well, I always start with your kind of background, your origin story. From what I was reading online. You're from. Are you from Portland, Oregon, or originally from Portland, Oregon, or did you move there? I'm from. I'm from right outside in a very small town that like, no one ever knows. So I just say Portland. I'm from Battleground Washington.

3:30 Battleground Washington. I want to say I've heard of Battleground Washington and I'm not sure why I have, but I've never been there. It's like a farm town. It's pretty cool. I like it, like, very well. It's farms and forest. Rad. That's rad. Yeah. You grew up there, Portland? Yeah, I grew up in the woods. I love it. What was that like, aside from. I mean, lots of outdoor stuff to do, I would imagine. Yeah. Like always outside, always playing in the woods. Always like making things out of, like making forts and things out of sticks and pine cones. A lot of just. Yeah, it was beautiful. I mean, pretty much middle of nowhere, so I was like always entertaining myself out outside. I'm an only child too, so it's just.

4:14 Oh, okay. Yeah. Neighbors, like, far away from you or land. Okay. Yeah. So a lot of. A lot of imagination in your childhood. That's awesome. Yeah. I feel like. Don't get that anymore. No, they don't. I love it. I split my time between going to Washington and out here in la. So I go. I go back all the time. I'm there half the time, so. Right on. I love it. Yeah. You come from a musical family at all? No, I just. When I was like five, pretty much told everybody that I was going to be a singer. Yeah. And like everyone was like, oh, show them. Yeah. I feel like I'm a very. I'm big into manifesting, so I just knew at a very early age, like, what I wanted to do with my life, so. That's awesome.

5:04 Was there. You remember why? Like, did you see something on TV or you remembered being like, I want to be a singer. Yeah, I probably saw something on tv. I don't have, like, a distinct memory of that, but I just remember always, like, singing and always just, like. I don't know. I just would tell people, oh, I'm gonna be a singer. And then when I got a little older, I started seeing, you know, people in bands and being like, that's what I'm gonna do. Okay. Did you take, like, chorus or choir or anything like that? I took vocal lessons. I started when I was. Yeah, I started when I was, like, 10, 11. That's cool. But you never did, like, the choir or anything? It was just like, I'm gonna do. This on my own because, yeah, I was too shy. Now, looking back, I wish that I would have done choir, but I was just. I was very shy, so I never did. What about an instrument?

5:55 Did you, like, play guitar as a kid? Oh, yeah. A little bit of guitar. Yeah. So those were my. When did you start learning that? Was it around the same time you took the vocal lessons? Yeah. I'm still not as good as I'd like to be on guitar. I've been playing a bunch lately to try to get better at it. But, yeah, those were my two musical things of choice. And then I started songwriting and doing poetry when I was, like, nine. Really? Wow. Yeah. Yeah. And how do you start that? You were just, like, writing little poems and then decided, like, I could put a little melody. Melody to this, or. Yeah, I, like. I would feel big emotions and then just, like, decide to write poetry and sing. And I remember, like, call my friends, like, on the home phone and be like, guys, I made this song, which is so, like, it feels cringe to think about now. But I'm like, the little performer was always inside of me and just wanted.

6:52 I mean, to be able to have the, you know, courage to do that. I mean, you said you're a shy kid, but then to be like, hey, I wrote this song. Hey, guys. What I just made. I would literally take the home phone and, like, set it down and be like, okay. And then just, like, sing to my friends through the phone. And we were like, you know, 9 and 10. And they'd be like, oh, yeah, this is great. So I. Which is so funny because I feel like I'm still that way. I'm so shy, but I'm like, I want to. Music is the one place where I feel like I'm not shy. For some reason. I don't fully understand it. That's awesome. Did your parents, like. I mean, obviously they're supportive of what you're doing and putting you in lessons. And getting your guitar. Like, do you remember getting your first guitar?

7:35 Yes, I. It was like Christmas when I was 10 and my grandma got it for me. And I'm having more memories flooding to me now. I think that was the same year I started vocal lessons. And it was because I was. I sang at a family wedding and everyone like, kind of came up to my mom and they were like, you need to, like, you need to put her in lessons and like, do something with this. And I think we were all kind of like, okay, like, oh, wow. Get some validation from like outside people. Other than your mom being like, well, she's my daughter and she's a good singer, so I'm gonna go with that. Yeah. And I feel like I've just always had this like, I don't know, belief and like a delusional belief of like, I'm just gonna make this work somehow. Like my 5 year old me, like, came to earth and was like, we're gonna sing about everything. I think you have to have that though, right? I mean, if you're. You want to be a musician or be an. An artist of some capacity, there is sort of a delusion to it because for a long time you're just telling people you're doing this thing, but oh, yeah, there's no, like, track record. There's no resume that's showing it. No, I.

8:41 And I think people for sure thought I was crazy because, like, I mean, I just always was like, no, like, I'm gonna be. And you know, kids at school would be like, whatever, but I was that kid that was like, let me show you my songs. And like, we would. I was in an acoustic band in high school and we would like, we would play shows together and it was so fun. It was just. I. I just loved to perform, but I've always been like, why is that when I'm such a shy person on like day to day me. I don't. Yeah, that duality of man, I guess. So you had a band in high school? Yes. How long did that band, did it go through high school or like when you graduate, do you like when. Yeah. Start your own thing or. Yeah, I started Echos when I was 19.

9:28 So right after like two. What, two years out of high school, I think I graduated high school and I was 17. Okay. Yeah. And so then I started Echos, but I was doing the acoustic coffee shop band thing for a minute. It was really fun. And. And yeah, then Echos sort of formed itself in. Was it 2013, 11 years ago? Yeah, when I was 19, when do you like? Yeah. How does, how does Echos form? Is the other person in your band like you meet them or. Yeah, we, at the time, Echos used to be more of an electronic project and so I had been like singing on other electronic artists' songs and my former bandmate, he found my vocals on Twitter.

10:15 He like heard a song of mine on Twitter and like reached out to me and then we started Echos. We were like, let's make a little project together. And yeah, we did that together for about nine years and then we parted ways two years ago. He's doing like TV and film and sync and I just really wanted to continue like touring and so it was an amicable parting of ways. But yeah, that's how that kind of formed. It was really interesting because I remember being 19, I was like, hey, I'm going to start this band with this guy I met online. And it was really wholesome because my mom was like, okay, what? Let me talk to this person's mom. So yeah, our moms talked and then it was like, okay, you guys are good. He's a real person. He's a real person. Yeah. 45 year old dude showing up at your house. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, yeah, and then like we, we then Echos became a thing and we did that for, yeah, almost nine years together. Which is crazy. It's just, it's crazy how it all started because when I first was, you know, coming up through the Internet, it was just you would just tweet people that you want to work with and that's how that happened.

11:30 Wow. And you had, I mean, just going off your Spotify alone and I don't know if these numbers get messed up because you've had, you know, big massive songs like, you know, Saints and stuff like that. But like with All I Want, even Silhouettes, the first two records you put out have like millions upon millions of streams. Was this something that like you put out was All I want the first song you put out and then did it like do well right away? The first song that we put out was actually called Ghosts and that we just put on DSPs. And it was kind of in the time of like uploading your things on SoundCloud and seeing where they would go through the blog sphere and they started charting on Hype Machine, I believe it was All I Want. Yeah.

12:11 And so we were like, you know, I didn't know anything about the music industry when I was 19. All I knew is like, I'm gonna do this and put my music online. Gonna happen. Yeah, yeah, like Again, someone's gonna sign. Me and I'm gonna be on TV or something, right? Yeah, I just. I don't know, the delusional, like, kind of like delusional cringe. Yeah, I. I just had this like, belief that it was gonna work. So I just followed music, started doing really well on SoundCloud and eventually Seeking Blue. Mr. Suicide Sheep took notice of that and reached out to us and wanted to upload our music. And so through that, you know, they really helped develop Echos from this concept of, you know, two kids meeting on Twitter, making music. And then we started creating albums and that's how we made the record that Saints is on. And it just kind of like it grew from there. It was all online based, which was a very interesting experience to go through. Like, trying to tell people, you know, from my hometown, they're like, oh yeah, whatever, you're going to be this musician. Sure. And then I'm like, no, guys look like people are listening. And it was very surreal. It's still very surreal for me to.

13:25 Yeah, you're like. Millions of people are listening to the song. I. It's weird. Yeah. I. The other day I was like, you know, my voice leaves my house, but I don't. So it's a very strange. It's. It's weird. I'm a very like introverted, like, don't really leave the house much. But knowing that my voice is out there, you know, it's like I have like two lives. That's amazing though. Like, I mean, to be able to do that with the Internet and everything nowadays. You said Hype Machine started to. You started charting on there and that was such a big deal. I mean, in the. In that time period, if you had a number one on Hype Machine, you. Were like the biggest artist it was for, I believe. And if I'm. I have a really bad memory. So I'm pretty sure it was for all I want. I. I need to like fact check this. But yeah, it was. It. It charted number one on Hype Machine and that was like a huge moment for us of being like, holy.

14:22 Like, this is like potentially like a tangible thing that we should just keep doing, you know. And. And my previous bandmate and I, he also had. Has the same, you know, we have the same delusion of like, we're just gonna make this work. Like, I remember people being like, what the. Like, you guys just met online and made a band. Really? Yeah. You know? Yeah. And it's number one on Hype Machine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I feel like I'm so I'm so humble. Like, I'm not. I don't know. I don't. And I don't. I'm not like wearing my humbleness as like a badge of honor. But like, I just, I've always, I've never really been like, hey, you guys, look what I do.

15:03 But I've thought it before. But, but you meant, you guys, look. What I did, baby. Yeah. Yeah. So that was, that was like the first time. That was like the Origin of Echos and it was very. Yeah, I have, so. I have such an interesting. I have very interesting lore. So. Yeah, we got to make music together for nine years, which was insane, you know, being project by you or like. Was he like on the other side of the world or country or something? He was in California and. And he was like, I'm just going to move to Washington and we're going to make music. We had a manager at the time and he was like, yeah, you guys have to live in the same area. So you. Buddy. Yeah, well, I remember he like packed up his car and was like, I'm going to move out there. So we did and we, we just made music for nine years together. And yeah, very amicable parting of ways. I saw him recently, he's crushing it doing movie trailers and such and he makes very cool cinematic stuff and. Yeah, and then I'm just like carrying the echoes torch into this new era and it's very.

16:13 I'm just letting like my inspiration lead the way. I love it. Well, with. I'm just curious like how long after, like how had you already had the number one on High Machine before you had all met? Like, was it just like a filed transferring thing in the like. And then at what point do you, you get a manager obviously and you hadn't even met yet. No, we had met before. So I, I haven't talked about this in so long. I remember he was playing a show out by like where my grandparents lived and so this was the first time we were meeting and so like my grandma like took me over to his house to like make sure they were like, you know, and we met his mom and everything and we're like, yeah, because I was, I was 19.

16:57 Yeah. Then we went and played a show together and then he, he was being managed at the time and his manager was like, you guys should have a duo and just make, you know, make a project together. So we did that and that's how I had the manager and. And we just started making covers and that what we did all I want. We did a cover of Sam Smith. Stay with me. It's. My voice is so cringe in that when I look back on it. And we were just making. Doing covers and. Yeah. And then it went number one on Hype Machine. It was pretty crazy. Wow, that's. That's such an incredible story. And then now you've put out, but even. I mean, you said he left the band a couple years ago, so it was Affirmations was the last album that he was a part of or. Yep. Okay. So everything from there on forward has been. Is this new chapter with Carousel. That's all the. This quiet album that's coming out. Yep.

17:56 Yep. Okay. And this is this just you now? It's me and my band. So I. After I had parted ways with my old bandmate, I had started just writing with friends and, like, working on songs. I kind of knew what I. Where I wanted Echos to go, but it was very, like, serendipitous. I sat in on a session for my band. Their band is called Gold Souls. I was writing for them, and they were like, oh, hey, you should sing on this. And I was like, okay, that would be cool. And we did. And we were all kind of like, oh, wow. Like, this is really cool. Maybe we should keep doing this. And we're like, why don't we calendar doing this. This every single week and just kind of see what happens? And, I mean, I think a few months in, we were like, hey, I think we might have, like, an EP, like, for Echos. And. Yeah, we did. We were like, this is. It was like we wrote so many songs, and these were the ones that made the cut of the record were like, all of our favorites. And it was a really special experience for me. So it kind of just came together naturally. Yeah.

19:00 Yeah. So they were actually just writing for their own band. Yeah. And said, yeah, I'll throw some vocals on the song. And then it became, oh, well, let's go this way now. Let's do this. Yeah. So it was kind of like we. We had like, a common friend group and everyone was like, oh, you guys are musicians. You guys are musicians. You should hang out. And so I was like, okay. So, yeah, I went over because I'd liked. They'd showed me their stuff, and I loved what they were doing, and they were like, yeah, we love your writing. So I sat in on that session for them, and it just. We just never stopped writing, so. Wow. Yeah, it was really cool. I think it was. I was writing for them, and then one of the days they were like, let's like, write, like, write for Echos and see what happens. And then it just developed into what it is now. It is now. Yeah. What were you. Were you like, when he left, were you concerned that it wouldn't continue on? No, we had a huge conversation about it. It was like, you know, we're gonna. I'm gonna keep making music as Echos and just see what happens. And it was like, super amicable and super, like, this is like your. Your voice and your baby. You gotta carry this on. So, yeah, I, like, had a vision for it, but I wasn't sure.

20:14 I'm definitely the type of person who I like, I said I follow my inspiration and I'm just like, I know it's gonna happen. I might not know how, but I have this trust and I guess it's of kind. You know, you could say that's the same feeling I had as a five year old of like, no, I'm gonna do music. I don't know how, but it's gonna happen. And I remember I started being like, I feel like I really want to, like, write with a band. Like, I've never really done that before. I think that would be really cool. And then. Then it happened. Then it happened. You manifested it. Like, you have five. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So how long before, like, how long were you just kind of waiting around to see what might happen before you meet the band? After he left, was it fairly? Yeah, I. It was like, I want to say maybe six months. And I was writing a bunch of stuff just by myself that I was kind of like, maybe I'll do something with this. And so I do have a project that I feel like I need to do something with that. It's kind of. Kind of cool, but it wasn't like the full vision at the time. And so, yeah, I was just focusing on writing and focusing on, you know, finding my voice and kind of my new sense of self, of what it meant to be Echos without, you know, my previous bandmate that had been there the whole time.

21:30 It was a really interesting time in my life for sure. But I feel like I. I just like refound myself and what Echos is without that person there. So. Yeah. Was that like putting out the. Was Carousel the first one you put out, like, after that, or. No? Well, we did a reimagined version of Affirmations and I actually did not work on that with my previous bandmate. I worked on that with some other friends of mine. And so that was really. That was like the first release in between. So I've Had a lot of time, like, between the. The last release that we did with him, because Affirmations was 2022, and then I believe Affirmations reimagined was 2023, and then. Yeah, then we put out Carousel this year. So there's been some time between.

22:19 Yeah, yeah. But moving forward, were you concerned at all? Like, are people going to like that? Like, I mean, I don't know. Do you get it? Yeah, I was definitely a little worried because I didn't want to, like, shock my fans who've been there the whole time and be like, what is this? But I think so. I'm turning off my heater. I have, like, a space heater, and it's killing me right now. Okay. Yeah, I. I feel like I was a little bit worried, but I also just knew, like, they'll get it. Like, I was like, my fans will understand. And they did. And they've all been so supportive and, like, you know, whenever they do send me messages about my old bandmate, like, I'll send them his way. Like, they still, you know, they love him and can follow him. And.

23:02 Yeah, no one has been. Everybody has been very, very receptive to it, which I'm super grateful for. That's amazing. Well, so tell me about the album. I mean, you have, what, four songs from the record out? Yeah, I'm super excited about it. I feel like this is one of my favorite bodies of work I've ever made. Just from, like, I was talking about this the other day. You know, I turned 30 last year, and once you turn 30, I feel like it really, like, shifts your perspective on life and so. Wait till you turn 40. I turned 40. Yeah, no, I turned 40 and I was like, yeah, I just said, wait till you do. I was kidding. Yeah. No, turning 30, like, I. I feel so corny, but I'm like, it really changed my perspective on a lot of things, and I just, like, I don't know, kind of went back to the drawing board of, like, who am I as a person? And, like, having those realizations, I think, you know, came out through my art, and it was really, really healing for me and really fun for me to explore. So this new record is, like, just. There was a lot of, like, change, you know, obviously throughout my life with, you know, not having the previous bandmate and then, like, turning 30 and just, I don't know, realizing a lot of things about life.

24:15 So this record's really special to me because of that. That sounds very vague. I'm, like, trying to figure out how to answer that. No, but I feel like this is. I mean, you're pretty vulnerable in all your songs, but this is a pretty vulnerable record. I mean, the batch you've put out this far, especially with over and over. Yeah. Yeah. Was that. Is that hard for you to do or you just write. You saying earlier you just write your feelings out like you've been doing that. Yeah. Though it's funny for me. And this is something I'm sure I'll get better at over time. It's hard to, like, talk about song meanings, but, like, writing them is not hard at all. It's like, that's the place where I can put my. Put my pain and kind of like, let it rest. And I think it's, you know, like, a safe space for me to say all of the things that I might not know how to speak, but I can sing them. So my music has always felt like this vulnerable, like, diary in a place that I can just leave everything and heal from. Yes.

25:14 Yeah. It's not. If you do it that way, it's not as scary putting it out. Yeah. But again, it's like. Like being a shy person and then being like, but I don't know how to talk about my feelings, but I can sing about them in front of people. It's probably because obviously there's like a wall there kind of. And in a way, like, my art is a character, character, character. Can't talk today. A character of myself. So I think it's a little bit easier to kind of like, step into her and perform them and write from that place than it is to be like, yeah, this is a really sad song about a up thing that happened. Right, right.

25:56 I saw that you had a placement on Love Island. That's cool. What's that like? Like watching a show and then seeing your song. It's so cool. It was. It's always very surreal and it was fun because I didn't really tell anyone it was happening. And all my friends are huge Love Island fans, and they're like, oh, my God, bro. Yeah. So, yeah, to be getting texts from all my friends and being like, I just heard you. So that. It's very cool. Yeah, I'm super grateful for that. That's rad. Is that something that you hope happens more often, like, those things? Yeah, stuff like that. Yeah, I would love to do that. I. I feel like I have a lot of music that we kind of make some of them, like, with that in mind too. So. Yeah, I think that would be really cool for that. To keep happening. Amazing. Well, I appreciate your time.

26:44 Thank you so much for doing this. Of course. Thank you for having me. Yeah. I have one more question. I want to know if you have any advice for aspiring artists. Oh, I would say my biggest advice is to just trust your instinct, like you know yourself better than anyone else, and just trust that you know that you know yourself. Because if you don't, people around you are going to try to tell you who you are. Bringin it Backwards, bringin it Backwards, Bringin it Backwards, Bringin it Backwards, bringin it Backwards, bring it Backwards.