Malaysian-born, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Alex Porat shares her new single “Sensitive”, an iridescently heartfelt effort that sees Alex confronting her insecurities. Opening with the ’90s inflected punchy kick drum, Alex reveals the most vulnerable parts of herself and her tendency to overthink any and every situation.
“I’m thinking maybe I’m emotionally cursed /And I’m leaving parties before I get my feelings hurt,” Alex solemnly sings. The track’s earworm synths and buoyant acoustic guitar belie the reflective nature of the lyrics, yet nevertheless serves to heighten the intimacy of the chorus when they drop away and only Alex’s layered vocals remain present. It then feels like a secret shared between two friends when she sings, “I hate that I’m so sensitive / All the time / I can’t say what’s on my mind.” It brings immediacy to Alex’s introspection and emotional turmoil, which all at once feel deeply relatable.
“I’ve always known that I’m an overly sensitive person,” Alex explains. “I definitely cry a lot and I let my emotions take control of me. My default is reading into situations, taking a lot of things personally, and constantly overthinking. I make my own life harder than it needs to be and that’s the whole concept behind Sensitive. Sometimes I’m convinced it’s a secret superpower being able to pick up on all the little things but sometimes those little things are all it takes to bring me down.”
Alex Porat is a magnetic force. She delivers lighthearted pop with serious skill, effortlessly combining memorable melodies with fresh electronic production and crystalline vocal delivery. She first gained a strong following by posting covers on YouTube and now, with only a little over a year of solo releases under her belt, she’s gained 900k+ monthly Spotify listeners, almost a million YouTube subscribers, and 150 million+ total YouTube views. In 2020 she released her 4-track debut EP ‘bad at breakups’. Then she rounded out the year with a livestream performance in collaboration with YouTube Music under the umbrella of its Foundry global artist development program. In 2021, Alex released her nine-track ‘miss sick world’ mini album.
The Malaysian-born artist has successfully built a massive fan base in Southeast Asia. Her Top 10 streaming markets worldwide include Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Based on Alex’s Instagram and YouTube followers worldwide, Indonesia tops both.
This weekend, Alex Porat is set to perform at Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, alongside superstars PJ Morton, JoJo and other notable names.
Through most of her music, Alex addresses typical 20-something relationship struggles while tackling social issues like racial prejudice and gender norms. As someone who has always wanted to make a name for herself in an industry that lacks Asian representation, the starlet reveals her true self to tastemakers and listeners alike through her latest projects.
