Alexandra Duparc – aka SKANDRA – is finally showing the world her own music. The proactive musician and humanitarian has been touring the world since age 15 and working on a countless number of film scores/albums for other artists. Now, the Paris-based Pop artist has released a small collection of her own music – “Rivers,” “Tangerines” and “Ashes” – with a full album on the way. SKANDRA recently skyrocketed to fame after her loving husband Ylane Duparc’s TikTok went viral – with 18.7-Million views and 4.1-Million likes. In the TikTok, Ylane confesses they blew their life savings on this project and he needs the internet to help him promote his wife’s new song and by proxy, her dreams. Alexandra has since been hailed a “multi-talented, humanitarian and artistic genius” by LADYGUNN.
The album itself was created alongside an A-List team including Songwriter/Producer Travis Warner – whose worked with headliners such as Taylor Swift, Adele, Beck, and John Legend. “Rivers” was mixed by producer, mixing engineer, and recording engineer Mike Schuppan – known for his work with Lady Gaga, Paramore, M83, Jimmy Eat World, and Ziggy Marley. The music video for her viral single “Rivers” was filmed in Paris, France and directed by Robin Clive of the SuperVision Creative Agency.
Alexandra’s love for writing and creating music blossomed at an early age. From 2004-2019, Alexandra wrote and created over twelve albums. At just 14-years old in 2018, Alexandra both won Poetry Nation’s International Poetry Contest and released a book of short stories entitled “Other Halves.” At age 15, she joined The Tints band as a singer, songwriter and keyboardist – who she recorded an album and toured the world with. In the two years following the tour, she scored over 30 films alongside renowned Film Music Supervisor Budd Carr. All the while, working on carving out a place of her own in the music industry and eventually releasing a collection of original singles under the artist name ‘SKANDRA’.
Aside from music, Alexandra is focused on expanding her self-established non-profit Treehouse, a monthly music and writing event held at pop-up locations in Los Angeles. The pop-up started as an intimate night of live music performances from Alexandra’s living room, and has since expanded to accommodate the growing amount of participants and supporters. While currently postponed due to the pandemic, the music-lovers mission of Treehouse remains alive and vibrant with their prevalent online presence. Alexandra has additionally worked with other non-profit organizations to fight human trafficking, and went on tour across the US in 2014 with Falling Whistles to raise awareness and terminate the war in Congo.
By Anna Azarov
Hi Miss SKANDRA and welcome to OLC! How are you and how have you been staying safe and sane in these difficult times?
As hard as it’s been, I’ve tried to make the best of it. I’ve noticed that when the world stops for any reason, no matter how horrible the reason is, we have a moment to reflect on what is important. We reevaluate. We are tested and maybe even work harder. I founded and run an organization in Los Angeles called Treehouse. It’s an art community that has popped-up monthly for over 5 years. We expose underexposed artists. When the pandemic hit, we canceled all our live events planned for the year. I launched the #QuarantineConcert on Instagram. We had over 50 thousand musicians partake including Walk The Moon, The Griswolds, and Meg Meyers. Later, we began interviewing artists on their work through a series called Dialogue. We focused on spotlighting Black voices. I fundraised for families in Guatemala, the LA Food Bank, and the NPAP.
Now, Skandra has been launched into the world and has gone viral on TikTok and garnering over 2-million streams across music services. We’ve got a wonderful road ahead. Helping others as much as possible and keeping myself productive has been the key to getting through this strange year.
You began your musical journey at a very young age, can you tell us how your passion developed?
I wrote my first song when I was twelve. Someone close to me had just overdosed and died from heroin use, and being so young I didn’t know what to do. I’m thankful that I loved music so much and had years of piano under my belt because sitting down and writing that first song was the healthiest thing I could have done. That song led to a band, to shows, more bands, and tour. My entire teenage life was music. Those formative years are what prompted me to never stop creating it.
Now one of the biggest platforms in the world TikTok catapulted your stardom, can you tell me what happened?
It’s been quite an adventure. A single video changed my life. Skandra has received over 2-million streams across music platforms, the music video views keep going up, and almost every major label on earth contacted me within 48-hours. I don’t know what any of this means quite yet but I’m beyond joyous and floored to have a real fanbase to release my upcoming music to. It’s been beautiful.
So tell me about the song “Rivers” and the inspiration behind it?
“Rivers” is about the admission that though something may feel like true love, it’s obviously destined to end. It sorts through thought processes I had throughout that relationship. It’s about finding strength in this admission and being okay with it.
What generally inspires you to write music and do you like to derive stories from your own life?
The people in my life. Relationships, the intimate details of someone’s being, and even the reactions I find myself having are what I study and get inspired by in making art. I love spotlighting the underrated and touching on the uncomfortable. I love seeing flaws and growing from them through music.
What do you hope people get from listening to your music?
I always hope to bring about catharsis. Whether it’s a line that hits home or a musical aspect that resonates with someone’s emotions or provides relief. That’s what writing music does for me and I hope does the same for others.
You’re also a huge humanitarian, what are some things you’ve been involved in?
I’ve been involved in environmental organizations since I was eleven, anti-human tracking organizations since I was sixteen, and as of late I delved into helping my brother take down Monsanto. I’ve helped take down human trafficking fronts and have fundraised nearly a million dollars for charities. It’s nearly a decade of work that I could not sum up quickly, but it’s a big passion of mine to help make the world a more pleasant place.
When and why did you decide to be a part of so many non-profit organizations, what caused the drive behind that?
Being raised by humanitarians, I was introduced to human rights efforts at a very early age. I remember being eleven and helping my dad pack information mailers for an anti-trafficking organization, and doing beach clean-ups for hours every Sunday. I guess it’s in my blood.
In my teens, I went to the premiere of a documentary film about human trafficking, and a survivor who was twenty-two years old was on stage afterward giving a speech about her eleven years in captivity. My privilege became very apparent at that moment. Afterward, I was able to speak to her and then was introduced to an FBI agent who offered to train me in the signs of trafficking. That led me to create information packs for my demographic and report suspicious activities to her. This was the beginning of those efforts. My older brother became a litigator and went up against Monsanto for their weedkiller called RoundUp. He asked me if I could help find smoking guns for the case and I spent months doing so. He won. He’s won every case against them since. As a result of this monumental accomplishment, my father and I (who are both writers) wrote a film about it and sold it last year. We’ll see it made in 2021. I’m over the moon about it.
Do you hope your music sends a positive message to your listeners?
Yes. If anything, I’d love if my life story helps others never give up on their dreams and that the music resonates with a part of their soul.
Thank you for your time, but before you go is there anything you’d like to say to all our followers out in OLC world?
Art is really important and matters quite a lot. In times like these, it may be easy to forget. So, don’t stop creating or supporting it.
Music & Social Media:
Socials: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok
Music: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
Website: www.skandra.net
neillfrazer@hotmail.com
LavaCow
May 23, 2024 at 7:53 am
Just loved this interview! Skandra is so talented and down-to-earth, her story is really inspiring. Can’t wait to hear more from her in the future