Artists are known for writing songs about their romantic loved ones, but few have written a song in honor of their best and most loyal friend, until now. Alexandra Kay just dropped “She Stayed,” in honor of her friend, Lindsey, who has been with Kay through both the highs and lows of the last several months, including Kay’s unexpected divorce from husband, Indiana. The song is from Kay’s debut All I’ve Ever Known album, out on October 26.
Kay shared the inspiration behind “She Stayed” on social media, ahead of its release.
‘When my husband and I split, my best friend never left my side so I wrote this song for her,” Kay captioned the video.
“SHE STAYED” a song for my BFF 💖 pic.twitter.com/KjjtWelfyX
— Alexandra Kay (@_alexandrakay) September 25, 2023
The song says in part, “She zipped up my dress, put on my shoes / Stood next to me when I said ‘I do’ / That summer day in 2022 / We all raised a glass and she gave a speech / Full of drunken stories of a younger me / And we never knew that night would end so soon / But when my fairy tale went up in smoke / I packed the only life I’ve known, and I told her I’m afraid to be alone / She stayed / On the phone when I’m missing home / In the front row of my shows / Singing every word to every song I wrote / She stayed.” It’s an honest look at what Kay has gone through over the past year, heartbreak she said she would discuss only in her music.
When announcing her new record, the Illinois native said she would open up about some of the details of her personal life, ones she wasn’t willing to speak about publicly, at least until the project was released.
“My loves, I am excited to give to you my debut album,” Kay shared on social media. “A peek inside the past decade, who I was and who I’ve become, what I thought I knew and what I’ve learned. It is a story of the hardest year I’ve ever faced wrapped in honesty and vulnerability. It’s truly ‘All I’ve Ever Known’ and it’s all yours October 26th. The healing continues this fall in 34 cities across the country. I can’t wait to hug you, to hear your stories and to start this new chapter together.”
In a press release announcing the record, the rising star also shared the inspiration behind the album, and why she was choosing to be so vulnerable in her music.
“All I’ve Ever Known is honesty,” Kay said. “It’s a peek behind the curtain to an old kitchen window in a town of 4,000 people where I lived the past 10 years of my life. It is who I was, who I’ve become and everything in between,” shared Alexandra. “This album is the most raw, vulnerable, and wide open I have ever been when creating music, which can be terrifying and healing at the same time. I am so excited to connect with so many beautiful humans and watch the healing power of music as we tour this album in the fall.”
Kay will embark on her All I’ve Ever Known Tour on November 1. Find all of Kay’s music and upcoming shows, and pre-order All I’ve Ever Known, at AlexandraKayOfficial.com.