Alex the Astronaut has always had a knack for turning life’s biggest questions into deceptively catchy songs. With their latest single, Businessman, they’re turning her attention to the music industry itself — taking a witty, tongue-in-cheek look at the people behind the boardroom doors while asking bigger questions about creativity, vulnerability and what it really means to make a living from art.
Released independently, Businessman has already found its audience, earning playlist support and a spot on rage. But as we quickly discovered, chatting with Alex is just as entertaining as listening to their music. Between welcomed interruptions from their mischievous cat Trevor, stories about accidentally filming in the middle of an underground street racing meet and confessions that they were secretly doodling flowers while pretending to do “business” in the music video, the conversation was filled with the same warmth and humour that defines their songwriting.
Futuremag caught up with Alex to talk about going independent, studying acting at NIDA, the making of Businessman and why, if it ever came down to it, they’re pretty confident they’d win in a fight against her own fictional businessman.
Futuremag: Congratulations on Businessman. How’s the response been so far?
Alex the Astronaut: It’s been really good! Sorry, Trevor’s about to get himself involved … [laughs as their cat appears] Oh my god. He’s cheeky. But yeah, Businessman came out on Friday. It’s the first time I’ve released a song without label support or publishing, and it still got added to playlists, which is really exciting. People seem to really like it. The music video also came out on Friday. I made it with Lucy Rossen, who I went to NIDA with, and it’s been added to rage, which is such a nice thing. It’s really cool to see it doing well because so many people worked on it for such a long time. It seems to be… businessing.
Futuremag: It is incredible that it’s getting that kind of recognition, especially as an independent release. One thing you said that really stuck with me is that you don’t want music to be interrupted by money. But the reality is that making music is expensive. How do you balance those two things?
Alex: I’m definitely not an expert, but from my experience it’s tricky because every artist has to think about whether what they’re making is commercially viable. That’s just the reality. This song is really poking at that dynamic. Music is a job — we go into meetings, we work with these massive multinational companies, and artists are becoming less and less likely to earn a living wage while those companies make bazillions of dollars. It’s not any individual businessman’s fault. I just wanted to highlight that artists tell their stories, we’re vulnerable, we put ourselves out there, while the people making most of the money don’t necessarily have to do that.
The song imagines the story of a businessman working in music. It’s sarcastic at times, but underneath that it’s asking whether he’s had heartbreak or loss or any of these human experiences. That’s not his job — his job isn’t to be an artist — and I understand that. I just wanted to poke the bear a little bit.
Futuremag: Speaking of poking fun, I loved the music video. How much acting went into becoming “Businessman” rather than Alex the Astronaut?
Alex: I actually went to NIDA a couple of years ago to study acting, so that definitely helped me feel more comfortable on camera. Lucy Rossen directed the video, and she’d been studying directing while I was there, so we’d already worked together. She knew exactly how to direct me. There were a few moments where she’d just say, “Go full tilt. Be as cheeky as you can.” I didn’t really do any prep though — sorry to my acting teachers! Laughs. It wasn’t like I built this elaborate character. I was already singing my own song, so I was mostly just being myself and then adding extra shenanigans.
Futuremag: What was filming like?
Alex: It was such a fun set. Lucy had a really clear vision and ran everything so well. There’s a scene where all the businessmen are dancing, and Lucy was literally standing in front of them demonstrating every move: “Now this way, now back…” They were all so shy — it was very sweet. She’d even cast some actual businessmen, which made for some funny conversations. I’d be sitting there asking, “So… what do you actually do?”
One of the funniest moments happened at Botany Bay near the airport. We were filming the final scene and didn’t realise it turns into an unofficial car racing spot at night. Suddenly about 400 people in souped-up cars arrived, police blocked everything off, and there we were holding this ridiculous businessman table while I stood there in my little suit thinking, “We really don’t fit in here.” When I finally saw the finished video, I was just like, “Whoa.” Lucy absolutely pulled it off.
Futuremag: I imagine some real businessmen might have had a heart attack over the amount of paper sacrificed for that shoot.
Alex: Laughs. The paper was actually pretty funny because it all came from someone’s office. I think it belonged to one of Lucy’s friend’s dads. I’d pick up pages to read and realise, “Oh … this is actual confidential business information.” I’d quickly put that one down and grab another. There’s one bit where it looks like I’m doing important paperwork, but I was actually just doodling flowers the whole time. And don’t worry — the paper all got recycled.
Futuremag: I’ve got a few rapid-fire questions. If Businessman had a LinkedIn profile, what would his headline be?
Alex: “Believe.” I think he genuinely sees himself as an inspiration to the world.
Futuremag: What’s his most toxic trait?
Alex: Probably that complete lack of self-awareness. And the bit where he’s playing guitar during a meeting — that’s really who he is. He doesn’t understand that he’s not actually the artist. Sometimes people on the business side of music are just genuinely excited about artists, and that’s lovely. But there’s a certain personality who’s like, “I’m basically an artist too … actually, I’m better because I understand the business.” That’s a really fun dynamic to play with. My manager and I have definitely been in meetings where we’ve looked at each other afterwards and gone … “That’s nice.”
Futuremag: What’s next? Is Businessman leading to something bigger?
Alex: Who knows? We’ll have to find out. There’ll definitely be something. It’ll all become a bit clearer later on.
Futuremag: Final hypothetical: if Alex the Astronaut and Businessman got into a fight, who wins?
Alex: Me. No doubt. I actually did jiu-jitsu during COVID. There were a surprising number of businessmen there — I feel like they found a home. Although my friend from school, who’s about half my height, completely dislocated my shoulder during sparring. It was a very good lesson about making assumptions. So maybe I’d have to use a little bit of that jiu-jitsu on Businessman.
Futuremag: Before we wrap up, is there anything else people should know about the song?
Alex: Probably the production. I funded the whole release myself while working at Sydney Children’s Hospital. I’d finish my shift at 8pm, come home, jump on Zoom with Jonathan, my producer in the UK, record through the night, send everything off, go to sleep, and then wake up to new parts he’d recorded.
It was exhausting, but kind of magical. I’d literally wake up and there’d be a new version of the song waiting for me. I think that process really contributed to how weird and fun the production became. It also turned out way more country than I expected. I remember saying, “I think I want some country on this,” and Jonathan just absolutely went for it. He’s such a weapon of a producer. He’d record all these guitars in 20 minutes and send them back.
I recorded all my vocals in this room, and his daughter actually sings some of the backing vocals, which is really sweet. The artwork was done by Julia McGhee. I wanted it to feel like a pencil drawing, so she drew me wearing the hat, printed it out, and coloured it with coloured pencils. I love how it turned out.
