First, Alex Ritchie’s mother lost her job. Then Ritchie and her family lost their house and health insurance. At the same time, she experienced her first heartbreak. To top it off, one of her work partners conned Ritchie into $13,000 worth of credit card debt.
Despite all of this, Ritchie said these events helped her make some of the best music she’s ever created.
Ritchie, a UCLA alumna, compiled the music she made into her debut EP “Heart Weight,” which contains seven songs written, produced and mastered by her. In addition to unveiling the debut of her first independent EP, Ritchie said its release on Tuesday also reveals her refashioned self.
“This EP marks a new ‘Alex Ritchie,’” she said. “It’s like I’m telling everyone, ‘I’m back.’”
In 2011, Ritchie attended St. John’s University in New York, where she met Ezekiel Akinyemi, better known by his stage name DJ Zeke. Akinyemi, who DJs at colleges across the country, gave Ritchie shout-outs and advice on producing.
“(Ritchie’s) songwriting has always been able to impact me,” Akinyemi said. “I was happy to give her plugs in my songs because the music industry is all about who you know.”
Ritchie moved back to Los Angeles in the summer of 2011, shortly after her parents lost their home. She said she felt motivated to release her self-produced music after learning more about music production in her time in New York from people such as Akinyemi. She decided she wanted to make more pop music because the first album she released when she graduated high school was only acoustic material.
In 2012, Ritchie began writing songs in studios and with producers. However, in the same year, Ritchie found herself conned into $13,000 worth of debt, which she said was because she was too trusting.
“2012 was by far the worst year for me,” Ritchie said. “I felt like I was dealing with a lot of adult problems and no one my age could understand.”
In need of help, Ritchie said she had to learn how to reach out to others. With hardly any money, she began learning how to produce, mix and master songs on her own.
Ritchie said she realized she wanted the EP to be a reflection of her emotional journey, as her songwriting had taught her how to forgive herself. Ritchie said she had accumulated enough songs in 2014 to release a full EP.
The first song of the EP is entitled “2.0.1.2.,” which Ritchie said describes all of the tumultuous events that occurred. She said each consecutive song in the EP gets progressively more positive and self-forgiving. In addition, each song combines different musical genres with pop such as trap and R&B.
Because she didn’t have enough funds to promote her EP, Ritchie decided to partner with The A.skate Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to helping children with autism learn how to skateboard, where she regularly volunteered. Ritchie said she was able to allow Crys Worley, the founder of the organization, to handle her EP’s promotion.
Ritchie said the most important aspect of the partnership was not only advertising her own album, but also a cause she was invested in. Fifteen percent of the proceeds from the EP sales will go directly to the foundation. By regularly volunteering for the organization, she grew close with the kids she was helping and wanted to further give back.
“For (Ritchie) to donate a percentage of the proceeds was really an honor,” Worley said. “(The organization) is entirely volunteer-based, and we see a lot of people come and go. (Ritchie) has stuck with us.”
While Ritchie isn’t sure which label she plans to sign with, she said she hopes to sign a publishing deal instead of a record deal, meaning she’d be a writer and producer for the label instead of just a performer.
Ultimately, Ritchie said she hopes people will enjoy listening to her EP, “Heart Weight,” the product of the heavy weight she carried in her heart for so long.
“I’m a new person,” Ritchie said. “I want people to hear that.”