Alex Newell: The Powerhouse Voice of Dance-Pop and R&B
Alex Newell is an American singer and actor who first gained national attention on the television show "The Glee Project" in 2012. Hailing from Lynn, Massachusetts, Newell achieved a historic milestone in 2023 by becoming the first nonbinary actor to win a Tony Award for their performance in the Broadway revival of "Once Upon a Mattress".
Early career
Born in 1992, Alex Newell's powerful vocal talent was evident from a young age. Their breakthrough arrived in 2011 when they auditioned for the Oxygen reality competition "The Glee Project", ultimately earning a recurring role on the hit Fox series "Glee" as the character Unique Adams. This platform showcased Newell's formidable singing voice to a massive audience, setting the stage for a music career beyond television.
Breakthrough
Newell's transition into a charting music artist solidified with the 2015 release of the dance track "This Is the New Year", a collaboration with producer CID. However, their true commercial breakthrough came with the 2021 single "Mama Told Me", featuring the French DJ duo Ofenbach. The song became a global club hit, amassing hundreds of millions of streams and introducing Alex Newell's signature sound to the international dance music scene.
Key tracks
Mama Told Me — This 2021 collaboration with Ofenbach is Alex Newell's most successful single to date, a platinum-certified global dance anthem that dominated charts and radio.
This Is the New Year — The 2015 single with CID served as an early indicator of Newell's potent crossover appeal in the electronic dance music genre.
Boy, You Can Keep It — Released in 2020, this bold and brassy solo track established Newell's confident, unapologetic artistic persona in the pop and R&B space.
Kill the Lights — A 2023 collaboration with DJ/producer Jax Jones and singer-songwriter David Guetta, this track further cemented Newell's status as a sought-after vocalist for major dance acts.
Nobody to Love — Newell's contribution to the 2023 "The Little Mermaid" soundtrack album showcased their vocal versatility on a soulful, gospel-tinged ballad.
Building on this momentum, Alex Newell released their debut EP, "Power", in 2023 via record label Big Beat Records. The project featured collaborations with icons like Nile Rodgers and showcased a blend of dance-pop, house, and soulful R&B. Their success on Broadway, culminating in the 2023 Tony Award win, runs parallel to their music career, demonstrating a rare versatility across performing arts disciplines.
Fans of Alex Newell's energetic blend of dance-pop and soulful R&B might also enjoy the music of Lizzo for a similar message of self-empowerment and powerhouse vocals. The genre-blending pop approach can be heard in the work of Janelle Monae. For dynamic vocal performances within dance music, explore Kim Petras. The theatrical pop sensibility is also present in the music of Mika.
Alex Newell's catalog receives regular rotation across a variety of online radio streams, particularly on dedicated dance-pop, contemporary hit, and LGBTQ+ focused music stations. Their anthemic singles are staples on platforms featuring the latest in club and pop music, ensuring their voice reaches a wide and enthusiastic audience.
Listeners can discover the vibrant music of Alex Newell on the dance-pop and R&B radio stations featured right here on onairium.com. Tune in to our curated stations to hear their chart-topping hits and powerful anthems in regular rotation.
