The musician and Sex Education star talks trans friendships, growing up in Devon and her latest single, Early Nights
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGES BY PRESS
It’s been a big year for 23-year-old artist and actor, Anthony Lexa. DIVA readers fell in love with her as Abbi in Sex Education’s final season. We loved seeing her and Felix Mufti, who played Roman, portray the T4T (trans for trans) power couple in the show’s final chapter. And today marks the release of her latest single, Early Nights.
Getting the chance to speak with the talented musician via Zoom ahead of the song’s release, it’s made immediately clear that Anthony is on a mission to empower and inspire listeners. So read what she had to say, and then listen to Early Nights on repeat as you dance around your bedroom.
DIVA: Early Nights is a really powerful song, what was the writing process like?
Anthony: It was written during the 2021 lockdown. It was a way for me to celebrate the small things in life because everything else was falling through the cracks. There were so many struggles and worries about society going forward and I just wanted to celebrate all the things that I was grateful for in my life and the small things that I probably would’ve only dreamed of having a few years prior.
It was literally me, sitting in a room on my own in the evening after finishing working from home and just being like, “I’m so grateful that I have a space in this crazy time in which I’m in Devon and I can just sit and write a song in the evening.” It was like a healing experience writing a song from the perspective of my younger self, appreciating what she has now even in the craziness of 2021.
While it’s a song that can resonate with anyone who has had a hard time with love, what do you hope trans women in particular take away from listening to it?
I’m a big believer in saying that songs can be translated differently by everyone. And, even for me, I think the meaning of this song has changed since I wrote it to how I experience it now which is why it’s such an important time for me to release it now.
I don’t really want people to take something from it, I just hope that people feel seen in it, and seen by it, and I just want it to feel like a hug within a song. Yeah, you could have experienced stuff but these small things exist and they will happen for you so just like keep appreciating these. Appreciate those small wins in life. I just hope that people know that that’s the least that they deserve. Especially trans women, who settle for less.
We have, we actually have similar upbringings in that you grew up in Devon and I grew up in Cornwall. Not the most diverse parts of England, I think we can agree?
We know what the rural life is like, mmhmm.
Did this lack of diversity around you inspire your motivation to provide more representation in all that you do at all?
When you grow up in a space where you feel othered, for me, art was my way of embracing that sense of being different and being myself. And then, through my art, I found people that it spoke to and I realised how important it is. Not about it necessarily discussing it directly or focusing on that – because I’m a much more diverse person than just my gender or sexuality – but it made me realise that just being in spaces can open doors for so many people and make people feel seen and accept themselves. So yeah, being in a place where you don’t see it around you in society, I think you realise how important representation is within art.
Can you tell me about your friendship with Felix Mufti?
I think the first full day we spent together was my birthday last year. We were both working at Pride in London the following day and we went charity and vintage shopping in Shoreditch and then just had the most fun evening at a drag show. Being able to be around his company this year has felt really healing too. And to make a lot of trans connections through him and through being in London for the first year – ’cause it’s just turned my two-year anniversary of moving to London – so having so many trans people in my life is a blessing. Feeling seen by people and having friendships that have almost a deeper level of understanding is so rewarding and I hope we’re friends for a long time.
Would you feel comfortable to share your coming out story?
I’m super privileged and fortunate that I grew up in a household where I was able to experiment with my outward appearance without having to necessarily explain it. I was sort of living as a woman in the world while simultaneously not necessarily telling everyone in my life and it just became a thing that was fluid.
I’ve probably come out about three times because at first it was sharing that I liked men when I was young. Then it was trying to explain the fact that I identify as a woman. And then it was being like, “I actually really like women as well”, and then people were like “So you’re coming out again?!” [Laughter]
It happened organically with people in my life hearing it at different times. I think more people should fight for that. You don’t owe anyone when you make that decision, you don’t owe anyone anything. It’s your decision to make and as long as you’re relieving the dysphoria, if you’re safe enough to do that, you don’t owe anyone an explanation as to why you’re wearing eyeliner suddenly. I don’t think there needs to be a clear before and after and I hope that moving forward, people don’t feel the need to as much.
I know you’re very young yourself. But it’s been a big year and you can now be. a role model for so many young people. It’s a lot to process. How does that feel for you?
As someone who is so young and is so aware of my privilege, particularly at the moment, I think role model is a strong word. I more want people to feel seen by my presence than to be led by it. My art is so driven by my heart and my own journey, that’s so personal to me. I just want people to take from that what makes them feel seen.
I’ve really loved speaking with you today but, before our time comes to an end, is there anything else that you’d like to address that hasn’t been touched on?
I just hope people at the moment are taking care of themselves and are using art to inspire themselves and using it to feel seen as opposed to punishing themselves with it. I think art needs to be taken in a healthy light, with a pinch of salt and my song particularly is a song for the sad girls but with an indie dance bop at heart. I want my music to be like, yeah, you could have gone through stuff but you will get through it and you can dance through it and celebrate it at the same time. I want people to use art to empower themselves. That’s the biggest message I want to put out there.
Early Nights is out now.
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