Axell's talent, work ethic, and ambition prove he has a promising future in the music industry.
Alan Axell Demesier, 16, fell in love with music at six years old when his parents encouraged him to join the church choir. When he realized he had a talent for singing, it created the dream of a music career.
Inspired by Chris Brown's musical versatility, he didn't want to limit himself to just one skill. After constantly singing other people's music, he wanted to try creating something original. He wrote his first song and admitted it wasn't his best work, but he continues to practice and improve his songwriting abilities.
With his singing and songwriting abilities improving daily, he only needed two more essential things to start his music career – a stage name and genre.
The name Axell was an easy choice since it's his middle name, after his father, Alex.
"He said that he chose the name Axell because he wanted to add a bit of his name to mine and added the extra L in Axell because he wants me to be a better man than he ever was."
Picking a genre was not as simple. Because his musical inspiration, Chris Brown, swiftly moves through genres, Axell aspires to do the same. However, R&B and Neo Soul are Axell's comfort zone.
"I feel like when you slow a song down; people listen to the lyrics more than they listen to the beat. People also feel the song way more, and when artists do this, it allows them to put a message in the lyrics that the listeners will hear."
With the talent and work ethic to match, Axell booked his first tour through New Jersey. The Better in the End tour, titled after his first single, consists of eight performances from mid-March to mid-April, mainly in North Jersey and ending in South Jersey. The tour came together with the help of OnlyJahmez and IceCee.
"I've learned so much performing on all these different kinds of stages, and it's been a blessing to see everyone who came out to see me perform. My favorite show so far has been the March Madness show in Newark, NJ, hosted by IceCee. The crowd that night was amazing, and it was just overall great vibes that night. I ended up winning the trophy for the hottest independent artist in New Jersey, so that show was just amazing."
With so many performances in such a short time, Axell takes care of his instrument. It's not just the performances that can cause vocal exhaustion, but the hours of practice he puts in to ensure each performance is perfection. About an hour before every show, he drinks room-temperature water mixed with honey and lemon. This ritual helps Axell feel prepared and hyped up enough to step on the stage.
Axell feeds off the crowd's energy during performances and sometimes changes his pre-planned set list to cater to his fans better.
"I try to play a different genre for every song I perform so everyone has a great time. I throw in some R&B, Hip Hop, and Soul and perform it to the best of my ability. If it looks like that crowd is feeling the hip-hop song, I sometimes switch up the set list and perform another one. It all depends on what they are feeling and what they want to hear."
The tour has two dates left, one in Clifton and the finale in Mount Holly.
Alongside his debut tour through New Jersey, Axell has vowed to release music every week, starting with two of the tour's biggest hits, Home and Party with Axell.
"Home is about a girl that I was in a relationship with, leaving our relationship over an argument. The song then elevates into a Jersey Club beat, and that represents that I'm now over the girl and that I've moved on. Party with Axell explains how it feels to literally…party with Axell. In the song, I say, 'You ain't never partied with axel, this gon be the night of your life.' This is for the new listeners who have never heard of me before."
New songs are released every Friday and will continue to release for the foreseeable future.
Despite his talent and work ethic, Axell's biggest struggle has been his age. Axell has to juggle his release schedule and his tour with high school. Balancing studying and homework assignments with studio sessions and performances is a lot for any teenager.
"Sometimes it gets stressful, but this is the life I chose, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Axell's youth can sometimes be a hindrance when he has to prove to other professionals that he is serious about his career.
"Usually, when I walk into a room full of artists, I'm the youngest one. Being the youngest artist in the room, I always feel like I have to prove to people that I belong, and I do that through my performances and my music."
Having just started his music career, Axell has big dreams for his future. He wants his music to make a difference in the world.
"When people listen to my music, I don't want them to be the same person they were before experiencing the joy of listening to my music. The simple goals I have for myself are to get as many streams as possible and to perform at bigger venues. My overall goal is to continue to elevate as an artist."
Ultimately, he knows he's found what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
"It's always been my dream to be able to make music, have billions of people hear and love it, and make some compensation through it all. Once my family is taken care of, I'm taken care of, my future generations are taken care of, and I've completed all of my goals, I will say that I'm successful."
However, it's not all about money. It's about the music. Axell hopes his music can help spread the message of love and positivity.
"Right now, the world is so full of hatred, and if my music can help change that into something positive, that would be great."
Listen to Axell's music on Spotify and Apple Music.
Keep up with all of Axell's work here.