Raven Clemons

Life feels harder to do without knowing how to drive. 

Hiroshi Fujiwara 

Alexander 23 shows vulnerability with his latest single, “How to Drive,” as he opens up about his fears and questions about life. A man of many musical talents, Alexander’s voice is smooth yet raw, vigorous yet delicate on the self-produced track.

Alexander shares the backstory of his latest song, “I wrote most of “how to drive” before the tour and left with the intention of finishing it after. But in an almost childlike way, I needed to record it immediately. I had an off day in NYC and booked Electric Lady, hoping the legendary air there would help me squeeze all the magic out of a song so near and dear to my heart.”

The 27-year-old Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter documented the songwriting process through a video he shared on Instagram, “I hate having cameras in the studio, but on this particular day, I couldn’t imagine NOT documenting everything. So this is a video of me somewhere between enlightened and manic, finishing the writing and frantically hopping from instrument to instrument, physically racing against the clock of the day and spiritually racing against the clock of time. This song isn’t an extension of my last era, and I don’t think it’s even the start of the next. This song is simply how I feel about myself, the people around me, and the world. And this is how it came to be.” 

As Alexander sings about his past, he also seems nostalgic for the future and what it might hold. No matter how far he may venture down the road of life, he will always miss something along the way.

My grandparents they’re getting older

Some of my friends, they’re getting sober

Oh, it’s true that life goes on

But it sure leaves some things behind

And I worked real hard, I made some money

And it’s not a joke, but it’s still funny

How, with every ounce of freedom comes a pound of traumatized

Callum Walker Hutchinson

“This song isn’t about anything. It’s about everything. Life can be complicated, and life can be simple, and it can be hard to tell between beauty and pain. even that last sentence, like, is that insightful or just bullshit. I don’t know. “How To Drive” is about not knowing, I think,” Alexander 23 candidly shared. 

In the outro, Alexander 23 wonders if anybody else has answers to his questions about life or feels the same way he does. Life is complicated, and what more can one think about than if anybody else can relate or give advice? 

My grandparents, they’re getting older

Wish they could tell me when it’s all over

Did you and all your friends feel the same way?

Did the candles take more breath on every birthday?

When the train, it left the station, was there a final destination?

Did you learn to just shut up and enjoy the ride?

Did you learn to keep it all between the lines?

Did anybody ever teach you how to drive?

The singer-songwriter released the music video to “How To Drive,” penning on his Instagram Stories, “I thought quite a lot about what I wanted to do for the video. Ultimately, it came down to how I wanted to feel when I listened to this song. And instead of being sad and confused, I chose happy and grateful. So I went through my phone, found cherished videos of friends and family, and chopped it all together, and now it’s my favorite music video ever made,” Alexander shared. 

How To Drive is a reminder that life doesn’t come with instructions, it can be confusing and scary, and that’s okay.