Rex Orange County Is Letting the Joy Back In
A decade into his career, Rex Orange County discusses intimate living room shows, opening up his songwriting process, and choosing pure spontaneity for his next chapter
- From intimate sets in Southeast Asia to arena shows in Manila, the artist reflects on fan connections and how collaboration transformed his songwriting.
- Prioritizing presence, boundaries, and joy, Rex is moving past pain and online distractions as he prepares a year-end album.
Letting the door in for others
British singer-songwriter Alexander James O’Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, took pride in doing absolutely everything alone. Operating out of his home setup, he tracked his own drums, played bass and keys, and penned every single lyric entirely in isolation.
This DIY approach gave him full creative control over his sound, allowing him to craft every detail independently. Over time, however, as his artistry matured and his musical horizons expanded, he recognized equal value and new found inspiration in opening up his creative process to collaborative partnerships.
Having proven he could build entire sounds by himself, he realized the real artistic challenge lay in opening the door to others. Collaborating with visionaries like Tyler, the Creator, James Blake, and Daniel Caesar transformed his songwriting process.
“Working with other people just opens your mind to all the things you could say that you wouldn’t say by yourself.”
“It’s good to just interrogate yourself and be like, ‘Is this the best possible thing for this story?'” he explains. “Having a friend who can be like, ‘Are you sure? Why don’t we try rewriting that?’—it’s probably going to be worth it.”
Letting trusted peers dissect his ideas pushed his storytelling into far more honest and adventurous territory. Welcoming outside feedback replaced the insular comfort of his early years with a sharper, shared discipline.
From living rooms to arena lights
Before shows, he grounded himself by making unannounced visits to strangers’ living rooms during his tour stops in the UK, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore as a way of giving back to his fans.
Between sharing home-cooked satay, chicken pie, and salted egg fish skin, these intimate drop-ins stripped away the traditional barrier between artist and listener. It turned a routine tour run into an unexpected, warm cultural exchange.
“By no means was that the plan—I didn’t expect anyone to do anything,” he admits with a laugh. “They’d bring local snacks, or make food in the house, leave a little note, and just say thank you.”
Meeting listeners in their personal spaces left a far more lasting impression than the standard touring circuit. The experience proved that a genuine human connection does not require a massive stage to resonate.
“Meeting people in their houses and meeting their families has probably been the most valuable experience.”
The electric alchemy of Southeast Asia
“When I came in ’23, I realized it’s just something that clicks and makes sense here.”
That unspoken magic translates tenfold inside the arena walls, where his return to Manila felt like a long-awaited homecoming. Following a thunderous, sold-out debut at one of the Philippines’ biggest arenas in 2023, the British singer-songwriter knew he had to get back to the region quickly.
For years, the fervent streaming numbers hailing from Southeast Asia were an intriguing statistic on a screen. Seeing the crowd’s energy firsthand made that distant enthusiasm click instantly into place.
“They were very loud, very passionate, and grateful, it seemed,” he remembers. “I was equally very excited, passionate, and grateful.”
The mutual adoration between the artist and the audience has made Manila a definitive touchstone for his live shows. Stepping back onto a local stage brought all of that shared history right back to the surface.
Singing scars without reliving in the wound
That collaborative growth also reframed his approach to his most confessional material, including the emotionally heavy themes throughout The Alexander Technique. While those songs tackled deep vulnerability and self-reckoning, revisiting them on stage no longer feels like reopening old wounds.
“If I can be completely honest, at least there’s an authenticity or integrity you can’t fake.”
By treating the performance as a focused musical craft, he creates a safe container to share his truth with thousands of singing voices. Focusing on execution lets the emotional weight of the past lift.
“I have no issue with speaking vulnerably on stage, but luckily, I don’t like ‘live’ in the songs,” he says. “I’m usually just thinking about playing the chords right and trying not to get it wrong.”
The songs belong to the room, letting him focus on playing while communal sound provides catharsis. Stepping back from emotional weight turns performance into a shared connection, turning past vulnerabilities into collective relief.
Finding balance in a maturing perspective
A decade after launching into music as an unfiltered 16-year-old, he balances that early fire with a hard-won, quiet self-awareness. While he still overthinks arrangements just as intensely, his artistic boundaries have naturally become more defined over time.
“When you’re that age, you kind of don’t know what’s going on, but I felt so determined and passionate,” he reflects on his beginnings.
“Maybe there’s slightly more awareness now, or whatever maturity actually looks like.”
He realizes vulnerability does not mean exposing his entire private life. Setting boundaries between his personal life and public identity protects his relationships, prevents burnout, and sustains his creativity.
“There are a lot of experiences and things that I keep for myself so that there’s some separation.”
Establishing clear boundaries between his personal life and songwriting helps him avoid burnout and protect his artistry. This balance keeps his music authentic while preserving a private personal sanctuary.
Stepping into the next horizon
With a brand-new studio album on its way, his creative compass is locked firmly on joy, flow, and shutting out the noise. He wants to give this upcoming body of work the life and care it deserves while actively shedding rigid expectations.
“My energy is on trying to enjoy it, trying to be spontaneous, not so rigid, and have fun.”
Channeling that focus into the new material, he is stripping away outside industry pressures in favor of pure enjoyment. Prioritizing spontaneity over digital noise has re-energized his entire approach to the craft.
“Social media is not as pure as making music, so my energy is on trying to be present,” he notes about navigating modern rollouts.
“I just want to have fun, enjoy myself, and feel self-acceptance.”
Rather than overthinking the rollout, Rex is simply ready to embrace spontaneity and let the art breathe. His upcoming project centers on presence, creative freedom, and self-acceptance by prioritizing enjoyment, uninhibited expression, and self-acceptance over external expectations; the next era is fundamentally about celebrating where he is right now on his own terms.
Photography Ara May Tanagon
Frequently Asked Questions
His sold-out 2023 Araneta Coliseum debut left a lasting mark thanks to the crowd’s energy. Returning to headline the Mall of Asia Arena let him reconnect with long-time fans.
The singer surprised fans across the UK, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore with unannounced acoustic living room performances. These visits became cherished memories as fans welcomed him with food, snacks, and notes.
He comfortably shares personal songs live by focusing on technical execution and chord accuracy rather than emotionally re-experiencing the underlying pain.
Initially handling all production and songwriting alone, Rex learned to embrace collaboration by co-writing with Daniel Caesar, Tyler, the Creator, and James Blake.
The singer hopes to release a brand new album soon. He plans to avoid social media distractions, embrace spontaneity, have fun, and give the project the attention it deserves.
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