• 2011-2017

  Alex Kinsey

  Sierra Deaton
• Alex & Sierra were the Florida-based duo of Alex Kinsey and Sierra Deaton. They met on a beach in 2009 and started performing together soon after. In 2013 they won X Factor, earning them a deal with Columbia Records. Their debut album, It's About Us, was their last; they were dropped from the label in 2015 and split up in 2017.
• They became a romantic couple in 2011 when they started performing together. That chemistry charged a lot of their songs and fans enjoyed their love story, but when they broke up as a couple it ended their musical collaboration as well.
• Before finding fame on X Factor, Alex and Sierra both tried out for American Idol as solo artists. Sierra wasn't selected by Alex got to Hollywood Week before being eliminated.
• They performed "Bleeding Love" with Leona Lewis on the X Factor finale. They also sang "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran and "Say Something" by A Great Big World on the show that night.
• Sierra Deaton graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2013 with a degree in a degree in advertising and public relations. Alex Kinsey was a senior there when he dropped out to pursue music.
• They're both songwriters, and they wrote most of the songs they recorded with help from more seasoned writers, including Toby Gad and Ali Tamposi.
• They've both recorded as a solo artists since their split, and Sierra Deaton has also done a lot of songwriting for other artists. She co-wrote two songs on Luke Hemmings' 2021 debut solo album, When Facing the Things We Turn Away From. In 2024, she and Hemmings revealed that they had gotten married.
• Their most enduring song is "Little Do You Know," which was their second single. It didn't get much heat when it was released but after Alex & Sierra split up it found an audience on TikTok. In 2020, six years after it was released, it was certified 2x Platinum.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Bad GirlsDonna Summer

Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" is about prostitutes, but it was still used in the movie Rugrats In Paris.

I Melt With YouModern English

"I'll Melt With You" by Modern English is about a couple who melt together because a nuclear bomb drops.

Tomorrow PeopleZiggy Marley & the Melody Makers

"Tomorrow People" by Ziggy Marley is the first song by a Marley to crack the US Top 40; the highest Bob got was #51 with "Roots, Rock, Reggae."

AqualungJethro Tull

Jethro Tull lead singer Ian Anderson wrote "Aqualung" after looking at pictures of homeless men that his wife took. She got a co-writing credit on the song.

A Moment Like ThisKelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson's coronation song when she won American Idol in 2002 was "A Moment Like This," which was released as her first single and went to #1. Every finalist that season recorded the song in case they won.

Highway to HellAC/DC

The "Highway To Hell" is the Canning Highway in Australia, which seems to go on forever, at least according to AC/DC.

Editor's Picks

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.