Alexandra Savior

Alexandra Savior McDermott (born June 14, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter originally from Portland, Oregon. Savior first came to public notice at age 17 in 2012 after Courtney Love publicly lauded her performance of covers on YouTube. Shortly after graduating high school in 2013, Savior pursued a music career in Los Angeles, and was signed to Columbia Records later that year, after which she began recording material with producers James Ford and Alex Turner. Her debut studio album, Belladonna of Sadness, was released on April 7, 2017, by Columbia Records.

After being dropped by Columbia Records in 2019, Savior was signed to Danger Mouse's independent label, 30th Century Records, who released her second studio album, The Archer, on January 10, 2020. The album was met with critical acclaim. In June 2024, Savior announced her signing with RCA Records. Her third studio album, Beneath the Lilypad, was released by RCA on May 16, 2025.

Early life Alexandra Savior McDermott Her mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer At age 12, her parents divorced, and her father relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. She first became interested in songwriting at age 14, in part inspired by her older brother, also a musician.

Career 2013–2018: Early work and debut studio album Savior first achieved public attention in September 2012 at age 17 after rock singer-songwriter Courtney Love publicly complimented her after viewing a cover of Angus & Julia Stone's "Big Jet Plane" that Savior had uploaded on YouTube. "She’s going to be huge," Love declared. "I am not ever wrong when it comes to spotting talent." "She called me up," Savior recalled. "We had a land line at my house, and the phone was shaped like a big tomato. So she would call me on the tomato phone, and I would sit in the kitchen and we would talk and talk. She gave me good advice. She told me not to let anybody turn me into a puppet."

quote=It’s hard to have people try to mold you into a version of what they find sellable, or a version of somebody else, or a version of everybody else. When I was 16 I went to a record label … I did a showcase and sang them three of my songs. Afterwards they sat me on a stool and asked me, “Do you want to be like Pink or Katy Perry?” And I thought, “Oh, what have I gotten myself into?” — –Savior on her difficulties navigating the music industry, 2016 She graduated from high school in June 2013 The album initially had the working title Strange Portrait, but was retitled Belladonna of Sadness after the 1973 Japanese anime of the same name. but Turner advised her to change her name and use her middle name as the last. "Miracle Aligner", a song written by Savior and Turner during the recording sessions, though cut from the album, was re-recorded by Turner's band the Last Shadow Puppets

Belladonna of Sadness was mostly completed by June 2015, Savior subsequently released a series of singles from the album, beginning with "Shades" on June 17, 2016, followed by "M.T.M.E." on September 8, 2016. Reviewing "M.T.M.E.", the British newspaper NME wrote: "The striking and smoky vocals belong solely to Savior and ooze a burgeoning star power well beyond her tender age of 21." A third single, "Mystery Girl" was released on November 21, 2016, alongside an announcement of the album's upcoming release. Savior was also featured as a guest vocalist on the song "Providence Sky" by Brooklyn-based music project Dark Tea, released in December 2016. "Mirage", the fourth and final promotional single for Savior's forthcoming album, was released on February 3, 2017. Paintings by Savior were used for the covers of some of the single releases, and was named one of the 30 best albums of the year by The Independent. Shortly after the album's release, Savior appeared on Lea Michele's 2017 album Places as co-writer of the track "Sentimental Memories".

2019–present: Label transitions After the release of Belladonna of Sadness, Savior submitted demos to Columbia for her second album, but the label rejected them before dropping her after her manager quit. Savior said this was a difficult time for her as she felt Columbia's termination of her record contract marked a significant failure, and possibly the end of her career. Savior left Los Angeles and returned to Portland to live with her mother.

James Mercer of Broken Bells and The Shins subsequently requested Savior's demos, and she was soon signed to Danger Mouse's independent label, 30th Century Records. She began recording new material with producer Sam Cohen in New York City in November 2019. In June 2019, two years after releasing Belladonna of Sadness, Savior returned with the lead single from her second studio album, The Archer, titled "Crying All the Time". It was released on June 14, 2019. The song was made available on music streaming platforms through 30th Century Records. Following the release of three additional singles, The Archer, was released by 30th Century Records on January 10, 2020. A limited run of vinyl LP versions of the album were independently produced and made available for sale on Savior's official website. The album was well-received by critics, earning an 84% approval rating on review aggregator Metacritic based on 4 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim". Karen Dalton, and Sibylle Baier, commenting that she was inspired by artists "who have life stories."

Discography Studio albums Belladonna of Sadness (2017) The Archer (2020) Beneath the Lilypad (2025)

Singles Year Title Album 2016 "Shades"

Personal life Savior has been in a relationship with producer Drew Erickson since June 2019.