REX AND THE RHYTHM INTERVIEW: From the sunny shores of Barbados to topping the UK Official Chart, the journey of Rex and the Rhythm (Rex) is a fascinating masterclass in musical evolution. Having spent his formative years soaking up the sounds and studio wizardry of international superstar Eddy Grant’s historic plantation, Rex’s destiny as a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer was set early on.
He first tasted major commercial success as the drummer and co-vocalist for the Carib-pop band Cover Drive, which shot straight to number one in 2012 with Twilight, achieving multi-platinum and silver singles across three UK Top Ten hits. After sharing stages with global icons like Rihanna and Lauryn Hill, Rex pivoted to his solo career.
Following his debut EP, #127 Solace, which leant into alternative R&B, he recently opened for Ashanti at The Hennessy Artistry festival. Now, with his 2023 project Secrets Behind Our Smiles exploring an urban contemporary sonic and his 2024 track Highs & Grows paying direct homage to 90s Hip Hop legends like A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast, Rex is confidently carving a unique space in the alt-R&B and psychedelic soul sphere.
What five words define your sound?
Coastal, rhythmic, funky, alternative Soul.
Tell me something unique about your creative process
My home studio is set up like a circle so that I can bounce around to each instrument while I’m creating! While sitting at my desk, using time on a clock as a reference, my drum set and percussion set up are to my three o’clock and five o’clock, my keyboards and guitars are seven o’clock and nine o’clock, and my mic is to my eleven o’clock. I just spin in my chair to access everything!
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
I would have to go with my latest single, ‘Without You’ for obvious reasons, [laughs], but I think it’s a bop! I might be slightly biased though!
What inspired you to make that song?
I had an opportunity to write and produce something to pitch to Anderson .Paak. Through some light research, I learned that he was going through a break up at the same time I was, so I thought, “I understand what you’re going through Paak, I got you!” He didn’t end up taking the song, but it all worked out in the end, as I’m so happy with how it came out. I’m still open to a feature though!
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
Honestly, my default is to be as vulnerable as possible when working on music for myself. I guess my most vulnerable is when I just allow myself to sing whatever raw thoughts I’m thinking rather than to try and be all artsy and think of profound lyrics to explain what I’m experiencing; if that makes sense. Regardless, my goal is always to leave it all on the song.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Worst experience: My old band Cover Drive was opening for Lauryn Hill at a stadium in Barbados. The event was pretty chaotically organized and we only got to do a line check at 3:30 am, the day of show, before the venue was shut down for noise complaints. Before we got to perform, our stems playback system was rewired by someone not on our team which caused every backing track, live signal and click track (metronome) to misfire and send to the wrong channels at the top of our set in front of about 8,000 people.
Imagine hitting a crazy drum solo for your set intro only for it to transition into crickets and you and your bandmates can’t hear anything onstage! We had to pause our set and spend 25 minutes with the crew trying to McGyver something that would at least function well enough for us to complete our set. We eventually got to a point where the lead singer could at least hear the other musicians in her in-ears and we made it through our 40 minute set. Me on the other hand on the drums, could only hear the click track (barely) the entire set [laughs]. Fun!
Best Experience: So this is a bit of a two pronged answer that requires a bit of exposition. The same old band of mine had the opportunity to play Summer Time Ball at Wembley Stadium in the UK for about 85,000 attendees in 2012. This obviously was a major deal for us and quite “glamorous.” After my band got dropped, we toured a lot of colleges in the US between 2014-2017. At one university we played in Minneapolis, the only person who showed up was the event organiser.
I remember images of Wembley flashing in my mind as I stared at this empty venue with this one person standing towards the back of the room. But in that moment, I realised my love for music and for performing extended beyond whatever taste of fame I had in my Wembley days. Sure, I’ve had gigs that were more fun, but I don’t think I’ve had any that have been more personally significant to me. So I’d have to go with that as my best experience. We killed it that day too.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Currently, I love performing my song, ‘Play My Guitar.’ I made that song with every intention to play it live and it translates so well to a live setting. I also do two modulations in the last chorus and that always makes the audiences I perform to in LA go crazy!
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Well my parents are both singers/musicians, so I would have to say them. They exposed me to such a rich variety of music growing up and being around said music, and all of their musical friends further made me even hungrier to make music of my own. Beyond that? I’m inspired by John Mayer’s writing style, Anderson .Paak’s cadence and rhythms and Lenny Kravitz’ swagger!
What’s the meaning behind your name?
Hi, my name is Rex and I’m a rhythm instrumentalist. I like to keep things simple.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I want to be dramatic and say I wouldn’t exist, [laughs]. But I probably would be an actor. I had plans to go to school for acting, but at 16 I got a record deal and here I am at 32 still in love with music.
What’s success to you?
In this oversaturated music space, my definition of success has changed as I’ve gotten older. Now, success to me is having a dedicated fan base that will rock with me through my many musical eras, and allow me to afford the lifestyle I choose to lead. Also a Porsche carrera cabriolet and a Nissan Skyline R34 wouldn’t hurt either, [laughs].
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
When my band Cover Drive disbanded in 2018. At that moment, I didn’t really know what to do with myself or what my next step was. I saw us going all the way, but God had other plans. So in the limbo years after that, I got a degree in audio engineering at Full Sail University just so that I could make sure I could continue working in music if I so chose to. During the two years I was getting my degree, I realised that I wanted to keep going but as a solo artist, and now I’m getting interviewed by the Viper Mag! Life is weird like that sometimes you know?
Where can people keep in touch with you?
You can follow me on IG @CallhimRex on TikTok @CallemRex or check out my website www.rexatr.com! If you’re in LA, you can find me at Black Rabbit Rose every second Thursday of the month!
