Lexa Gates Brings Us Into Her Vulnerable Side with “I Am”

A fresh new voice from Sunnyside, New York, is catching the attention of not only locals but a worldwide audience: Lexa Gates. With the release of “Estranged,” fans have been eagerly anticipating her full-length album, I Am, which was released on January 16. 

The singer turns up the heat on her sophomore project, delivering 18 new tracks, including the pre-release singles from 2025: “Estranged,” “Past It,” “Nothing to Worry About,” and “Latency.”

A Jump to the Past

Lexa opens the album with “It Goes On,” a track that immediately sets a nostalgic tone. The song samples The Intruders’ “Come Home Soon,” using its melody as a soulful backdrop. While the original track centers on longing for a lover’s return, Lexa flips the narrative. Instead of yearning for someone else, she reflects on gratitude, God having her back, and resilience. Lyrics such as “Let it be the rain, burning in the sun touching on my skin” underline her sense of growth and endurance. The repeated refrain “It goes on and on” keeps the flow steady as the sample gently guides us into the next chapter of the album.

Shifting gears, “Ight” lightens the mood with airy instrumentals that drift between soft guitar accents and gentle, understated percussion, giving the track an easy, weightless feel. The track showcases the vocal range Lexa is known for, especially in the way she stretches the ends of her lines with a dreamy softness. Lyrically, she makes it clear she’s done living in the past, confessing “Stop living in the past like a traitor,” as a declaration of forward motion. The song closes the same way it began, with delicate chimes that feel like a final exhale.

“I Don’t Even Know” leans into something more personal. The track feels tailor-made for live shows, the kind of song that we would see her Gov Ball audience clap to this upcoming summer. Lexa glides through shifting flows, punctuated by soft breaths and even a small laugh, giving the track a raw, human edge. Though reflective in tone, “I Don’t Even Know” reveals a growing confidence, captured in lines like “Draped in luxury” and “I know where I am, where I’m going to be, only time will tell.”

Holding to the Good

The album deepens with “Estranged,” the first pre-release single. The track speaks to anyone who has experienced a love slowly fading, yet they still hold onto hope. Lyrics like “Thought we had a good thing going / Did I do something wrong?” reveal vulnerability and unanswered questions, a longing not just for closure, but for a hopeful understanding in the future.

“Past It” follows with a groovy — almost restless — bouncy beat. Driven by energetic drums, the song captures the feeling of crossing a finish line only to wonder what comes next. There’s a sense of burnout hidden beneath the upbeat melody, especially in lines such as “Day to day tastes shite, looking for the light, Headed for a casket.” That tension carries into “Change,” where heavier drums and subtle key shifts give the track a conversational feel, almost as if Lexa is speaking directly to the listener. 

On “You’re Better Off,” the album takes a turn. Trumpets and warm instrumentation add a cinematic style, making the song feel like it belongs in the climax of a film. The lyrics keep changing from stable to unstable, as heard in the lines “Hell, I wish you could raise my baby, but I’m crazy,” and “Hope you go blind when you see, hope you see, and I hope you go blind.” Lexa is able to flow seamlessly into “From,” where the track showcases soft violins and layered textures, making each track seem as though a new instrument is being introduced into the story.

Unfiltered and Somehow Close to Home

Throughout the album, Lexa sprinkles in voice-memo-style intros that make the project feel intimate and personal. From song samples to her own add-ons, the songs have a new way to bring someone into how Lexa is feeling, and that is by reassuring herself that she is okay. “Rest of My Life” continues the trend of “It Goes On.” Although the song feels a bit more lively, she still is conflicted between feeling alive and happy, and not feeling enough. “All Work No Play,” which returns to a dreamy kind of atmosphere, is highlighted by gentle tambourine hits and snare drums that let Lexa’s vocals shine. The theme continues to revolve around who Lexa is, who she wants to be, or who she’s meant to be.

“You Don’t Give A Fuck About Me” is a statement: it’s louder, rawer, and emotionally unfiltered. From here, the album moves like a conversation between softness and strength. “Last Day” and “Nothing to Worry About” feel like companion tracks, their smooth vocals and steady drum patterns keeping the R&B pulse alive. Even a subtle cowbell at the end of “Nothing to Worry About” adds a new cadence without breaking the mood.

“Anointed” feels like stepping into a dimly lit jazz lounge. Piano chords open the track like the beginning of a slow dance, with soft flute lines adding a sensual edge. The lyrics are the opposite of its background, with “I don’t even care, what’s the fuckin’ point?” and “Pray I’m not ruining everything life may bring” conveying a sense of emptiness, with reassurance almost dripping from the words. That atmosphere transitions perfectly into “Latency,” one of the album’s standout singles. Sultry and hypnotic, the song feels like a moment of quiet seduction. Its hook “I got ideas of you, making moves on me, what’s with the latency?” capturing the tension between desire and hesitation.

The Grand Finale

The album concludes with the tracks “Dead Wrong” and “Serious,” delivering a raw and powerful ending. Unapologetically herself, Lexa isn’t afraid to be blunt in her lyrics with “Shit’s got me suicidal, who am I? What am I to—?” and “And I’d bet you there’s an easy fix, pull the trigger and be done with it.” While the instrumentals may suggest a blissful atmosphere, the vulnerability in the spaces where she isn’t singing pulls the listener back into the loneliness that defines the song and much of the album. 

After the release of her last full album, Elite Vessel, Lexa continues to explore the emotions tied to stardom, her surroundings, and her own inner world. She isn’t afraid to tell her story as it is, even if it makes people uncomfortable, blending helplessness and confidence in a way that feels distinctly New York.

Be sure to check out I Am on Spotify or YouTube. To stay up to date with Lexa, fans can follow the artist on Instagram and TikTok. 

Looking for more music insights? Check out EnVi’s breakdown of JooHoney’s EP, Insanity, here!