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When Alexa Dirksstarted describing her latest albumas Begonia,Powder Blue, sheturnstovivid imagery: herbaby blanket, the airiness of clouds on a summer day, chlorine-filled water ina hotel pool, circa-1970s Elvis Presley wearing an ill-fittingjumpsuit, her collection of fadeddenim jackets.“Powder Blueis more of an emotion,”explainsthe Winnipeg, Canada, native.“The name of thisalbum needed to be something that encompasses all ofthe feelings that these songs give mewhen they are put together. When I listen to them as a unit, they send me back to the words,the color.”Fittingly,Powder Blue’s musicfeels timelessand classic,as well aseclectic.Trip-hop beats andpropulsive grooves pulse throughout the album, shadowingDirks' stunningvoice;shealternates between a dusky croon and an expressive, belting delivery.The album nods tovintage soul ("I'm Not Dying," "Crying") sunny R&B ("Bleeding Heart") and soaring balladry("Chasing Every Sunrise").Yet the albumis firmly in the realm of contemporary music:Standout"The Only One"is modern, keyboard-polishedpopthat features Dirks' most powerful vocalperformance on the album.Begonia has exhibited such power since emerging into the Canadian music scene on thestrength of her critically acclaimed 2017 EPLady In Mindand her 2019 debut full-length album,Fear. The latter was nominated for a JUNO Award for Adult Alternative AlbumOf The Year andwas longlisted for The Polaris Music Prize. Songs from the album were also heard in numerousproductions on Netflix & Oprah Winfrey Network, and NPR named Begonia as one of 10 ArtistsYou Need to Know.Fearis a deeply personal album bursting with ruminations on solitude, self-doubt, anxiety, andpanic, all bundled up in that serene feeling that comes with an artist fully embracing their pastand present self.AlthoughPowder Blue's lyrics do mention specific situations—“NYE 2013”describes vivid heartbreak at a memorable party—the album wrestles with life's thorniermoments in more evocative ways.“Crying”espouses embracing defiance in the face of harsh criticism and pigeonholing, while thenarrator of "I'm Not Dying" has finally realized they'll be okay after a breakup. On the flipside is“Married By Elvis,”where a couple embraces unconventionality, and“Chasing Every Sunrise,”which describes a tender and vulnerable (if imperfect) relationship.WithPowder Blue, Dirks is also trying to let goof needingconcretelyricaldefinition.“I still feellike I have to be like,‘Let me explain to you exactly where I was coming from,’even though Idon't always want to do that,”she says.“I don't want to tell people how they shouldfeel orwhat they should think when they listen to the music.”Powder Blueemerged during a challenging time for Dirks,asshe wasnavigatingemotionalupsand downs. "Some of it was written when I'm feeling lower than I ever have in my life," she confesses.
 .                                  “And then some of it was written through all these different waves of taking care ofmyself—and thennottaking care of myself.”Despite the turmoil from which it emerged,Powder Bluerepresents Dirks feeling settled bycoming to terms with her past and present.“The last record I wrote felt a bit more frantic,”shesays.“And it's so interesting that this was all written during the time of pandemic, amidst asense of loss and longing,but it doesn't feel as frantic to me. Even the namePowder Blue, itfeels like a bit calmer even though there are still moments of release. There is a sense of calm inthe unkn