LEXA GATES ANNOUNCES SOPHOMORE ALBUM I AM AND SHARES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO “ESTRANGED”
24-year-old rapper, singer, and producer Lexa Gates announces her sophomore album I Am, arriving January 16th. Alongside the announcement, she shares her new single and video, “Estranged”. The release follows the end of her North American headline tour and coincides with a special performance at Art Basel today, December 5th, at Reserved in Miami. Pre-order I Am HERE.
“Estranged” is a moody, introspective anthem about love fading in the glow of ambition. Lexa’s lyrics are raw and painfully honest, layered over hypnotic production that balances strength and sorrow. The track paints a vivid portrait of distance, memory, and the cost of emotional survival, with Lexa fearlessly embracing vulnerability throughout.
“Estranged” marks Lexa’s latest release in a steady run of 2025 singles, following “Nothing to Worry About” and “Past It.” On “Nothing to Worry About,” Lexa reflects on the duality of her fast-moving life balancing success, solitude, and the relentless push to keep moving forward. She also shared the Emilie Haynie–produced (Lana Del Rey, Kid Cudi, FKA Twigs), track “Past It”, a dreamy, groove-laced record that Billboard highlighted in its “R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week,” calling her “one of the refreshing faces of rap’s next generation.” Leaning into a playful lo-fi bounce, the track unpacks the disconnect between success and satisfaction as Lexa confronts burnout, pressure, and the speed at which life moves.
Lexa recently wrapped her 16-date North American I Am tour with a sold-out finale at the iconic Webster Hall in her hometown of New York City. The tour kicked off in October in Chicago and hit 16 cities across the U.S. This marks her second headline tour, building on her debut festival run this summer, which included standout performances at Capitol Hill Block Party (Seattle), Jazz Café Festival (UK), and Outside Lands (San Francisco). Her Jazz Café Festival set drew praise from CLASH, calling her “prolific… effortlessly gliding between tracks punctuated by her dry humour, she had London in the palm of her hand.” Earlier this summer, Lexa also surprised fans with a free pop-up show in Manhattan, drawing over 300 attendees.
This summer, Lexa released “Latency”, produced by Grammy Award-winning Jasper Harris (Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X) and Aaron Shadrow (Doja Cat, Yeat). Built around hypnotic piano lines and a sample of Hamilton Bohannon’s “Tell Me You’ll Wait,” the track showcases Lexa’s signature balance of vulnerability and self-assuredness. Since its release, “Latency” has amassed nearly 1 million streams globally and earned support from Billboard, Rolling Stone, VIBE, Pigeons & Planes, and more.
Building on her momentum, this year Lexa also starred in a KITH campaign alongside Fabolous and Jadakiss, wrapped her first sold-out headline tour, earned Billboard’s “Rookie of the Month” title, and performed a standout cover of Amy Winehouse’s “I Heard Love Is Blind” for Apple Music. With co-signs from SZA, Aminé, and Isaiah Rashad, and “Artist to Watch” praise from People, Billboard, and Hypebeast, Lexa Gates is establishing herself as a bold, uncompromising talent.
Last year, she released her critically acclaimed label debut album Elite Vessel, a 12-track project exploring self-discovery, resilience, and ambition. The album features collaborations with Alé Araya, Zelooperz, and Billy Lemos, and debuted on the Billboard Heatseekers and Current R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Elite Vessel earned support from Rolling Stone (“Artist You Need To Know”), Complex (“one of the best under-the-radar rap albums of 2024”), Billboard, among others. A standout moment was Lexa’s 10-hour art installation in New York City inside a transparent box, exploring her connection to her music and fans—an event that has since amassed over 300 million views across platforms. Introspective, magnetic, and bold, Lexa Gates is in a lane entirely her own.
ABOUT LEXA GATES: Lexa Gates, the Colombian-Puerto Rican artist from Queens, has carved out a singular lane with her intoxicating blend of R&B and rap. After leaving school at 15 and teaching herself to record at home, she has since built a full-fledged career and quickly gained recognition for her distinct sound. Her 2024 debut album Elite Vessel charted on Billboard, featured collaborations with Zelooperz and Billy Lemos, and earned praise from Rolling Stone (“Artist You Need to Know”) and Complex (“one of the best under-the-radar rap albums of 2024”).
That same year, Gates staged a 10-hour performance art installation in New York City that went viral with over 300 million views, sold out her first headline tour, and debuted at festivals including Outside Lands, Capitol Hill Block Party, and London’s Jazz Café Festival. She’s since become a KITH campaign star, delivered a standout Amy Winehouse cover for Apple Music, and earned “Artist to Watch” nods from Billboard, People, and Hypebeast, alongside co-signs from SZA, Aminé, and Isaiah Rashad.
With her sophomore album I Am, Gates channels the raw emotional intensity of Fiona Apple, Amy Winehouse, and Lana Del Rey, pairing slick-talking candor with siren-like vocals that wrestle with love, obsession, and desire. As Billboard put it, she’s “one of the can’t-miss emerging artists coming out of NYC.”
KEEP UP WITH LEXA GATES: