Some artists make music—Alexis Cunningham makes metamorphosis audible. On May 20th, the West Virginia-born songwriter releases How I Became A Butterfly, a six-track EP that maps the messy, glorious terrain of personal transformation. The title track—a delicate yet defiant folk-pop anthem—sets the tone for what Cunningham calls “the painful, beautiful process of becoming who you’re meant to be.”
This is Cunningham unfiltered. After her 2022 spotlight on NBC’s American Song Contest (where she represented West Virginia alongside heavyweights like Jewel and Macy Gray), the artist retreated to craft something more intimate. “I was pulled between heartbreak and hope,” she confesses. The result? A record that burns with quiet intensity, channeling the storytelling of Sheryl Crow and the atmospheric warmth of Fleetwood Mac. “I followed the feeling. I followed the questions,” she says of the creative process.
Produced by Danny Black (Good Old War) and mixed/mastered by Ron Dislivestro (with assistant Kyle Petras), the EP trades studio gloss for organic textures—acoustic guitars that breathe, vocals that crack with vulnerability, arrangements that “bloomed exactly as they were meant to.” Standout track “Wildfire” captures the EP’s essence: smoldering verses that erupt into liberating choruses, mirroring Cunningham’s own journey from self-doubt to self-discovery.
“This project was built on collaboration,” Cunningham emphasizes, crediting her team for helping shape its lush, timeless sound. Lyrically, the EP oscillates between raw confession and hard-won clarity—like pages torn from a diary set to melody. “It’s about the moments you feel stuck, and then the moment you realize you’ve always had the wings to fly,” she reflects.
With music videos incoming and tour plans brewing, Cunningham’s wings are fully unfurled. For listeners facing their own transformations, her message is clear:
The cocoon was just the beginning—her flight starts now.
Stream How I Became A Butterfly May 20th, and witness the evolution.