# Alex the Astronaut

Alexandra Frances Lynn (born 3 March 1995), known professionally as Alex the Astronaut, is an Australian folk-pop singer-songwriter.
Her debut album The Theory of Absolutely Nothing was released on 21 August 2020, and peaked at number 22 on the ARIA Album's Chart. Her second studio album How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater was released on 22 July 2022.
Lynn has her own record label, Minkowski Records, which was named after the Minkowski diagram.

## Early life

Lynn graduated from Pymble Ladies' College in Sydney before studying maths and physics at Long Island University, New York, including a thesis on sonoluminescence, where she played soccer for the LIU Post Pioneers as a forward.

## Career
### 2017–2018: To Whom It May Concern and See You Soon

Lynn released her debut EP To Whom It May Concern as Alex the Astronaut in 2017. The EP features the single "Already Home", which was described by HuffPost Australia as "a melancholy number about a bus ride and ruminations on the mundanities of life".
Lynn's second EP See You Soon featured the single "Not Worth Hiding", and was nominated for a J Award for Unearthed Artist of the Year in 2017.
"Not Worth Hiding" ranked at number 23 on Triple J Hottest 100 and it described as an unofficial anthem for the "Yes" campaign in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.
Lynn performed at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, UK, and at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. Alex the Astronaut commenced their first national Australian headline tour in November 2018.

### 2019–2020: The Theory of Absolutely Nothing

Lynn released the single "I Like To Dance" on 8 August 2019. which Brooklyn Vegan described as "tuneful folk-pop to tell a haunting story".
In January 2020, Alex the Astronaut released the single "I Think You're Great" and "Split the Sky" in April. The track references the film franchise, Harry Potter, in the opening line where Lynn sings "I've been colder, watching Harry Potter looking older". Alex The Astronaut tweeted the inspiration upon release, and James and Oliver Phelps, who played the Weasley twins, both retweeted the post.
In May 2020, Lynn announced her album The Theory of Absolutely Nothing, scheduled for release on 21 August 2020, and released a subsequent single titled "Lost".
The Theory of Absolutely Nothing was released on 21 August 2020, with Lynn releasing the single "Caught in the Middle" on the same day. The accompanying music video for the single features an appearance from Lindy Morrison of the Go-Betweens, and shows the two playing tennis and drumming competitively. The Line of Best Fit described her debut album as "a record packed full of vibrant, witty, insightful and heart-rending storytelling, all hooked around rich and tender folk-pop melodies". NME Australia praised the album as a "dynamic, ambitious debut" and gave it a five-star review.

### 2021–present: How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater

On 19 November 2021, Lynn released "Growing Up" which according to triple j, is her "favourite, most honest song" she has written. Its sequel "Airport" was released in January 2022. On 3 March 2022, Lynn released "Octopus" and announced the release of her second studio album, How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater.

## Personal life

Lynn identifies herself as gay. She has been quoted as saying she is "not at a definitive spot" in her gender identity journey. Lynn uses she/they pronouns. Lynn was diagnosed with autism in May 2021.

## Musical style and influences

Lynn's music has been described as folk pop and folktronica, and has drawn comparisons to Australian musician Paul Kelly.

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with release date, label, and selected chart positions shown :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | AUS |
| The Theory of Absolutely Nothing | Released: 21 August 2020 Label: ADA, Nettwerk Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 22 |
| How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater | Released: 22 July 2022 Label: Warner Music Australia Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 47 |

### Live albums

List of live albums released with label and release date shown :
| Title | Details |
| The Space Tour Live (At Your Place) | Released: 26 April 2019 Label: Minkowski Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Extended plays

List of EPs, with label and release date shown :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | AUS |
| To Whom It May Concern | Released: 31 March 2017 Label: Minkowski Records Formats: LP, digital download, streaming | — |
| See You Soon | Released: 6 October 2017 Label: Minkowski Formats: LP, digital download, streaming | — |
| Rage & All Its Friends | Released: 22 November 2024 Label: Minkowski Formats: digital download, streaming | 19 |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

List of singles, with year released and album details shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Already Home" | 2016 | To Whom It May Concern |
| "Rockstar City" | 2017 | To Whom It May Concern |
| "Not Worth Hiding" | 2017 | See You Soon |
| "Waste of Time" | 2018 | Non-album single |
| "Happy Song" (original or Shed mix) | 2018 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "I Like to Dance" | 2019 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "I Think You're Great" | 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "Split the Sky" | 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "Lost" | 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "Banksia" | 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "Christmas in July" | 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "Caught in the Middle" | 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing |
| "Growing Up" | 2021 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater |
| "Airport" | 2022 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater |
| "Octopus" | 2022 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater |
| "Haircut" | 2022 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater |
| "Ride My Bike" | 2022 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater |
| "South London" | 2022 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater |
| "Cold Pizza" | 2024 | Rage & All Its Friends |
| "If You Have to Go" | 2024 | Rage & All Its Friends |
| "Road Rage" | 2024 | Rage & All Its Friends |

#### As featured artist

List of singles, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Dickheads" (Tuka featuring Alex the Astronaut) | 2020 | Non-album single |
Notes
* 1 2 To Whom It May Concern and See You Soon received a physical release as Notes from an Astronaut.

## Awards and nominations
### AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (known colloquially as the AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's independent music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2018 | See You Soon | Best Independent Album | Nominated | |

### ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. Alex the Astronaut has received one nomination.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2020 | The Theory of Absolutely Nothing | Breakthrough Artist – Release | Nominated |
| 2022 | How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater | Best Adult Contemporary Album | Nominated |
| 2022 | Giulia Giannini McGauran for Alex the Astronaut How to Grow a Sunflower Underwater | Best Cover Art | Nominated |

### J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2017 | Herself | Unearthed Artist of the Year | Won | |

### National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2018 | Herself | Best New Act | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Herself | People's Choice – Best Live Voice of the Year | Nominated | |