Lexa Gates - I Am: a tale of endurance and unraveling of the modern artist

Jan 21, 2026 By Vindhya Burugupalli

A slicked back bun, 

matte brown lips,

baggy jeans paired with kitten heels;

Lexa Gates’ sophomore album feels like the sonic representation of a woman possessing an understated coolness. Bare yet mysterious, polished but still true to her bedroom rap roots, the 18-track album with zero features immerses the listener in her internal monologue. 

An acronym of her legal name, Ivanna Alexandra Martinez, "I Am," is a deeply personal body of work diving into the misadventures of her love life and artistic journey. The 24-year old Queens-born singer-rapper showcased a performance installation, ‘The Wheel’ at Jefrey Deitch in Soho, counting down to the album release on January 16. By walking on a custom built mechanical wheel from 2 pm to 12 am, Gates comments on the persistence and repetition that goes into being an artist. Fans sat down in the gallery space to witness the installation as they listened to the album being played on Ferguson Hill Jetstream loudspeakers.

"The Wheel" at Jefrey Deitch Gallery, NYC

The opening track “It Goes On” sets the cinematic tone of the album with an ambient rain backdrop and smooth jazz straight out of a sexy 90s flick. Physical texture and vinyl grain juxtaposed with smooth flows dominate the production of the album. “Surround sound, crew surround me, crucify me, where would I be?” she raps in “Past It,” hinting at the disillusionment and chaos that comes with achieving your dream. 

Gates’ lyricism akin to midnight musings in the notes app (we all know the notes app sees the realest versions of ourselves— duh! ) paired with Emile Haynie’s production creates melancholic R&B-rap magic. Which comes as no surprise considering his past works with Lana Del Rey, the queen of sad girl music and hip-hop icons like Kanye West and Kid Cudi. 

Throughout the album, Gates grapples with themes of  desire and obsession particularly evident in “Estranged” “You’re Better Off”  and “Latency.”  While a lot of artists sing about love, longing and loss, her deadpan delivery and conversational tone adds a layer of humorous diaristic intimacy to the piece. More than once I found myself smiling even as she raps about heartbreak and gentrification. “Brooklyn is full of cornballs… paid 20$ for a flat-white” she sings in “From” - one of my favorite tracks. 

Drawing from soulful and gritty samples of the 90s as well as the lo-fi 2010s tumblr-esque production, Gates creates an album that is still anchored in the present. Each decade's sound is defined by certain breakout artists—the 90s by Fiona Apple and the 2000s by Amy Winehouse—but the 2020s belong to Lexa Gates.“I Am” is a time capsule of the now and will be an era defining album of the mid-2020s. 

Details:

Record Label: Good Talk, Capitol Records Release Date: January 16, 2026 YN faves: Serious, You Don’t Give a Fuck About Me, Stop Me