Minnesota’s very own Alexis Roland has sharpened her skills on the Midwest’s tow ropes, rails, and jibs, and her deep bag of tricks on a snowboard proves it. On a path of progression like no other, Alexis’ focus is to teeter between fear while challenging herself. Get to know more about her train of thought for staying motivated, how music plays a role in snowboarding, and stream a curated 15-track playlist from Alexis in her latest On Rotation interview.
To kick things off, what is your favorite type of music?
I’ve been into a lot of pop recently, but I do like listening to hip hop, and then I go through phases where I listen to a lot of rock music. I’m just not a huge fan of country, but I’ll dabble in mostly everything else.
Can you name off some of the artists you’ve been listening to as of late?
I’ve been listening to more current-day artists. One of my favorite artists growing up was Beastie Boys. Absolutely adored them. I was super bummed as a kid when I found out one of them had passed away. I wanted to see them in concert so bad. I also listen to Grandson, who I saw pre-pandemic in like 2019 or 2018. He’s more alternative, but a lot of the stuff I listen to doesn’t necessarily fall into one category. Another person I’m a really big fan of is Yungblud. They’re British, and their stuff is definitely like rock, but it doesn’t fit strictly in that category.
Who would you say has influenced your choice of music the most?
My dad definitely influenced my music taste growing up, but a lot of it was me listening to one artist and then flowing into the next. You know, the Spotify rabbit hole that you go down.
How big of a role does music play throughout your day?
It really depends. It goes in phases. I try to use music for different purposes, so right now, when I’m studying I have peaceful piano music on in the background, but I’ve been trying to find some more time to sit in silence. Which is good and bad it kind of drives me crazy, but it’s good for your mind overall. I definitely use music for inspiration to get up and do shit. If I need to go cook or meal prep or go work out, I definitely put on music to hype myself up to go do it. Otherwise, it’s just drag.
What is your go-to music to get up and get it going?
I have a couple different choices. One person I’m super into right now is Lil Nas X, a lot of people can’t stand him, but I think he’s absolutely brilliant. I’ve been playing his new album on repeat. I made this playlist a couple of years ago called Let’s Get This and it has a bunch of songs that get me hyped to get up and out of bed.
How about when out snowboarding? Do you listen to music while riding?
I typically like riding with music unless I lose my earbuds which happens pretty frequently. I like listening to music it helps me get into the groove. But yeah, if I lose my earbuds, then it’s game over, and I got to figure out how to get into the flow without them.
What type of music are you listening to while you ride?
You know, it really just depends on what I’m listening to that year. It changes every year. I’ll get into like one artist pretty heavy and then go on to the next. I have a handful of artists right now that I’ve been rotating through.
Who are the artists on your rotation that will make it onto your winter playlist this season?
Let’s see, I know that I’m probably going to be into Megan Thee Stallion. She’s pretty sick. Julia Wolf is pretty good. I’ve been into her and Doja Cat. I think I’m going to do a lot of like fem power stuff. I definitely am trying to get into a more confident state for myself. Listening to these badass bitches who are feeling themselves and getting super into it is definitely what I’m going to need to inspire me this season.
Are you usually listening to music while you compete?
I typically do start out with music, and then at some point, I’m like, nope, and I take it out and completely focus. But for when I’m waiting up at the top, like waiting to drop, I listen to music then. I’ll be up there dancing, and it’s just a good way to get the nerves out.
Do you unplug when you’re out in the streets?
Yeah, this last year, I went pretty much the entire season without music while in the streets. I did it at first because my earbuds were irritating, and it wasn’t working. Then I hate when there’s a song that pops on that isn’t the vibe and then have to spend time flipping through songs and then be like ‘Sorry filmer!’ like you feel like an a**hole. Also, it was kind of a personal challenge because music can be a crutch too. It helps you not think about the thing you’re going to do, so I wanted to see if I can be as scared as possible, no crutch, and still do it, and last season turned out pretty well with that, so I think I might do it again this year.
Talking about filming, what song would you pick if you could pick anything all rights free?
I would say there is one, and if I were to do this one, it would have to go so hard. It’s Be11a Ciao by Hopsin, and I listened to that over the spring, and it goes so hard I love that song so much. I thought about trying to use it for an Instagram edit, but the tricks that I would need to make it feel like it fits that song would have to be insane, and I just was not up for it this year, so maybe in the future.
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