Lexi Onyango releases new single ‘Metropolis’

GREENWOOD DIST. – Tulsa-native singer-songwriter Lexi Onyango released her new single ‘Metropolis’ on all streaming platforms on August 13th. The song follows her previous 2024 single ‘Wishing We Were Older’ and is the first release from Onyango’s sessions at Tulsa’s iconic The Church Studio.

‘Metropolis,’ much like ‘Wishing We Were Older,’ finds Onyango entering new stylistic territory as a singer and songwriter, taking full advantage of the repertoire of tools available at The Church Studio and incorporating lush grand piano (Logan Bruhn), twangy electric guitar with slide (Tyler Sexton), warm live drums (Jhakobi Harvey), groovy bass (Josh Fudge) and majestic violin and cello (Olivia McGraw, Matt Magerkuirth) into her sound. The song was mixed and mastered by Bruhn.  

Onyango said in July that she was “stepping into a new evolution of myself as an artist” and “writing songs that are more nuanced and emphasize the lyrics and songwriting.” This is certainly true of ‘Metropolis,’ which Onyango called “the closest I’ve come to writing a country song” and said the lyrics were meant to invoke the melancholy of growing up and spending less time around family. 

“I wrote ‘Metropolis’ about moving away from my mom and my grandma, and that really specific type of sadness that comes from not being close to family anymore,” Onyango said. “One day, it hit me out of nowhere. I was more used to being away from them than being around them, so I really tried to pack a lot of my memories of them into this song.”

For ‘Metropolis’, Onyango not only stepped out of her genre and style comfort zone but she also stepped into a new studio with her longtime producer Bruhn and other collaborators. Onyango said working in the historic recording studio where countless music industry legends have worked was a dream come true. 

“Recording ‘Metropolis’ at The Church Studio made the song even more special to me. Everything about being in there reminded me exactly of what I always thought a recording studio would look and feel like when I was a kid dreaming of being an artist,” Onyango said. “It really felt like a full circle moment for me, and everything from the staff and engineers to the incredible microphone I used to record my vocals was totally perfect. I’m excited for people to hear this and the other songs I recorded there, and I can’t wait to go back again.”

Onyango’s next live performance is scheduled for August 23 at Riverside Studio for Saynt Ego’s “Limited Time” album release show with The Links. Onyango appears on and co-wrote the single “Dead Man Walking” with Saynt Ego. Tickets can be purchased online here. 
Onyango’s star has been on the rise in the Oklahoma music scene since she released her debut EP ‘NOW’ in early 2022 and her song ‘One Kiss’ was featured on the Spotify Fresh Find:  Indie playlist. In 2023 she released her EP ‘Limerence’ and was listed by Tulsa World as one of 18 artists to see live, and has been featured in Tulsa People, and Black Wall Street Times. Most recently she performed on the main stage at Tulsa’s Mayfest 2024.