Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Culture

    Alexa Goddard: Meet Jay Z's Newest ROC Nation Recruit

    With over 44 million hits on YouTube and a contract with Jay Z's ROC Nation label to add to her résumé, we find out everything you'd need to know about Brit-born singer Alexa Goddard.

    By Marie Claire
    Published 4 July 2014 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Alexa Goddard
    Alexa Goddard
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    With over 44 million hits on YouTube and a contract with Jay Z's ROC Nation label to add to her résumé, we find out everything you'd need to know about Brit-born singer Alexa Goddard.

    25-year-old Alexa Goddard hails from Camberley in Surrey and is Jay Z's newest protégée. We had a chat with her to get the lowdown on what it's like being the next big thing.

    Here are a few things you need to know about Alexa: Before the glitz and glamour, she did her fair share of 9-5s.

    'I worked as a care worker which I loved and I had a job in a cafe for a little while just to earn some pennies, but really it's been music the whole time, that's always been my main focus.'

    She finds being away from home one of the hardest parts of her job.

    You may like
    • Cara My Life in London Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
    • Alexa Chung khaki shirt and shorts outfit Alexa Chung Just Styled the Most Elegant Colours Together, Along With a Shorts-and-Heels Trend Seen All Over London This Summer
    • Cece Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities

    'Being 18 and away from home was a real shock to the system, but it's done me so good because, though I'm always going to miss home, I've had that experience and it's set me up for what's to come.'

    Alexa3

    Alexa3

    She made sure Jay Z knew who she was…

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    'I was at a party, looked over and thought: no, that's not Jay is it!? It felt far too surreal for me to be at the same party as him. But there he was, sat with Beyoncé. It got to the end of the party and everybody was leaving... Jay went to walk passed and I grabbed him. Well, not grabbed him but got his attention and introduced myself. Even now, it still doesn't feel real.'

    X-Factor crossed her mind, but she chose to get noticed on YouTube instead.

    'The YouTube scene just felt a bit more right for me. I wanted to say that I done it myself. It's a nice, satisfying feeling that my career started from my room with my fluffy headphones and it built up gradually.'

    What to read next
    • Lily Russo-Bah What Lily Loves: The Holiday Sandals I'm Packing, the Cult Label You Need to Know Plus This Week's Most Expensive-Looking H&M Buys
    • Zendaya Vintage T-shirt This Trending T-Shirt Style Comes Approved by Zendaya and Alexa Chung—And It's So Easy to Throw On With Anything
    • Arsenal player and Lioness Chloe Kelly Chloe Kelly: “I Never Take Playing for My Country for Granted—I Just Want to Give it My All”

    She hasn't let her newfound success go to her head.

    Referring to the massive response she got from her rendition of 'Turn My Swag On' on YouTube, she said: 'I definitely didn't expect for that to happen, it was very exciting. I was well excited when I got 50 views! Even if 40 of them was my mum!'

    Alexa 6

    Alexa 6

    She's not a diva.

    'I was at an awards ceremony after party the other day and I felt like a real pop star, and then I come home and my naughty chihuahuas had peed all over the floor and I'm clearing up after them. So, I have such a normal life outside of the music. I love normal things, love spending time with my family and friends. It's keeping that balance that keeps me grounded.'

    Her first single 'Marilyn' is about making a statement.

    'When I first heard it I fell in love with it, and I love the message that it gives. For me it's all about wanting to stand out from the crowd and not being afraid to embrace who you are. It's a great statement to make. For people who don't know me as an artist, it's a good way of them getting to me know me.'

    Alexa Goddard

    Alexa Goddard

    She can't live without a pair of 'kicks'. 'I cannot live without trainers. There's nothing nicer than popping on a nice comfy pair of kicks, especially if I've been wearing high heels all day.'

    Her style is ' a bit crazy'.

    'I'm a bit obsessed with 90s hip-hop culture and absolutely adore Aaliyah's style with the baggy denim and the cropped tops. She was always so cool and effortless. I love Rihanna's style. I love how one day she can be tomboy, the next day she can be a glamour queen, then the next day she can be naked and she kills it every time!'

    Alexa1

    Alexa1

    She's a little bit obsessed with concealer.

    'I think I own about 20 different types. It's handy for helping to cover tired eyes - and of course the odd naughty pimple that pops up.'

    Alexa Goddard will be performing at this year's Wireless Festival, 4 - 6 July.

    Watch Alexa's new single 'Marilyn' below, due for August 17.

    Explore More
    Music
    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Cara My Life in London
    Fashion Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
    Alexa Chung khaki shirt and shorts outfit
    Fashion Alexa Chung Just Styled the Most Elegant Colours Together, Along With a Shorts-and-Heels Trend Seen All Over London This Summer
     
     
    Cece Jewellery
    Watches and Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities
    Lily Russo-Bah
    Fashion What Lily Loves: The Holiday Sandals I'm Packing, the Cult Label You Need to Know Plus This Week's Most Expensive-Looking H&M Buys
     
     
    Latest in Culture
    Notting Hill Carnival
    Culture The Agenda: How to Spend Your Finite Free Time Well This Summer
    B _ W - Woman reading book with wine in natural sunlight - TVS
    Culture 9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why
     
     
    Madonna's Confessions II: Madonna performs at TSX Stage in Times Square on June 4, 2026 in New York City.
    Culture Madonna's Confessions II Deserves to Be the Album of the Summer, But the Response Proves We Still Punish Women for Ageing
    Lexi Minetree in Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel
    Culture Legally Blonde's Prequel Elle Captures the Lost Joy of Analogue Adolescence
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Autumn Nail Trends 2026
    Nails From Fawn Print to Milky Matcha—These Are Autumn 2026’s Defining Nail Trends
    Fenty Beauty Pro Filtr Fluid Flex Foundation Review
    Make Up Fenty Beauty Just Replaced Its Most Iconic Foundation—3 Editors Put Its “Flexible” Full Coverage to the Test
     
     
    Charlotte Mensah Afro Hair
    Hair Charlotte Mensah Has Spent 40 Years Changing the Conversation Around Afro Hair—Now, Her Legacy Is Going on Display
    Dangers of sharing photos of children online
    Life I Used to Share Photos of My Daughter Online. Horrifying New AI Data Has Made Me Stop
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.