Alex Vaughn’s evocative R&B songs are written with richness, honesty, and a desire to always keep evolving. An unquenchable thirst for growth is what’s powered the Maryland singer/songwriter as she’s released songs like her February single “Mirage,” a hypnotizing reflection on a toxic situationship, her first release since signing with LVRN/Interscope in 2021. Since then, she’s continued to push herself. Her new project, The Hurtbook, seamlessly juxtaposes her classically trained musicianship with the raw expression she’s developed as she digs deep. Vaughn’s trajectory was always going to include music. As a toddler, she’d often sprint from the bathtub to her grandmother’s piano and around age five or six, her parents enrolled her in classical and jazz piano lessons. Still, her heart was set on R&B. In 2017, Vaughn began posting covers to Instagram and Twitter, which led to performances at notable venues such as The Kennedy Center and The Fillmore, and opening on national tours for K. Michelle and Eric Bellinger. During the pandemic, Vaughn joined LVRN’s Instagram Live talent show. She caught the label’s attention, and the following year, they formalized their belief in her. Now, with The Hurtbook, she’s using her platform to show her fans how far self-belief can go. “My fans will always know that I am a human being, so I’m scared just like you are,” she says. “I’m nervous like you are. I’m excited. I feel what you feel. I’m doing the best that I can with what I got.”