Mary Ann Alexander's “Better Than This” leans into soft yearning through rose-tinted R&B

“Better Than This” was written on Alexander’s first day in London, her first time truly far from home. The distance sparked reflection, and what emerged was a rose-tinted view of yearning. Alexander was raised in Kerala, India, surrounded by creativity. Her father, a singer, immersed her in music at a young age, yet pursuing it felt uncertain. “It’s a very common thing in India for people not to trust an artistic career,” she explains. “They just don’t have experience of what it could look like. I grew up watching people follow their dreams on YouTube, and there was somehow that glimmer of hope inside of me”.

Moving to Bangalore shifted everything for Alexander, studying visual arts opened up her orbit, and she found her tribe. She describes this change in perspective: “Creativity is rarely a lifestyle you choose, but after I came to Bangalore, I met photographers, tattoo artists, and filmmakers. The choice for me opened up.” As her ambition grew, she bridged the pursuit with stability. She taught singing lessons, a turning point where she met her now manager. “This felt like the start of my journey as a musician, that we’re taking this seriously now”.

A viral moment soon accelerated that journey. After posting an original dreamy R&B snippet declaring “we don’t make cute, lovey-dovey music anymore,” this quickly racked up 625K views. A comment from SZA followed, and soon after, Alexander caught the attention of Craig David. “Everything felt like it was changing, like a pivot point, or something grand happening for me”.

Now, after the releases of singles “Student of Love” and “Love or a Lesson”, she returns with “Better Than This”, a joyful, shiny song made in collaboration with Linden Jay (Doja Cat, Stormzy, Erik the Architect). This session marked another first: “I had never written in a room with anyone else present. I’m used to beats getting sent to me, and I would do it in my own space.” Jay created space for Alexander to feel emotionally exposed, to express herself for the first time in a raw way. “The chemistry was real from day one.”

“Better Than This” leans into restraint. The minimal, warm instrumentation leaves space for Alexander’s vocals to sway around the simplicity. Her shimmery tone feels weightless against the beat. It’s conversational, warm and deliberately stripped back: “With this song, I thought I held back a little too much. But everyone told me that simplicity is the beauty of the song, to let the words breathe”.

Lyrically, the track explores yearning, the perils but also the highs. A reaction to feeling homesick, but also a reflection on the exciting first moments of young love. “I’m really leaning into yearning and soft love, especially in a culture that’s so toxic. I believe we don’t love like we used to, dating culture is toxic”. “Better Than This” captures that early-stage rush, when someone has a crush on you, and you carry that quiet knowing through the world, “everything feels sparkly,” says Alexander.

Influenced by 90s and 00s R&B, from Brandy to Michael Jackson, Alexander is finding power in reclaiming the big, deep feelings back to R&B, but in her own way. “Whenever I listen to that music, I’ve noticed that people weren’t afraid to express their feelings, you know, cry in the rain or sing from downstairs to their lover on the balcony.”

“Better Than This” offers a glimpse into Mary Ann Alexander’s upcoming EP Love Or A Lesson, due 20 March. The project promises that light, lovey-dovey R&B shaped by her authentic self and her big feelings. Nostalgic, soft, but a fresh flavour for contemporary R&B. With more Linden Jay collaborations on the way, and international shows on the horizon, “Better Than This” feels like just the start of a promising career ahead.