Aspiring Country Singer Sees Streaming Spikes Tied to FBI Director’s Public Controversies
New data shows that country singer Alexis Wilkins has experienced significant increases in music streams each time her boyfriend, FBI Director Kash Patel, becomes the focus of a national news cycle.
According to analytics reviewed by Rolling Stone from Luminate, Wilkins’ catalog saw a 48% year-over-year jump, rising from roughly 343,000 to 508,000 total streams across platforms. While the Nashville-based artist has spent more than a decade building a modest following through local performances and independent releases, the sharp surges track closely to Patel’s escalating public profile and political visibility.
Wilkins, 27, met Patel in Nashville three years ago. Since then, she has spoken openly about admiring his “integrity” and their shared political values. Patel, now 45, has likewise praised his partner as a “true patriot,” and has publicly supported her career. But his position as one of the country’s highest-ranking law-enforcement officials and the unusual steps taken to protect Wilkins, have increasingly placed both of them under scrutiny.
Wilkins first drew broader attention in February, when she appeared beside Patel during his swearing-in ceremony. That week, her music jumped from a typical 6,300 weekly streams to 105,300, a spike far outside her normal range.
Her numbers spiked again in July, after Patel faced criticism for a DOJ–FBI memo stating there was no evidence of a supposed “client list” in the Epstein files. Almost immediately, online conspiracy theorists began targeting both Patel and Wilkins, with several accounts pushing baseless claims that she was a foreign intelligence “honeypot.” Wilkins called the accusations “insanely ridiculous” and filed multiple defamation suits.
At the height of the backlash, Wilkins’ streams climbed to 43,600 weekly plays, nearly seven times her baseline.
After studying business and political science at Belmont University, Wilkins began moving into conservative media and grassroots political circles. She contributed to PragerU, spoke at Turning Point USA events, opened for Lee Greenwood, and increasingly shifted from releasing music to producing political content.
She currently serves as a spokesperson for the organization American Border Story, which frames itself as an investigative project centered on immigration.
Patel has cited alleged threats against Wilkins as justification for assigning her a special FBI security detail, an unprecedented move for a non-spouse of a government official. Multiple reports later described altercations inside the Bureau over agents leaving one of her events early after determining the venue was secure.
In November, Patel again drew criticism when records showed he used a $60 million taxpayer-funded jet for what officials described as a “date night”: a trip to watch Wilkins sing the National Anthem at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania before flying her to Nashville. Patel had previously condemned similar expenditures by his predecessor.
