Alexis P. Suter is the youngest daughter of Carrie and Albert Suter, and was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.[4] She began singing in church at the age of four, and met the Mills Brothers and saw them perform in concert five years later.[4] Her interest in music developed at school where she learned to play the sousaphone, and expanded her knowledge of gospel music when attending different churches in her neighborhood.[4] She was also influenced by the work of Ruth Brown, whom she heard on her family's radio.