Dark-pop artist LEXXE is doing something different with her latest single. A euphoric, dark disc track with a supernatural twist, LEXXE’s “X” is an ode to her late father Xavier (X) who passed away 20 years ago. Inspired by a surreal experience she had while performing, LEXXE shared with us that the new single—out as of her father’s birthday, January 29—was a cathartic expression of grief. We caught up with this singer (and dancer!) to get an inside look at the creation of “X.”
“A few years ago I was performing and could absolutely swear I saw my father sitting front row,” LEXXE described the inspiration for “X.” “I love to write about the supernatural and the things we don’t understand, so while I acknowledge that seeing him could’ve been something my mind made up, it doesn’t make it any less poignant,” she said. “The song is composed of different lines about me questioning life and death, talking about real-life events (the show where I thought I saw him, his friends seeing me in random bars and crying because I look like him, the last time I saw him) and it’s really a question of do we ever really die?”
With inspiration like that, we had to find out what it was like for LEXXE to translate that experience into lyrics. “It was definitely cathartic in so many ways to write, and I’m so proud to have translated the emotions I have surrounding my father’s passing into melodies that have such a yearning to them,” LEXXE shared. She shared that translating those emotions started with the line “thought I saw you front row at my show,” and the song followed from there.
Alongside a title that alludes to her father’s name and releasing the track on his birthday, “X” is full of little nods to her father. LEXXE loves Easter eggs, so she shared that the little nods make the song feel more special and vulnerable. “I find it special that someone could discover this song, then continue to dig deeper and see the release date, see the name, and start to dissect the lyrics,” she shared. LEXXE also said that having this many layers in the song is “setting [her] up for an emotionally driven performance that [she] can’t wait to translate onto a stage.” The song covers the last time she saw her dad alive, the time she thought she saw in at her show in 2018, smells that remind her of him, and more, so painting this picture of grief is sure to create a raw performance. “I know others will relate. It feels good.”
LEXXE is a musician, but she’s also a dancer. Classically trained in ballet, she trained at the esteemed Seiskaya Ballet Academy and received her BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. She currently dances with the neo-burlesque troupe COMPANY XIV. LEXXE shared that dance gave her “a leg up when [she] entered the music industry.” “My dancer brain plays a part in the studio in funny ways,” she told us. “I often picture how I would move to a song when I make it. I remember seeing Lady Gaga do choreography to ‘Bad Romance’ as a kid and always knowing I wanted to do just that. Balancing dance and music has been a journey.” LEXXE was actually invited to audition for Lady Gaga’s The Chromatica Ball tour, and while she was cut, she learned that she wants a LEXXE tour, and with it “I need to be making the music, teaching the dance combination…”
“X” is a defining moment for LEXXE, not just because of her relationship with the song but because it showed her that “it is possible for me to create emotional art that makes you want to dance.” She sees herself continuing to release “emotionally driven, low-tempo songs” and pushing the boundaries of emotion and visuals with her work. “I’ve always known that I would want to create a world for people to escape to with my music and my project. For instance, I had people go on a scavenger hunt to find the release date of ‘X,’ and I included clues and photos. A cool thing about my dad is that I vividly remember listening to Edgar Allan Poe with him, and later on in my search for him I discovered ‘The Raven’ was released on his birthday. I used quotes and imagery from ‘The Raven’ to help aid in this release and that scavenger hunt, and multiple people guessed correctly! Great art to me is something you can continue to consume for hours, I can’t wait to have that much out there.”
“X” is streaming now on all platforms.
