Xenia (she/her) is in her prime. At the height of visibility, she has chosen to let down her defences and open up about her yearning for lasting love, a facet that has not featured greatly in prior releases, which have alternatively centred heartbreak and focused on the undoing of love.
The Kenyan R&B heartthrob, currently residing in Los Angeles, USA, elucidates that despite writing the impassioned track four and a half years ago as an entry for the emPawa Africa artist development programme; the essence of the song bears even greater significance in her current reality as a result of the increased fame that has accompanied her career.
Xenia’s lustrous vocals entice and soothe the listener. However, once paired with her poignant lyrics, they serve as a sharp blade, piercing and breaking our hearts over and over again as she carries us through her journey of learning to relinquish the distrust and fear that has deeply haunted her experiences with love.
Woefully, Xenia has had to learn to differentiate between permanent and ephemeral situations, often keeping her heart guarded to protect herself from disappointment and heartache. She speaks of the intimate connection she has with her ancestors who have taught her to be increasingly vigilant of the company she keeps, likening them to a beacon in a world that is overwhelmed by obfuscation.
This enlightenment has bled into her personal philosophies, as she goes on to describe this era as “the year of say less” choosing not to reveal her every move but instead to allow the work to speak for itself, something that she has flawlessly achieved with prior and current projects that have subsequently made her one of the most covetable R&B acts in the industry.
Xenia recounts her greatest achievements this year, identifying being the opening act for Sauti Sol’s Madaraka Festival in Los Angeles as one of her proudest moments. Having collaborated with the Kenyan Afropop band on their smash hit Rhumba Japani and featured on several of their personal projects, it was fated that Xenia was destined to share a stage with them, however, the capacity in which she was able to achieve this, surprised even the artist herself.
With the myriad of accomplishments Xenia has fulfilled at such a young age, it comes as no surprise that the brilliant artist is brimming with wisdom, a detail she attributes to her thirst for knowledge and varied experiences. During her free time, she makes an effort to get away from the hubbub of life and does so by intentionally burying herself in a new book as often as she can—a hobby she has since reignited post-high school.
Currently, Xenia indulges in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People (1966), and when away from the literary world, she spends her time writing music, colouring and has even dabbled in post-production activities such as being actively involved in editing her sultry music video Love Me or Leave Me from her highly acclaimed EP—Maybe.
Despite writing a song on the depleting nature of temporary love, Xenia acknowledges the vast amount of support she has received from her family, friends and even followers who have proven a well of sustenance in times where she has lacked. She often revisits her Instagram archives and is overwhelmed by the consistent encouragement and love she has accrued over the years, getting emotional as she recalls the moments when she was unsure of herself and relied on the validation of others to keep her head above the water.
Propitiously, the 26-year-old singer is now in a place where she can actively observe her manifestations coming to life—trusting in the universe’s acumen as she has bore witness to several moments in her life that have underlined the fact that “everything circles back” and things do eventually fall into place.
One such example is in writing her lead single Maybe on the 23rd of September 2021, which she proceeded to release exactly one year later. Equally, facets such as dancing and choreography which she grew up innocently enjoying have now become a crucial part of her artistry. Minor moments such as these are easy to overlook. However, they serve as confirmation that she is indeed on the right path and is making all the necessary decisions to place her in spaces that she has only dreamed of.
Xenia’s connection to music is nothing short of sacred; she humorously recalls having a conversation with her producer Christian Mombrú whom she affirms has “been creating the future since [he] started creating music”, an adage that serves to remind us that art is spiritual and timeless and therefore it is the sole responsibility of the audience to catch up to the artist – whose work is operating in a timeframe that is aeons ahead of the culture.
The soulful singer describes her excitement for her highly anticipated album entitled Love/Hate Pt. 1 delves into the contradictory nature of relationships, claiming that her being a Libra makes it so that she is always “in the middle” and therefore unable to view things in a biased way. Consequently, everything exists in the in-between—a motif that she has successfully built her brand.
Xenia is particularly enthusiastic to revisit prior songs such as Lowkey and Niambie, which will feature in her upcoming project, asserting that despite their existence hitherto, they will likely take on new meaning for herself and for her audience—allowing for a new cycle of intimacy and connection, an aspect that Xenia cherishes and flourishes in.
