xs’ debut album “Good Girls Don’t Speak Their Minds”, released on 18th June, is brutally honest and emotionally raw. The album, produced by Hangi Tavakoli, consists of 11 tracks, with each track letting you in on a part of xs’ life, adding them together provides a full picture of who she is. “All of them are very personal and close to my heart because they are inspired by my real experiences,” xs described.
xs is originally from Malaysia and is signed to Flipside Productions, based in Singapore. She is praised for her catchy hooks and narrative lyricism that takes inspiration from her personal stories. xs also uses her platform to advocate for female empowerment and celebrating who you are.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with xs about the latest music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was born in Malaysia and am currently living in Singapore. I make Pop music but I am also heavily influenced by many genres such as Jazz, R&B, Hip-hop, Latin, Country and Electronic.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I was exposed to music and began performing since young. By the age of 21, I started posting covers and mashups of international pop songs and musicals. I also made parody covers where I changed the lyrics to and share current trending topics through humor. The videos have amassed more than 1.6 million views across the internet.
Eventually in 2020, I decided to pursue my music career professionally. I set a goal to write at least 2 songs a week for an entire year. Later that year, I was lucky to meet up with renowned producer Hangi Tavakoli and began working closely with him to produce my songs.
What keeps me going is being able to express my thoughts and feelings through music. All my songs are very personal and close to my heart as they are inspired by real experiences. Therefore, it is always so motivating when people tell me how they find the hook catchy and being able to relate to the lyrics.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
“Good Girls Don’t Speak Their Minds” is my debut album and it consists of my previously released singles “One Last Time”, “Different Woman” and “Night Shift”.
The album is my way of making a bold statement to challenge the societal expectations of what a “good girl” should be and inspire female listeners to “speak their minds”. Therefore, I was being brutally honest and emotionally raw in my songs, be it declaring my feelings, expressing my sexuality, revealing vulnerabilities, and clapping back against misogynistic critics.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
It is harder to capture listeners’ attentions in this over saturated, digital music age as there are so many options for them. Therefore, I believe it’s important for me as an indie musician to find out what’s the unique thing that can potentially make me stand out and understanding my target audience.
Technology has helped me tremendously. I’m able to learn from so many other great musicians and share my music with people from all around the world that wouldn’t have been possible without the internet.
What was the last song you listened to?
Save Your Tears by The Weeknd.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I prefer MP3 these days as it is more convenient but physical copies such as CDs and Vinyl will always feel special and somewhat precious to me because of the nostalgia they bring. I remember listening to them at home and in the car growing up and those were times when my passion for music developed.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
All the platforms are great on their own ways. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my songs have attracted listeners with different demographics on each platform. Therefore, I find it helpful to be on varied platforms to reach out to a wider audience.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok @theofficialxs. Hit me up and we can chat about music and everything else!
My album is available on all major streaming platforms: https://smarturl.it/xs-gg
Anything else before we sign off?
My next single is coming on 24 July so stay tuned!
Most importantly, thank you Indie Music Discovery for having me!
