Allie X | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Alexandra Ashley Hughes [1] |
Born | [2] [3] Oakville, Ontario, Canada [4] | 31 July 1985
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, producer, actress, model |
Instruments | Vocals, piano |
Labels |
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Website | alliex.com |
Alexandra Ashley Hughes (born 31 July 1985), known by her stage name Allie X, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She began her career as an indie pop artist in Toronto in the mid-2000s, playing with local bands and recording several albums. [10]
After relocating to Los Angeles in 2013, Hughes began working with producers Cirkut and Billboard and achieved success with her 2014 single, "Catch", which peaked at number 55 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. [11] The song rose to prominence after pop singer Katy Perry referred to it as her "spring jam" on social media. [12]
Hughes released her debut extended play in 2015, CollXtion I , followed by her debut studio album CollXtion II in 2017, and Super Sunset in 2018. In 2019, she also released an analog version of Super Sunset. Her second and third studio albums, Cape God and Girl with No Face , were released in 2020 and 2024, respectively.
Alexandra Ashley Hughes was born on 31 July 1985 in the city of Oakville, Ontario. [4] Her father is of British descent. [13] Raised in an upper middle class family, she has described her upbringing as "privileged". [14] She attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, then studied classical piano and voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and graduated from Sheridan College's Musical Theatre Performance program, and also studied musical theatre. [15] During her adolescence, Hughes was diagnosed with an unnamed autoimmune disorder that caused her to be "small and sickly-looking." To deflect attention her appearance gave her, she began using clothes and experimenting with makeup. In college, she began smoking marijuana to cope with the condition. [16]
Hughes first started her career under the stage name Allie Hughes in Toronto around 2006, performing indie pop, indie rock, jazz, and electronic music. [17] After three years of studying at Sheridan, she recorded a 10-track demo album, titled Waiting for the Prize. Hughes described the CD as "a big hit with the music theatre kids", encouraging her to pursue a professional career in music. [18] [19]
In 2008, she took part in CBC Television's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? , the Canadian version based on the series with the same name which aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One in 2006. She performed "My Favourite Things" from The Sound of Music and "It's Oh So Quiet" by Björk [15] but was eliminated from the show after two weeks. That same year, she released her second demo album. [20]
She began recording for her debut studio album in 2009, collaborating with Dave Newfeld of Broken Social Scene, Leon Taheny, and Adam King of Run With Kittens. The album, titled The Hard Way, [21] was initially set for release in fall 2010 [22] but was delayed to 2011 [18] and ultimately scrapped. During this timeframe, she released a 4-track self-titled extended play in 2010, meant to act as a preview of sorts for the then-upcoming project. [21]
Following the cancellation of The Hard Way, Hughes developed her synth-pop and electronic inspired band, ALX, in late 2011. The group released their debut and only single, "I Will Love You More" in March 2012, [23] although a variety of other songs were performed during live shows.[ citation needed ] ALX had their final known performance at the Hillside Festival in July, where they performed seven unreleased original songs and one cover. [24] [ better source needed ]
Her acting credits during this time include Canadian movies and television programmes, including The Boys in the Photograph , King , Being Erica, and Instant Star; her music was featured in Rookie Blue , Saving Hope, andLove Me. [25] [26]
In March 2013, Hughes was one of four musicians to receive the Canadian Film Centre Slaight Music Residency Showcase. [25] [27] In July 2013, Hughes moved to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time career as a songwriter; despite this, she did not stop working on her solo material. [17] She had not been satisfied with her sound and spent time learning about sound design and production. [28] She adopted the stage name Allie X and began working with producers Cirkut and Billboard, whom she had met during her time in Los Angeles. [29] Hughes eventually signed a publishing deal and moved into a house "[this company] was renting" where she "wrote song after song," fearing they would "send" her back. During this period, Hughes wrote the song "Bitch." [30]
In early 2014, Hughes released her debut single under the Allie X name, titled "Catch". Upon release, the single received praise from multiple sources including American singer-songwriter Katy Perry who called the track on Twitter, "spring jam." [11] [29] [31] It charted on the Canadian Hot 100, peaking at number 55 on the chart. [32] "Catch" went on to be re-released as an EP in November 2015, featuring additional tracks. [33]
Prior to the release of Hughes's debut extended play, CollXtion I , two singles, "Prime" and "Bitch", were put out by the singer on 18 March and 6 April 2014, respectively. CollXtion I was then released a year later, on 7 April 2015 in Canada, [34] with the worldwide release being pushed back to 21 April. [35] The EP was well received [36] [37] [38] and was promoted through a small North American tour in 2015. [39]
Besides working on solo music, in 2014 and 2015, Hughes also contributed to Australian singer Troye Sivan's album Blue Neighbourhood , co-writing seven tracks, including two of the album's three singles, "Talk Me Down" and "Youth". [40] She also supported Troye Sivan on his 2016 tour's North American leg. [41]
Despite having released albums and EPs in the past, Hughes had yet to release a studio album under the Allie X name. In February 2016, Hughes released a free-to-download song called "Old Habits Die Hard", which was originally meant to serve as a non-album single. [42] On 13 May 2016, Hughes released another song called "Too Much to Dream" [43] [44] and announced a project called CollXtion II: Ʉnsolved, which saw her release a collection of demos and songs on Spotify over the course of the summer, in order to shortlist the songs her fans wanted to see on CollXtion II. [45] [46] This project ended on 6 November 2016, with Hughes saying no new music would be released until the album is out. [47]
CollXtion II began to be teased by Hughes in February 2017, with it being officially announced for a 9 June release date on 23 February. [48] On 28 April 2017, Hughes released "Paper Love" as the first single from the upcoming album. [49] [50] "Need You" was released on 26 May 2017. [51]
On 1 June 2018, Hughes released "Focus" as the first single from her then-untitled second studio album, [7] followed by the release of the second single "Not so Bad in LA" on 13 July. [52] The following Monday, Hughes announced her extended play, Super Sunset, to be released in the upcoming fall, along with a four date promotional tour, The Super Sunset Xperience. [53] On 25 December 2018, Hughes released Super Sunset Analog, an alternate version of her previously released album Super Sunset. [54]
On 26 September 2019, Hughes released "Fresh Laundry" along with a music video for her next album that was then untitled. This was followed by "Rings a Bell" on 17 October. On 8 November, the third single, "Regulars", was released. The fourth single, a collaboration with singer-songwriter Troye Sivan, "Love Me Wrong", was released on 6 December. On 16 December, Allie announced the pre-order, album artwork, and album title for her upcoming album, Cape God , through her social media accounts. A fifth single, "Devil I Know", was released on 31 January 2020. The album was released 21 February 2020. Hughes' vocals were featured on "Shadow" by Dutch electronic music duo Vicetone, released on Canadian label Monstercat on 30 October 2020. The singer also released a collab with Mitski, "Susie Save Your Love". In 2020, she appeared as a guest host in the seventh episode of Canada's Drag Race . [55]
She performed in the 2021 virtual edition of Pride Toronto. [56] In July 2021, Hughes released a single with drag queen Violet Chachki, "Mistress Violet", produced by French producer Lecomte De Brégeot and written by Hughes. The song's 1980s influenced music video was shot in analog and features Hughes and Chachki in Schiaparelli haute couture outfits. Chachki had previously appeared with Hughes in the music video for her 2016 single "All the Rage". [57]
In November 2023, Hughes announced her third studio album Girl with No Face would be released February 24, 2024, promoted by lead single "Black Eye" and its title track. Upon release, the album was met with acclaim from music critics. [58] The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize. [59]
Hughes cites many of her influences as being ABBA, Arthur Russell, [60] Björk, [61] [62] [ non-primary source needed ] Kate Bush, [61] Lady Gaga, [63] Celine Dion, Cyndi Lauper, [64] Mariah Carey, Mark Mothersbaugh, Tom Petty, and author Haruki Murakami. [65] She also explains that the X in her name represents the unknown variable in algebra, [66] saying: "In mathematics, X is any possible variable. It's an unknown quantity. Once it's solved, it's no longer X. With that in mind, X is the identity that I take on as I go through my journey of self-discovery. It's these questions that I'm trying to grapple with in the public sphere. If I ever find that piece that I'm after or solve the equation, as it were, then I will no longer be Allie X." [67]
Hughes has the vocal range of a soprano, [68] with her music having drawn frequent comparisons to British singer Ellie Goulding's, [66] but also that of Chvrches and the Knife. [17] Hughes describes her melodies as being "soaring pop, borderline theatrical Disney", while her lyrics, "always seem to be darker." She compares songwriting to a science experiment in which you put two people's brains together for a few hours and see what they can come up with. [28]
Hughes has frequently voiced her support for women's rights [69] and LGBT rights, [70] [71] noting "I have a lot of young fans, and a lot of LGBT fans. After meeting and hugging so many of them, I often picture them when I write now, and I try to send my support". [72]
Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Berlin Music Video Awards | "Catch" | Best Art Direction | Nominated | [73] |
2017 | APRA Music Awards | "Youth" | Pop Work of the Year | Nominated | [74] |
Studio albums
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CollXtion I is the debut extended play by the Canadian singer-songwriter Allie X, released physically on April 7, 2015 with a short sell cycle. It is her first record released under the name Allie X. The album was initially released on April 7, 2015 in Canada. The worldwide release was pushed back twice, once to April 14, 2015 and then to April 21, 2015. Allie has stated that the album is influenced by her interest in medicine, psychology, and the macabre. During a question and answer session on social media site Tumblr, Allie stated that the overall theme for CollXtion I is "addiction and self destruction".
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"Talk Me Down" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan from his debut studio album Blue Neighbourhood (2015). It was written by Sivan, Bram Inscore, Brett McLaughlin, Allie X, and Emile Haynie, and was produced by Haynie and Inscore. The song was first released as a promotional single along with the pre-order of the album on 16 October 2015, and was released as the third official single on 26 May 2016.
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"Youth" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan from his debut studio album Blue Neighbourhood (2015). It was written by Sivan, Bram Inscore, Brett McLaughlin (Leland), Alex Hope and Allie X, and produced by Bram Inscore, SLUMS and Alex JL Hiew. The song premiered on 12 November 2015 on Shazam Top 20 at 7PM AEST and was officially released on 13 November 2015 as the album's second single.
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"Animal" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan. It was written by Sivan, Ariel Rechtshaid, Leland, Jam City, Allie X, Bram Inscore and Josiah Sherman, with production primarily handled by Leland, The Haxan Cloak and Rechtshaid, the latter of whom also worked on "The Good Side". The song was released on 9 August 2018 by EMI Music Australia, as the fifth and final single from Sivan's second studio album, Bloom (2018).
Super Sunset is the fourth extended play (EP) by Canadian singer and songwriter Alexandra Hughes, known professionally as Allie X. It was released on October 29, 2018, by Twin Music. The EP follows the release of her debut studio album CollXtion II (2017), and was inspired by Hughes' tumultuous experiences since moving to Los Angeles. The concept was illustrated by three archetypes: "Sci-Fi Girl", the "Hollywood Starlet", and the "Nun".
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The discography of Canadian singer-songwriter Alexandra Hughes, better known as Allie X, consists of three studio albums, two live albums, two independently released demo album, six extended plays, and 31 singles. Hughes began her career in the underground club scene in Toronto, independently releasing the 10-track demo album Waiting for the Prize in 2006. Her debut single under the Allie X name "Catch" was released in 2014, to much critical acclaim. Her debut EP CollXtion I was released on 7 April 2015. After an endorsement from American singer Katy Perry, "Catch" was re-released and began charting in Canada. Hughes spent the next two years working on her debut studio album, releasing numerous singles online to gauge fan reaction. The album, CollXtion II, was released on 9 June 2017 and the singles not included on the project were released as the compilation EP CollXtion II: Unsolved. She released another EP, Super Sunset, on 29 October 2018. Her second studio album Cape God was released on 21 February 2020 and became her first album to chart in the United States.
"Love Me Wrong" is a song by Canadian singer Allie X featuring Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan. It was released on December 6, 2019 as the fourth single from Allie X's second studio album, Cape God (2020).
Cape God is the second studio album by Canadian singer Allie X. It was released on February 21, 2020 by Twin Music and distributed by AWAL. The release followed her extended play Super Sunset (2018). The album was primarily written by Allie X and James Alan Ghaleb, and produced by Oscar Görres. It received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Girl with No Face is the third studio album by Canadian avant-pop singer Allie X, released on February 23, 2024, by Twin Music and distributed by AWAL. The album was nearly entirely written and produced by Allie X during the four years following her previous studio album Cape God (2020) and received acclaim from music critics.
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