by sara welden
photo by lindsey blane
Establishing her position as this generation’s ethereal pop powerhouse, Xana is back with a blazing new single “Bad Bandit.” At her core, Xana is a storyteller, and the track is nothing short of cinematic. Fueled by her love for country music, the rising artist has managed to showcase the magic that can happen when you color outside the lines. Through her music and encompassing themes such as LGBTQ relationships, female empowerment, self-reflection, and discovery, Xana encourages listeners to fully embrace their authentic selves. Read more about Xana and her exceptionally creative new track “Bad Bandit” below!
Congratulations on the release of your new single “Bad Bandit!” It’s an absolutely wild track in the best way possible. I imagine that this was a really fun one to record, could you walk us through what that process was like for you?
Xana: “Thank you! Yes, it was a really wild and fun song to bring to life. I wanted to write something fun and non-serious after finishing my first album. Usually I have a fully formed or mostly fully formed song before I bring it to my producers Liam Moes and Shane Stephenson, but this time we started from scratch and all I had was the main riff. From there we played around and I came up with the ‘Clyde & Bonnie’' verse which immediately lead us into this western pop rock world as I started to create this Harley Quinn type character who’s an absolute psychopath but also a hopeless romantic who just wants to find her ‘other half,’ a lover who’s just like her. When it came to production, we would have these silly ideas like, ‘what if we put horses neighing in the bridge?’ ‘What if we had samples of chains and pistol revolvers?’ ‘Where's the cowbell?’ And no matter how funny the idea was, they all just worked and ended up being really cool and fun. I also had so much fun recording the harmonies and background vocals, I treated those voices as if they were townsfolk, they’re sassy, bratty and they love to gossip. The entire bridge is so satisfying for my brain, I feel like it's the closest glimpse into this character's POV where everything’s so dreamy and grandiose and romantic for a minute before we get back to the murdering. SO fun!”
“Bad Bandit” has one of the most interesting blending of genres I have ever heard, and you made it work SO well! Where did the idea to intertwine pop and country first come from?
Xana: “I love to dip my toes into different genres because I grew up listening to everything and I'm a lover of all music, but I’d say everything I write is still rooted in pop. I love country music, and although I wouldn’t call ‘Bad Bandit’ a country song, it definitely was influenced by country and has a grandiose western feel paired with the gritty pop rock vibe that I gravitate to often. This song honestly came together very naturally and I’m really thankful it found its way to me. I could definitely see myself doing something in this world again one day.”
Do you have a favorite lyric from “Bad Bandit?”
Xana: “‘Found me a husband, he was charming and I loved him, but his urges were disgusting so I bed him down to nothing.’ I just love how this character is like, ‘Sorry you mistreated me so now I have no choice but to kill you!’ Like, girl, mood.”
It seems you enjoy experimenting sonically which makes each of your songs unique from one another. Is there a certain genre that you’d like to explore in the future but haven’t yet?
Xana: “I’m currently working on a lot of new music and have definitely been playing with some new and different feels, as well as building on some other genres I've touched on before and want to further explore. I will say that my next song is drastically different from ‘Bad Bandit,’ and that will most likely be the case for the following. But I promise everyone will love it!”
Since releasing your debut single “Goddess” in 2020, is there anything that you learned about yourself as an artist? Has your songwriting process changed or developed since then?
Xana: “Liam and Shane are really the first people I shared my songwriting with. I used to keep my songs to myself solely, wouldn’t play them or even write them if anyone was in earshot. The first song I ever recorded was ‘Yellow,’ and I brought that home and it was the first time any of my friends or family listened to something I had written. But since working with the guys and putting it all out there for the world, and receiving so much love for it all, I’ve gotten a hell of a lot more comfortable allowing other trusted creatives in my space while ideas are still forming, and a lot more confident in my skill. I’m excited to continue to develop and see what the next couple years have in store for me!
Where would you say that you draw most of your inspiration from when it comes to songwriting? What’s inspiring you these days?
Xana: “A lot of what I write about is my own personal experiences, and I also like to make up stories and characters and write ‘character’ songs, which is what ‘Bad Bandit’ would fall into the category of. But when I'm looking for inspiration outside of myself I turn to discovering new music, watching movies, reading stories and poetry, anything that sparks something in me!”
Are there any artists that have inspired your sound, and is there anyone who you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Xana: “I’m a huge fan of Halsey, Gracie Abrams, and Taylor Swift, to name a few of many. I’m usually drawn to lyrics and songwriting first and they’re all such brilliant writers so I'm always inspired by listening to them. I grew up listening to all kinds of music so I'm drawn in so many different directions musically. As for collaborations, I would love to work with Upsahl one day, her music always makes me feel so confident and badass that it would be really fun to see what we’d create together. She’s my go to when I'm hyping myself up or trying to snap out of being a sad bitch.”
You released your debut album Tantrums almost a year ago now. Does “Bad Bandit” set the tone for a new era of Xana? If so, how would you describe the shift?
Xana: “It’s insane that we’re already coming up on the one year anniversary. ‘Bad Bandit’ is a mini era of its own and we’re gonna have fun here for a bit before moving to the next mini era. I love ‘Bad Bandit’ because it makes me feel empowered and dramatic but in a different way that Tantrums did. Right now we’re on the bridge between Tantrums and the next album.”
What’s in store next for Xana? Any hopes or goals for the future?
Xana: “Other than working on so much new music and writing like crazy, I’m planning video shoots and shows, and my number one goal for this year is touring so keep an eye out for that. :)”