Allie X

Allie X
Birth name Alexandra Ashley Hughes[1]
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada[2][3]
Genres Synth-pop[2]
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals

Alexandra Ashley Hughes, also known by her stage name Allie X, is a Canadian artist with a background in musical theater. She identifies her voice type as soprano.[4]

Personal life

Hughes states that she did not start seriously listening to music until 2007.[4] Though her face was fully revealed in her music video for Catch, she is not comfortable with sharing too much information with the public and prefers to keep her face under wraps at most times.[5][6] On why she likes the macabre, she states that she is expressing her Jungian shadow-self.[5] Revealed in an interview from The Star, she constantly struggles to stay calm and make decisions from a grounded place.[5][7] The X in her name corresponds with the X variable in algebra which is unknown.[5] In high school, she studied classical piano and voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and she graduated college from Sheridan College's Musical Theater Performance program.[8][9]

Career

Describing herself as a "nostalgia whore,"[10] Hughes started her career under the name of Allie Hughes in Toronto around 2006,[11]performing Indie, Melodramatic Pop, and Pop music.[12] In her live shows, as Allie Hughes, she has incorporated a theatrical element into them. In 2008, she was in How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (Canada), but was eliminated after two episodes.[4] She called it a traumatic, but thrilling experience.[4] Her other acting credits include Triple Sensation, The Boys in the Photograph, King, Being Erica, and Instant Star, and her songs have been featured in Rookie Blue, Saving Hope, and Love Me.[8][9] She was one of four to receive the Canadian Film Centre Slaight Music Residency Showcase in 2013.[8] In spite of her local success in Toronto, she was not satisfied with her sound and spent years learning about sound design and production. This allowed her to reproduce the sound she heard in her head. She 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."[7][13] Influences and inspirations include Kate Bush, Mariah Carey, Jens Lekman, Janelle Monáe, Mark Mothersbaugh, Tom Petty, Rufus Wainright, and author Haruki Murakami. [4][14] In July 2013, she moved to Los Angeles, to further her career,[15] and to begin working with producers such as Cirkut and Billboard.[6] Her spinning GIF's have attained some level of notoriety.[16] She released the song "Catch" in February 2014. Much of its success is attributed to Katy Perry posting the song on her Twitter and calling it a "spring jam".[6] Her single peaked at the No. 55 spot on the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 Chart, without the help of a music video, digital sales, or live appearances.[13] CollXtion I was released on 7 April 2015 in Canada.<ref name="idolatorinterview>Idolator Interview. (Interview). Retrieved April 8, 2015.</ref> She will do her first live performance as Allie X at the Phi Center on 30 April 2015.[5]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details
2006 Ladies And Gentlemen[17]
  • Label: Self-released
  • As Allie Hughes
Waiting For The Prize[18]
  • Label: Self-released
  • As Allie Hughes

Extended plays

Year Album details
2010 Allie Hughes[11]
  • Self-released
  • As Allie Hughes
2012 Allie X Andra[19]
  • Self-released
  • As Allie Hughes/ALX
2015 CollXtion I
  • Released: April 7, 2015 (Canada)
  • Label: Universal Music

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
CAN
[20]
2014 "Catch" 55 CollXtion I
"Prime" —
"Bitch" —

References

  1. ↑ "Allie Hughes Valentines Wedding Spectacular". Sticky Magazine. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Who Is Allie X? 'Catch' Singer Talks Katy Perry Shout-Out, Her Pop Takeover Plan". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Allie X Drops a Pristine Debut Single With "Catch"". TIME.com. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 CKCU Interview with Allie Hughes. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Allie X explores her ‘shadow self’ in her dark radio-ready pop. (Interview). Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jason Lipshutz (March 10, 2014). Who Is Allie X? 'Catch' Singer Talks Katy Perry Shout-Out, Her Pop Takeover Plan. (Interview). Billboard.com. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 ALLIE X: "I DON'T WANT TO BE ANYONE'S BITCH". (Interview). Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "CFC Creates". Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "LyricCanada 2010 National Conference" (PDF). Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Allie Hughes Blog". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Discogs Allie X Andra". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Allie Hughes Myspace". Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Katy Perry tweet helps propel Canadian singer-songwriter's 'Catch' to Billboard heights. (Interview). Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Wall Street Journal on CollXtion I". Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Allie X - Biography". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Idolator Hello". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Ladies And Gentlemen". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Waiting for The Prize". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Discogs Allie X Andra". Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/6033633/allie-x/chart