Xavier Andrew Paul (born May 30, 2003), known professionally as Xay Lavie, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.
Xay Lavie | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Xavier Andrew Paul |
| Born | May 30, 2003 Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Genres | indie rock, indie pop, alternative rock, experimental pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, percussion |
| Years active | 2024–present |
| Labels | Impasto Music |
| Formerly of | Desert Bloom |
| Website |
xaylavie |
Early life and education
Xavier Andrew Paul was born on May 30, 2003, the eldest son of Lina ( née Baroudi) and Clayton Paul, a software engineer. His mother is Lebanese while his father is of mixed German, English, and Scottish descent.
Paul grew up in Henderson, Nevada, where his interest in music began at an early age. For his 4th birthday, his parents bought him a beginner drum kit in response to him damaging his grandparents' cookware by drumming on them. His rhythmic aptitude prompted his parents to enroll him in drum lessons at the age of 6. He attended a private elementary school where he was repeatedly disciplined for tapping to himself in class. It was during this time when Paul began creating imaginary albums by hand-drumming on coffee tables and writing track listings on an Etch A Sketch, leaving his hands completely blistered. At age 8, he took piano lessons for several years before deciding to quit.
While playing percussion in middle school band, Paul began experimenting with audio equipment, utilizing his father's multi-track recorder and his grandparents' synthesizer. He frequently burned instrumental CDs and sold them to friends, parents, and teachers at school. He later taught himself guitar and continued studying percussion at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, where he co-formed the indie rock band Desert Bloom with friends he met at a garage jam session. Upon high school graduation, Paul left the band to continue his music studies at UCLA where he is currently enrolled. During his third year, he pursued a solo project under the moniker Xay Lavie.
Xay Lavie is a portmanteau of his first name and the French phrase " C'est la vie." He chose the name because he "loved the simplicity and acceptance" of the saying after seeing it on his grandmother's sweater. Upon his arrival to college, he developed an appreciation for French culture and studied the language for several years.
Career
2018–2021: Desert Bloom
Paul co-founded the indie rock band Desert Bloom in September 2018, alongside Kameron Salek (vocals, bass, keys) and Kennedy McClendon (vocals, lead guitar), and Logan Palmer (vocals, guitar). Paul met Palmer and McClendon in a garage after being invited to a jam session by a mutual friend. The three bonded over their admiration for bands such as Wallows, Saint Motel, and Glass Animals, and they asked Salek to join as the keyboardist given that he was studying piano at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts with Paul at the time.
Deriving their name from a local park they each frequented, the four-piece band rapidly began recording and practicing original demos in Paul's upstairs studio. In March 2019, the group performed before a live audience for the first time at the Las Vegas Academy's Battle of the Bands and was awarded free studio time for winning first place. This prompted them to record their debut single, "Lone Wolf," at Digital Insight Recording Studios in Las Vegas. Unsatisfied with their overall sound, Paul took the mix to another producer before releasing it independently several months later.
In late 2019, Paul introduced a demo to Salek, McClendon, and Palmer, who collaborated on it the same day. After they each contributed their own lyrical and musical sections, they recorded it almost entirely in Palmer's upstairs loft. McClendon posed the idea of singing lead vocals despite being sick during the session. After giving it a shot, the rest of the band was thoroughly impressed and Paul kept it in the final mix. Palmer, Salek, and Paul all contributed background vocals and agreed to name the song "Shut Up: It's Showtime!" which gained much attention from peers at their respective high schools. Being Desert Bloom's first track that was fully produced, mixed, and mastered by Paul, it soon became the group's most successful song, amassing over a million streams on Spotify as of February 2024.
With tensions rising between Salek and Palmer over vocal responsibilities and level of creative output, Paul was urged by Salek and McClendon to remove Palmer from the band. In January 2020, the band held a meeting at Paul's house and Palmer departed soon afterwards. Now a trio, the band embarked on a more ambitious song that Salek wrote, titled "Man" – a six-minute track containing live string arrangements and heavier synth production. It was released on Valentine's Day and accompanied a string of live shows to promote its release.
As the COVID-19 pandemic caused nationwide campus closures in March 2020, Desert Bloom ceased live performances and continued to collaborate entirely remotely. Paul, Salek, and McClendon met frequently over Zoom and sent Logic Pro projects back and forth for three months and eventually named their five-song EP "Paid Vacation" after the first lyric from MGMT's song " Congratulations." The new material marked a shift in the band's overall sound, as Paul produced the songs with the extensive use of sampling. The title track "Paid Vacation" features Paul's high school friend and artist Kyle "Panda" Leopando, who contributed a rap verse and production. Paul's lead vocal debut arrived with his original song "Waves," which he wrote and recorded entirely in Costa Mesa about his experiences with social isolation and depression. Marketed as an escape from the effects of the pandemic, the EP was released in June 2020 and received mixed reviews from fans despite the title track becoming viral on TikTok the following month.
2021–2024: Xay Lavie
Xavier Andrew Paul (born May 30, 2003), known professionally as Xay Lavie, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.
Xay Lavie | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Xavier Andrew Paul |
| Born | May 30, 2003 Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Genres | indie rock, indie pop, alternative rock, experimental pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, percussion |
| Years active | 2024–present |
| Labels | Impasto Music |
| Formerly of | Desert Bloom |
| Website |
xaylavie |
Early life and education
Xavier Andrew Paul was born on May 30, 2003, the eldest son of Lina ( née Baroudi) and Clayton Paul, a software engineer. His mother is Lebanese while his father is of mixed German, English, and Scottish descent.
Paul grew up in Henderson, Nevada, where his interest in music began at an early age. For his 4th birthday, his parents bought him a beginner drum kit in response to him damaging his grandparents' cookware by drumming on them. His rhythmic aptitude prompted his parents to enroll him in drum lessons at the age of 6. He attended a private elementary school where he was repeatedly disciplined for tapping to himself in class. It was during this time when Paul began creating imaginary albums by hand-drumming on coffee tables and writing track listings on an Etch A Sketch, leaving his hands completely blistered. At age 8, he took piano lessons for several years before deciding to quit.
While playing percussion in middle school band, Paul began experimenting with audio equipment, utilizing his father's multi-track recorder and his grandparents' synthesizer. He frequently burned instrumental CDs and sold them to friends, parents, and teachers at school. He later taught himself guitar and continued studying percussion at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, where he co-formed the indie rock band Desert Bloom with friends he met at a garage jam session. Upon high school graduation, Paul left the band to continue his music studies at UCLA where he is currently enrolled. During his third year, he pursued a solo project under the moniker Xay Lavie.
Xay Lavie is a portmanteau of his first name and the French phrase " C'est la vie." He chose the name because he "loved the simplicity and acceptance" of the saying after seeing it on his grandmother's sweater. Upon his arrival to college, he developed an appreciation for French culture and studied the language for several years.
Career
2018–2021: Desert Bloom
Paul co-founded the indie rock band Desert Bloom in September 2018, alongside Kameron Salek (vocals, bass, keys) and Kennedy McClendon (vocals, lead guitar), and Logan Palmer (vocals, guitar). Paul met Palmer and McClendon in a garage after being invited to a jam session by a mutual friend. The three bonded over their admiration for bands such as Wallows, Saint Motel, and Glass Animals, and they asked Salek to join as the keyboardist given that he was studying piano at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts with Paul at the time.
Deriving their name from a local park they each frequented, the four-piece band rapidly began recording and practicing original demos in Paul's upstairs studio. In March 2019, the group performed before a live audience for the first time at the Las Vegas Academy's Battle of the Bands and was awarded free studio time for winning first place. This prompted them to record their debut single, "Lone Wolf," at Digital Insight Recording Studios in Las Vegas. Unsatisfied with their overall sound, Paul took the mix to another producer before releasing it independently several months later.
In late 2019, Paul introduced a demo to Salek, McClendon, and Palmer, who collaborated on it the same day. After they each contributed their own lyrical and musical sections, they recorded it almost entirely in Palmer's upstairs loft. McClendon posed the idea of singing lead vocals despite being sick during the session. After giving it a shot, the rest of the band was thoroughly impressed and Paul kept it in the final mix. Palmer, Salek, and Paul all contributed background vocals and agreed to name the song "Shut Up: It's Showtime!" which gained much attention from peers at their respective high schools. Being Desert Bloom's first track that was fully produced, mixed, and mastered by Paul, it soon became the group's most successful song, amassing over a million streams on Spotify as of February 2024.
With tensions rising between Salek and Palmer over vocal responsibilities and level of creative output, Paul was urged by Salek and McClendon to remove Palmer from the band. In January 2020, the band held a meeting at Paul's house and Palmer departed soon afterwards. Now a trio, the band embarked on a more ambitious song that Salek wrote, titled "Man" – a six-minute track containing live string arrangements and heavier synth production. It was released on Valentine's Day and accompanied a string of live shows to promote its release.
As the COVID-19 pandemic caused nationwide campus closures in March 2020, Desert Bloom ceased live performances and continued to collaborate entirely remotely. Paul, Salek, and McClendon met frequently over Zoom and sent Logic Pro projects back and forth for three months and eventually named their five-song EP "Paid Vacation" after the first lyric from MGMT's song " Congratulations." The new material marked a shift in the band's overall sound, as Paul produced the songs with the extensive use of sampling. The title track "Paid Vacation" features Paul's high school friend and artist Kyle "Panda" Leopando, who contributed a rap verse and production. Paul's lead vocal debut arrived with his original song "Waves," which he wrote and recorded entirely in Costa Mesa about his experiences with social isolation and depression. Marketed as an escape from the effects of the pandemic, the EP was released in June 2020 and received mixed reviews from fans despite the title track becoming viral on TikTok the following month.