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Xana Morris, known professionally as Xana, is a Canadian pop musician based in Vancouver. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Early life

Xana was born in Victoria, Canada, and grew up in a music-loving family on Vancouver Island. ^{[1] [4] [5]} At age 5, Xana took violin lessons, and at 10, she took vocal lessons. ^[6]

Career

In 2015, Xana formed an acoustic pop-punk duo, Coffee Eyes, with Joel Cossette. ^{[3] [7] [8]} When the duo broke up, Xana took at two-year educational program, during which time she avoided writing. In 2018, two months after her program ended, she went to work in order to later make music a financially viable career. She wrote what was to be her third solo single, "Tipsy", during the gap between school and work. She continued to write music for the next two years, although she would only begin recording in 2020. ^{[6] [8]}

Xana debuted solo with the single "Goddess" in 2020. ^[7] The song serves as a statement as to who she is as an artist and the space she'll take up in the industry. Asked why the song uses male pronouns, despite Xana identifying as a lesbian, Xana explained that "the song speaks to many different situations, personal or otherwise. It was a fuck-you to those people who think they can walk all over you and take whatever they want. With everything that I was dealing with personally and seeing around me in the music industry, the use of “he” pronouns reflected those experiences." ^[8] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which struck right before her planned debut, Xana primarily promoted her music through TikTok. ^[2]

Xana subsequently released singles "Pray", "Tipsy", "Yellow", and "Kitchen Light". ^[9]

Xana worked with the indie band Cold Fame on their debut single “tuesday.” which was released on November 23, 2021. ^[10]

Xana released her debut album, "Tantrums", on April 15, 2022. ^[6] The album is autobiographical, reflecting on Xana's experiences in a toxic relationship. ^[11] The title reflects how, through her music, Xana is "throwing tantrums so other people don't have to." ^[12] There has been positive reception to the album, with Xtra Magazine citing the opening track as one of "the best queer songs of April" and "the perfect song to throw up two middle fingers to after the end of a relationship gone awry". ^[13]

The songs "Yellow", "Kitchen Light", and "19" from "Tantrums", as well as the single "Tipsy", have music videos featuring the character Jodie, who is inspired by a woman with whom Xana had a relationship, and who was important to Xana's personal "life and "journey". Excluding "Tipsy", all the videos star Maia Cervillin as Jodie; the actor was changed after "Tipsy" due to the on-screen chemistry with Maia. ^[8] The music video for "Kitchen Light" gained over one million views on YouTube. ^[14]

In November 2022, Xana released an acoustic single, "bet you'll get off on this." The song was written over two days and recorded over three. ^{[15] [16]} In 2023, she released single "Bad Bandit," a Western-themed track with "splashes of country twang," and "babyblue," which reflects Xana's experience with lost childhood friendships. ^{[4] [17]}

Xana works frequently with producers and engineers Liam Moes and Shane Stephenson who both were a part of her debut album. ^{[18] [19]}

Artistry

Influences

Xana has cited Avril Lavigne as her "first musical love" and inspiration at 6 years old, saying that "anti-pop very much formed the bones of my current sound. It allows the artist to branch out and can take so many different forms. I think that’s what makes it feel so authentic to the creator. I can experiment, try out different genres, themes and still sustain that anti-pop feel." She was inspired by Taylor Swift to write her own songs, and describes her and Halsey as among her biggest idols. ^{[1] [8] [12] [20]}

Themes

Xana's music primarily revolves around themes of queer romance, as well as female empowerment and sexuality. ^{[1] [4]} She has stated that she “grew up with very little representation, and when I was trying to figure out who I am and what I’m all about, that was the most important and helpful thing for me was just ... immersing myself in all this media and all this music and all this culture and so that’s what I’m trying to do for other people.” ^[21]

Xana's music also tends to stem from personal experiences and struggles, explaining:

“I’m going to write everything that I want to say and that I want to get out, and if it works, then it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but it doesn’t matter because I need to say all of this stuff and I need to make the music that I want to hear more of.” ^[21]

She has expressed the same sentiment in a later interview with Atwood Magazine, following her single "babyblue":

"I finally found a place to put those feelings and anxieties, and that’s usually how writing music feels for me. I find a place to put it down, I can visit it and feel it when I need to, but I don’t always have to carry it when I don’t need to. And performing it live is a whole other kind of therapy. I feel like my entire body is bursting at the seams while I sing this song. That feeling is where the heavy healing kicks in. I probably turn to songwriting as therapy more than actual therapy, which I’m sure will catch up for me one day but so far so good baby!" ^[4]

Personal life

Xana is Canadian and identifies as queer and lesbian. ^{[1] [8]}

Social Media Presence

As of April 27, 2023, Xana has over 250,000 listeners on spotify, and her most popular song, “Goddess,” has over 10 million streams. ^[22] She has just over 35,000 subscribers on YouTube and a total of seven music videos, with the most popular, “Kitchen Light,” having over 1.5 million views. ^[23] She also has over 91,000 followers on TikTok with a cumulative 1.9 million likes. ^[24]

Discography

Albums

Singles

References