-by Elizabeth Spouse (Development Coordinator / Curator at Improper Walls)

The stylistic spectrum of XING ranges between melancholic melodies, hip-hop elements, influences from R&B and a large amount of soul. The different musical backgrounds and a deep, smoky voice, which also masters heights, result in a soundscape full of captivating beats and intimate lyrics with socio-critical substance. After graduating from Pop BORG Linz, XING established herself in the Austrian music scene as a background singer for Lou Asril and Ines Kolleritsch. To further develop her solo project, the singer-songwriter moved from Linz to Vienna in 2018. The debut followed in May 2020 with her first single “Own the Gold”. Since then, more singles have followed, each a story in itself, XING paving her own way, in music as well as in life. Sympathetically unembellished, honest and raw, she talks about her own experiences with body-shaming, self-discovery and about finding peace of mind. XING’s first self-titled ep made its debut in October 2021.

MORE FROM AND ABOUT XING

So, without further ado, meet XING!

XING: Hi I’m Xing and I’m playing an Improper Session.

I like that your lyrics are intimate, and as you have described, have socio-critical substance to them. Is there anything you’d like to tell us about some of these songs that will allow later viewers of this Improper Session to experience some of your stories, critiques, or insights so that we may all be more sensitive to what’s shaped you and your music?

XING: Yeah, I do think a lot of my songs are individuals and they each have their own story for themselves. They all come through inspirations from my own personal life, so stuff that I really experienced—whether it’s about racism, body shaming or jealousy—and I have a song called “Was It?” which is about body-shaming because it’s always been a struggle for me. When I was a young woman…teen, I started to hate my own body and I just didn’t know why. I was asking myself, “...but ok, am I really not happy with it? Or are other people telling me that these things don’t fit? That these things are not working?” I put out this question because I do think that a lot of people struggle with this. I also have other songs, like “Salty”, which is on my first EP, which is about jealousy and my own mind trying to hurt me so much, yeah, myself hurting me so much. Yeah, they’re all individuals, they’re all personal stories, honest stories, because they’re real and I think they should be heard and a lot of people can relate. I’m not trying to hide anything. Yes.

I really appreciate that you talk in an honest way about your own experiences with body-shaming, self-discovery and about finding your own peace of mind. How do you find peace of mind? Is there any one thing you would pinpoint? Or is it an ongoing practice of multiple things?

XING: That’s a really good question. I do think we’re all trying to find peace of mind. Sometimes I have a bad day and I’m asking myself, “Ok, why am I having a bad day?” You know, what are actually the things that make me sad? What are the things my mind is trying to tell me? I really try to point them out. For me that’s already a sign that I’m trying to be more happy, already a sign that I want to be happy, that I’m trying to keep on going. Just the fact that I have this will is already really important for me. It’s also really important to me to snap back to reality and be aware of my privileges and everything I have done and achieved so far. It’s definitely still an ongoing process to find peace of mind. Yeah, appreciate the things that you already have, that’s what I would say.

Can you tell us a bit about your EP release coming out in March?

XING: Yeah! My second piece is called “Peace of Mind”. The songs are dark and there are dark beats and a lot of pitched-down voices. I’m really proud of this one. I do have the feeling that I really grew a lot since the first EP. The songs are mostly inspired by friendships, breakups, grief…there’s always one song on the EP - I already had it on my previous EP, where I worry about money - because it’s always such an ongoing struggle! I’m just sick of it, hustling every year…but I also feel so much freedom. The fact that I can do art and music, there’s so much freedom and I’m so privileged to do that. Yeah, again, it’s just about stuff that’s been going on in my life, really personal stuff, but also empowering songs. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it!

Cool! Thank you so much XING! We’re also looking forward!

Improper Sessions is a concert series in which we’re inviting musicians to play in the middle of an existing exhibition, with the entire evening dedicated to the musical act. It’s a platform for musicians to present their music outside of the standard concept of the concert stage or music video; a space where we can create something together, allowing for more sides of the musician to be seen. Each performance takes place in front of a small audience and is live streamed. You can learn more about each musician/band via a short interview released in each Improper Dose following the concert, as well as an additional edited video that we believe will be quite beautiful, so make sure to check this out and be on the lookout for future acts!

IMPROPER SESSIONS presents XING