Xahli delivers a stirring anthem for our troubling times with her bold acoustic single and video Anxiety — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Filmed in quarantine as the world braces for next waves and waits for shoes to drop, Anxiety finds the ascendant British singer-songwriter dropping her guard and reaching out to share her own feelings with simple, straightforward sincerity — and eloquently giving voice to our collective angst and insecurity in the process.
Taking her musical and performance influences from the likes of Lauryn Hill, Dua Lipa and Prince, Xahli blends her soulful tone with hard-hitting pop melodies and alternative R&B production to create a distinctive and compelling sound. Recently she’s been making waves in the UK R&B/Soul scene, not only for her standalone vocals, but also her unique and fiery looks.
Anxiety is part of a larger project that Xahli and her producer have been working on over the past year. It touches on many more aspects of the human condition — heartbreak, empowerment, self-discovery, love. But Anxiety was special from the very start; the lyrics and mood of the song resonated deeply with her from the first moment she heard it.
“It was as if the words in my head had been pulled out of me, I’ve struggled with anxiety throughout my entire life and this song resonated with my darkest thoughts but also gave me a sense of hope for the future. In a time where so many are struggling with mental health, particularly right now during a pandemic, this track allows people to understand how normal it is to feel emotions of fear, anxiety and upset. It’s a reminder to those struggling quietly, you aren’t alone.”
From a young age, everyone around Xahli knew music was something ingrained deep within her — her very first words were singing a phrase from a Pocahontas soundtrack! She was only eight years old when she decided that music and performing was the path she wanted to pursue. But it wasn’t until her late teens that she truly started honing her skills and developing her own style. “I heavily listened to Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson throughout this time, which really taught me a wide variety of vocal skills and performance techniques.”
In 2019, she was discovered in 2019 by legendary writer and producer Adrian Gurvitz, who recognised her talent and immediately signed her to his Los Angeles label AGM Records, where she’s been developing her sound ever since. Gurvitz, who recently took Andra Day to the top of the Soul charts, knows from his years of experience that she will soon be a star on the rise.
Watch Anxiety above, listen to it below, and follow Xahli on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
