Xana Presents “Monster” From Upcoming Album, The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t
Ahead of the release of her sophomore album, The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t, Xana, the Vancouver-based pop powerhouse presents “Monster.” This introspective pop anthem delves deep into the psyche of the singer, unveiling her raw emotions and confronting her torn morality with unflinching honesty. Set against a backdrop of ethereal melodies and lush instrumentation the single envelops listeners in a dreamy, intimate soundscape reminiscent of Xana’s signature style.
“Monster” sees Xana confront her past indiscretions head-on, embracing a newfound sense of accountability while grappling with the complexities of her own motivations. Written in the intimate format of a confessional diary entry, the song offers a poignant glimpse into the inner workings of the artist’s soul, inviting listeners to join her on a journey of self-discovery and redemption.
The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t is a passionate, nuanced portrait of a woman looking directly into the darkness and seeing a flicker of light on the other side. For Xana, the hurt she details on the album reflects a necessary truth she needed to see in order to heal.
The record travels across a spectrum of relationship experiences, refusing to be boxed into one thing.
“This album is all about the different relationships that I’ve had. Some are sexual, some have not been sexual at all, there are some that are traumatizing, and there are relationships after sexual trauma, as well as healing from that,” Xana says, “It tells the stories of my relationships with myself, friends, and partners, with family dynamics, too. The heaviest part of the album is when we are diving into the sexual trauma chapter of it, which I don’t really shy away from. I’m pretty bold and blunt about it.”
The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t shows that, in confronting some of the hardest experiences you’ve ever endured, particularly at the hands of someone else, you must confront your own shadows to get through it.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
I recently put out a song called Better Kind Of Best Friend which is the first single off my upcoming album The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t. I wanted this song to feel really sexy, and full of praise, and be written from the pov of the person who would bow down and do anything to please their woman. It’s also kind of funny because my friend group is so affectionate and loving, I always get comments from fans being like “I actually can’t tell if those are your friends or if you’re all dating each other” So for the music video, the entire cast was all my friends – which included previous love interests from past music videos, my roommates, and my better kind of best friend. With this next project, I delve into some tougher subjects and I talk about things I’ve never talked about before. It feels so liberating to have doven as deep as I have, but it’s also extremely daunting, so I really wanted to have this first song be a celebration of queer love, sex, and desire.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
The songwriting process can vary depending on the song or the story but usually, it will start with a lyric or a melody that I like, and then I build around that. Sometimes it starts the other way around with the music and we’ll create something in the studio that we like the feel and the sound of, and then from there lyrics will come. My most recent release called Better Kind Of Best Friend came to life that way. It started in the studio with that beat, and then I wrote the lyrics and the story around it. I had the idea of “being a better kind of best friend” what that looks like in a queer relationship and queer friendships, and how sometimes those lines get blurred but I didn’t fully write that story until I had the music.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I made a music video for Better Kind Of Best Friend with a cast and crew entirely made up of LGBTQ folks and women. It takes place in a “dark fantasy, queer Garden of Eden” inspired set. I wanted it to feel dreamy and ethereal. The video is definitely NSFW but we had the absolute most fun creating it. It felt like I just got to play all day with my friends; we dressed up in lingerie and sparkles and pearls and we got to roll around and love up on each other and make a mess with fruit and wine. It was basically like every queer girl’s fantasy slumber party, but in magical forest land, and also we might be witches. There is a behind-the-scenes video that I will be posting very soon for fans to see a little bit more of what that day was like and how that vision came to be.I just announced The Sex Was Good tour. This first leg will be in the states from June 1 till July 3. Tickets are on sale now and they are going pretty quickly, and we are working on bringing this tour to other countries. I’m currently building the setlist and envisioning what I want this show and this experience to be for my fans and I’m really, really excited to bring this to so many cities in the states and to bring it even further in the future.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
When I went on my first tour ever in the fall, it really felt like a turning point, like the ball was really in motion, which I know I’ve been extremely fortunate in that my ball has been moving out a really good pace since I began releasing music, but that tour felt really special and it felt like a lot of pieces were finally falling into place, and I think that this next album is going to be a continuation of that feeling.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I have been eating up everything that Kristiane puts out lately. My two current favourite songs of hers are “Subtitles” and “Pins and Needles”. She’s a must-listen.