Xav A. began his singing career as a member of the ‘Dartmouth Aires‘, an acapella group that was featured on NBC’s third season of The Sing-Off. Since then, the artist has found his place in retro pop/R&B music.
Affinity is proud to premiere Xav’s single, “Let It Be”, which was inspired by the Bee Gees track, “Emotion”. In light of the new release, I sat down with the talented vocalist to learn more about his journey since The Sing-Off and some of his role models growing up.
Photo credit: MattOgilvieee
Ariel Zedric: First and foremost, let’s talk about The Sing-Off! Walk me through what you were feeling during your first and last performances!
Xav A: The Sing-Off was a wild ride! In the first performance, I was just hoping we wouldn’t go home immediately. I wanted us to have a chance to really show the world how fun we could be.
During the last performance, I just felt thankful. The last one was a holiday special so it felt like a mini-reunion!
What’s something most people don’t know about that happened behind the scenes of The Sing-Off?
Something people might not think about is that we had a group stylist on the show! She was actually Kara Saun from Project Runway and she did an awesome job making the group feel cohesive while still letting us all standout. So glad she worked on that show!
Have you experienced any doubt in your choice to pursue music? If so, what’s kept you going?
I have never doubted myself, but I did fear that maybe people wouldn’t really understand my vibe and vision until it was too late. But every day I receive amazing feedback from my loyal fans and I’m just so thankful that people are coming around to my quirky projects!
Tell me about the inspiration behind your latest single, “Let It Be”!
This single was inspired by how much of a perfectionist I can be… Sometimes I feel like we worry about such small details that don’t even matter. This song is a reminder to myself not to beat myself up about not being 100% perfect and to try to look on the bright side more.
How has your culture and upbringing impacted your music?
I love being black and I love discussing and celebrating black love in my music! That is very important to me.
Who were your role models growing up?
My musical role models were always people doing avant-garde R&B music. People like Kelis and Janelle Monae inspire me so much with the way they have forged their own path and made so many different types of music!
You’re currently based in New York, what’s your favorite part of the city? Could you ever see yourself moving out to LA?
My favorite part of the city is 34th street–I just love fashion so much so being able to go to so many amazing stores in one spot is just a dream!
I would definitely be excited to move to LA if the timing and the opportunity were right!
Be sure to check out Xav on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify.
Featured image credit MattOgilvieee, courtesy of Xav A.
