Allie X Interview- losing identity, LGBTQ community, mental health, anxiety
Allie X made her debut in early 2014 with a pair of attention-getting singles, “Catch” and “Prime.” Born Allie Hughes, she studied classical piano and voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy and graduated from Sheridan College’s Musical Theater Performance program. She began making music in her hometown of Toronto in the mid-2000s, playing with local bands and writing and recording a handful of self-released albums. In July of 2013, she moved to Los Angeles with the intention of becoming a full-time songwriter after signing a publishing deal. However, she continued to work on her own material, by herself and with Billboard and Cirkut, a pair of producers affiliated with hitmaker Dr. Luke. In February 2014 she released her debut single, “Catch” (which cleverly compared heartbreak to illness), online to praise from sources as varied as Time Magazine and Katy Perry. A month later, the brassy, brittle “Prime” arrived. In April 2015 she released her debut EP, CollXtion I, a set of seven songs supplemented by visuals and a comic. That year, she also worked on Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighbourhood, touring with the Australian singer in 2016. The following year, Allie X issued the singles “Casanova” and “That’s So Us,” which were featured on her debut full-length, CollXtion II (Twin Music). A Banx & Ranx remix of the album track “Lifted” arrived in early 2018.
