Xenia Rubinos

Xenia Rubinos
Xenia Rubinos performing at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY, 2017
Xenia Rubinos performing at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY, 2017
Background information
Birth nameXenia Rubinos
Born (1985-07-24) July 24, 1985 (age 39)
OriginHartford, Connecticut, United States
GenresFunk-rock, R&B, jazz-funk
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer
Years active2013–present
LabelsANTI-
Websitewww.xeniarubinos.net

Xenia Rubinos (born July 24, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Background and early life

Xenia Rubinos was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1985 to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father.[1] She studied jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music.[2] She spent most of her 20s acting as the primary caregiver for her father as he dealt with a degenerative illness, which inspired her song "Black Stars."[3] She has lived in Brooklyn since 2006.

Career

Her album Black Terry Cat was released to critical acclaim and was named the 11th best album of 2016 by NPR.[4]

Music

Rubinos' early music influences include composers like Prokofiev and Ravel,[5] as her father was a fan of classical music and opera.[3] Salsa, rumba and merengue, including releases by Fania Records, were popular in her house while growing up.[5][6] Later, she became enthralled with hip-hop, R&B and Miles Davis in particular, which led her to study jazz at the Berklee College of Music.

She is inspired by her Latin American heritage and Santería practices.[7] She is also inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement,[3] and discusses her experiences as a woman of color in her songs, but she sees her music as broader than the category of protest music.[1]

Rubinos' music is not easily categorized, as she crosses many genres in both her lyrics and her sound.[1][7][8][9]

Discography

  • 2013 - Magic Trix (self-released)
  • 2016 - Black Terry Cat (NuBlack Music Group)
  • 2021 - Una Rosa (ANTI-)

References

  1. ^ a b c Snapes, Laura (October 24, 2016). "Xenia Rubinos: 'I'm saying things about being a brown girl in America'". The Guardian.
  2. ^ "Articulate: Xenia Rubinos". PBS.
  3. ^ a b c "In 'Black Stars,' Xenia Rubinos Memorializes Many Lives In One". NPR. July 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "NPR Music: Best 50 Albums of 2016". NPR. 5 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b Raygoza, Isabela (May 31, 2016). "Unboxed: Genre-Hopping with Xenia Rubinos". The Village Voice.
  6. ^ Brown, Helen (June 17, 2016). "Xenia Rubinos, Black Terry Cat, review: 'the sound of the summer'". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Martin, Rachel (April 23, 2013). "Xenia Rubinos: Adventures in Syncopation". NPR.
  8. ^ Grier, Chaka (July 13, 2016). "Album Review Black Terry Cat". Now Toronto.
  9. ^ Snapes, Laura (May 24, 2013). "Magic Trix Review". Pitchfork.