Xenia Rubinos | |
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 Xenia Rubinos performing at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY, 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Xenia Rubinos July 24, 1985 |
| Origin | Hartford, Connecticut, United States |
| Genres | Funk-rock, R&B, jazz-funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | ANTI- |
| Website | www |
Xenia Rubinos (born July 24, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
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.
Her album Black Terry Cat was released to critical acclaim and was named the 11th best album of 2016 by NPR. [4]
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]
| Authority control databases: Artists |
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