ALLIE X plays the Troubadour Dec. 9 photo: Logan White
When Katy Perry tweeted her love for a new song called “Catch” in February 2014, Allie X was a relatively unknown artist.
Having moved from her native country of Canada to Los Angeles less than a year before the shout out from the multi-Grammy Award-winning artist, Allie X (Alexandra Hughes) has steadily collected a following of loyal fans. “Catch” would ultimately reach No. 55 on the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
Before becoming “Allie X” several years ago, Hughes studied classical piano and voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan before graduating from Sheridan College. She started creating music in her hometown of Toronto following college, releasing a few self-released albums as well as performing in a few local indie bands. After dabbling in acting, appearing in a number of different prominent theater productions in Canada, she made the move to SoCal to focus on music.
Her first EP CollXtion I, was released in 2015, featuring seven songs all either written or co-written by Allie X. The EP received positive reviews from major publications such as Time Magazine, who described the song, “Prime” as “an injection of sparkly synth-pop that’s so catchy it reminds you of why pop songs are called infectious in the first place.” Logan White of Billboard magazine said the EP was “an expertly crafted, remarkably vulnerable synth-pop showcase.”
Allie X’s live shows, most notably her soaring operatic soprano vocals, have also been widely praised by critics. One critic noted that the “full throttle vocals were the main attraction- a show of force that revealed something powerful behind those pink-framed shades.” Throughout her live sets, Allie X dons a pair of sunglasses, rarely removing them with the exception of the introspective ballad “Good.”
Allie X will play the Troubadour in West Hollywood on Dec. 9.