Episode 307: Standing on Giant's Shoulders: A Conversation with Xenai
Description
On Episode 307, I spoke to Ashwin Shenoy aka Xenai, here is a little bio about him.
My name is Ashwin Shenoy aka Xenai and I’m a third culture alien/artist blending Indian and Middle Eastern elements into Hip Hop & RnB.
Music is my way of connecting with the many facets of who I am and the realities around me.
Known as Xenai, I started composing my own music as a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The spectrum of cultural influences I’ve had the privilege of being exposed to from Western sounds like ‘The Weeknd’ and ‘Jeff Buckley’ as well as Eastern traditions like the Arabic vocal music mawwāl and Hindustani classical music, all which shaped my unique kaleidoscopic sound.
So far, I’ve released 40 original singles that I’ve written, composed, produced, engineered and performed myself. I won the Flash Entertainment 2019 Yasalam Emerging Talent Competition in Abu Dhabi and the award for Breakout Artist of the Year 2019: Gulf Indie Music Awards by Museland. I’ve been featured on U.A.E.‘s Gulf News, Bahrain National Newspaper: Gulf Daily News, Bahrain Confidential and Bahrain This Month for my creative endeavors.
My most notable performances include the F1 Grand Prix 2019 in Abu Dhabi opening for Marshmello and The Killers, the “Musicians Without Borders” at the Bahrain Cultural Hall 2019, the 2019 Mubadala Tennis World Championship, 2020 BIRA Makeplay Festival and the Art Fusions Art Exhibition, “Love & Inspire” attended by H.E. Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa.
I composed the title track and film score for a feature film proposed to be on Netflix, as well as having acted a lead role. I worked as assistant producer for multiple jingles and commercials for companies such as Nissan, Suzuki, Shiseido, DHC, Philip Morris and Kose. As an independent artist in Bahrain with a global outreach, I have a thorough understanding of multiple areas of my craft and the music industry.
In our conversation Xenai share's his story about how he has had to reshape his sound from personal experiences and what he plans to do with his music career in the future. Learn more on Dreams Not Memes.
Social : https://www.instagram.com/xenaimuzik/?hl=en
Website: https://www.ashwinxenai.com/