Today we’d like to introduce you to Xenai.
Hi Xenai, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Ashwin Shenoy and I go by Xenai. I am an alien from inner space that explores artistry through music and acting. I call myself an alien simply because all my life, I never had a strong sense of home or cultural identity and have always been searching for it. In my motherland, India, I am a foreigner (I only speak English despite coming from 6 different regions there) and in the place where I was born and raised, Bahrain, I am an immigrant. (Also, we’re called Alien immigrants here if we are not natives in this country and I thought that was kind of cool, haha). The inner space aspect of it comes from my own spiritual journey that is constantly unfolding and is the only reason I have come so far in life and creativity. I got into music early on through family and friends starting with the guitar and then picked up drums and singing. I went through a wide spectrum of genres only because I had so many different friend groups and each of them had their own vibe that I adapted into. I also played in different bands and kept exploring until, at the age of 15, I started hearing my own melodies and ideas louder than other artists’ songs, and the urge to compose and record music came with that.
For a long time, I was solely into producing instrumental music. I auditioned for Berklee and entered as a guitarist but quickly found singing, beat-making, and songwriting as my outlet. That’s how my alias Xenai was created. When I graduated, I became an assistant producer for a production house, making jingles, adverts, and radio commercials for different Japanese companies like Nissan, Suzuki, Shiseido as well as TOHO. I worked under a mentor named Yukihiro Kanesaka. I worked in Boston for almost two years and traveled around quite a bit. But then the pandemic hit so I came back to stay with my family in Bahrain. I took this opportunity to build up my catalog, release more music, and hone my skills. So far, I performed in the U.A.E., India, and major events in Bahrain. I even won the Yasalam Emerging Talent Competition 2019 and opened for Marshmello and The Killers at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix which also had Lana Del Rey and Future that year. A week later, I won the Gulf Indie Music Award “Breakout Artist of the Year” 2019 while being nominated this year (2020) for “Best Music Video” and “Artist of the Year”. Currently, I am collaborating with different artists while building up my solo catalog for release next year. The plan is to release a single every fortnight.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, yes things have magically fallen into place in a serendipitous way. But when I think about certain events that took place in my life, it’s been a rollercoaster ride. When I entered Berklee, I came in thinking I was going to come out one of the best guitarists in the world. But halfway through my degree, I started suffering from muscle spasms, shocks, and minor paralysis down the right side of my body. No matter what I tried, it continued to get worse until I could only play the guitar for 15 mins before the pain kicked in. I was forced to leave behind the thing I was the most passionate about in life. Naturally, I went through major depression and anxiety and even darker thoughts of escape. I now see, in hindsight, that this was a huge blessing in disguise because if it wasn’t for this limitation, I wouldn’t have discovered my other abilities.
My dad always said, “necessity is the mother of all invention”. I needed to continue expressing myself and creating music so I reinvented myself. I discovered beat-making and singing, and, while I continued exploring these, dancing and acting entered into my life too, and I welcomed them with open arms. Before this sudden change, I was the quiet introvert kid who spent most of his time in his bedroom making instrumental music. I dreaded the stage, but I had no way out. I didn’t want to settle for my backup plan of becoming a sound engineer and regret not going for what I really wanted. I took that leap of faith and things haven’t been the same since. My music only got better after all these experiences and if it wasn’t for me coming back, I wouldn’t have won a major competition and opened for such big names.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, first and foremost I am a musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and performing artist, but since the incident in college, I realized a connection to art and expression in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. When I started acting, my songwriting got better, when I started dancing, my beats got better and each medium helped the other in some symbiotic way. I see a deeper connection between different forms of art and I learned how to trace it back to the source which is our self. Even though I started many things lately, I picked them up relatively fast and now I am proud to say I am acting in my first feature film which will be out in summer 2021. I think that’s what sets me apart from others, the fact that I keep taking these leaps of faith knowing I may fail but doing it anyway and working at it till I get results. My music video ‘Fool’ is sort of an example of this and every song I’ve released so far has been its own unique journey sonically, musically, and emotionally – which is why every song sounds different from the other. I have yet to find “my sound” and I am starting to think that maybe the ambiguity is my sound after all. I guess I should also pat myself on the back for releasing 30+ songs so far with many more on the way.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My mother always told me to choose gratitude over any other emotion, especially when times get tough. I’m still learning it but I believe that’s the reason I have been able to “pivot” so easily. Every obstacle is a stepping stone and I hope my story is a good example for anyone reading it who may be going through a similar situation. Whatever we are currently going through may seem difficult and impossible to overcome but giving yourself the chance to see it from the outside whether it’s through meditation or seeking help, can help you see the opportunity in the given challenge. It’s there for you to learn something and move forward and it won’t go until you learn that lesson. Life works in weird ways and I’m sure many of us are experiencing that right now with the pandemic and the time we’ve had during the lockdown. Also, be open to change because maybe we are meant for bigger things than what we initially set out to do.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.ashwinxenai.com/xenai
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenaimuzik
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xenaimuzik
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/xenaimuzik
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/xenaiofficial
- SoundCloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/xenai9
Image Credits
Xaxo – @Xaxo.jpg Phil Seaton – @filseaton_photography The Morbid Optimist – @morbidclicks Pranjal Jain – @pranjalj.111 Digital Abdullah – @digitalabdullah
