Interviewing Xondra: her upcoming album “Moving Forward” and her music journey as a NY-based independent singer

What does it mean to be an independent artist in today’s music world while creating from New York? We had the chance to speak with Xondra about that journey, as well as her upcoming album Good Things Take Time and one of her latest singles, Moving Forward.

With music that feels reflective, intimate and calming, Xondra creates songs that invite listeners into her world.  There’s a quiet honesty in her sound, a balance between vulnerability and growth that gives listeners space to reflect while getting a deeper understanding of the artist behind the music.

Enjoy!

Your new single "Moving Forward" recently came out. How would you describe it to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?

I'd describe Moving Forward as a gentle reminder to lean into the present moment and kind of lean into the uncomfortableness of life, because I think we find a lot of answers when we kind of lean into the uncomfortable instead of kind of hiding in the past or obsessing over the future. It's definitely that kind of reminder for you. It's definitely something I needed to hear.

You’re about to release your new album, "Good Things Take Time". What was the creative process like?

Good Things Take Time definitely lends itself to its name because we took so much time and care to make this record. It took about like three years, and it was really just mostly four main people working on the album. It was me, my friend AJ, my friend Billy, and Shubham produced it. We kind of made it in bits and pieces, and I wrote so many songs for the record that had to be cut because I would write a better song, and then I would just like replace it.

And then I really needed the time to live, I think, and keep writing better songs and kind of allow myself to let go of songs that I felt I once felt good about, but then I made new ones that I like better and all that kind of stuff. And like some songs had to be re-recorded because I wrote it in the wrong key for myself or like I wanted it to sound a little bit different.

It was a lot of fun, you know, but it was a soul-searching type of project, for sure. I really had to, like, go deep and meet myself more than maybe I had before in my songwriting, and it was cathartic, and I learned a lot about songwriting and record-making and myself as a person.

What can listeners expect from it?

I think that listeners can expect a wide range of emotions and sounds. I love how much acoustic guitar we used on this record, and I also love that we got to play with some more electronic elements, like synths and more voice effects than I maybe have in the past, and I really, I like the effected voice kind of sounds and kind of taking some time to explore that more.

I've been enjoying kind of mixing the more organic parts of music with the more electronic elements, you know? Like, I like the organic and the non-organic kind of mixing together to make something that sounds familiar but fresh and new. That was really the goal. The goal was really to make something that was hopefully undeniable and that you will grow with the songs, that you'll still be able to listen to it and it resonate later on.

You’re from Long Island. Do you think this place shaped your sound or your music taste in any way?

I think that the fact that I'm from Long Island did affect a lot of the writing, because half of it was written when I was on the island and feeling really stuck. I was pretty isolated, and I felt kind of stuck in suburbia where I was. And then the other half of the album was written in the Hudson Valley, and there's like a tug and pull of these two times of my life kind of coming together to make the record, kind of me wanting to be free and me on the other side of that, feeling more free.

I have so much love for Long Island, and I do miss it, and I go back there because I have all my family there and friends! But I think sometimes the grass is greener for a lot of people, so I needed to get away to the mountains in order for me to finish this record. I was kind of feeling stuck in my life and also musically, and then I came upstate, and I feel like it helped me kind of grow as a songwriter and push me to the edge more. But much love to Long Island, I feel like I'll always be shaped and affected by being from there, you know?

As an independent artist, what has been the most challenging and the most rewarding part of building your career so far?

I think the most challenging part of being an independent artist is having that unwavering belief in yourself before anyone else does, before you even catch on to other people, it's kind of just the confidence and the trust to know that you are building something that is of value before anyone else may find value in it. It's like you have to be your number one fan. You truly have to believe in yourself because it's not an easy industry.

I think the most rewarding part of building my career so far has been getting to collaborate with different people along my journey because I feel like every time that you collaborate or every time that you just keep writing, I feel like you get better. I feel like you grow more. Everyone, everything is energy to me, so the more energies I come across, the more I get different inspiration for songwriting, and songwriting is really the most rewarding part of my career for me. I love songwriting. Everything is songwriting to me. And I'm so inspired by everyone that I meet and everywhere that I go, and I think it's gonna always be that way. So yeah, that’s what makes me happy!

What do you hope to transmit through your music?

I'm a big believer that you should transmit your pain through music and make something beautiful through it. And a lot of my music has been through me processing growth that is happening, and it can be painful, or it can be beautiful, or both. And I hope that people feel the earnestness and the love that I put into the music that I make, because it really is my way of feeling through the world. i hope people resonate with the honesty and feel less alone because sometimes it can be very isolating to be a human, so I think everyone can use it as a reminder that we're not alone. Music's always been that way for me: I always loved music that was really serious or like sad or whatever, and I listen to it and I feel less alone. So I hope that I can be that for other people!

"Good Things Take Time" comes out may 29th on all digital platforms!

You can watch the video interview by clicking here, follow Xondra by clicking here and listen to her music hereunder: