The Xxngel Baby Story & Interview
Xxngel baby was born and raised around the Puyallup River Valley in the Pacific Northwest. Xxngel Baby was raised by her mother, a young, working student alongside her five sisters in suburban King county, Washington. She would simultaneously spend many semesters throughout grade school and junior high living with her grandmother in pastoral Pierce county, Washington. Growing up highly imaginative and intensely exploratory, Xxngel preferred the personal freedoms and independence that came with living rustically with her grandmother apart from her sisters.
Xxngel Baby's natural curiosity and growing strong will would routinely land her in trouble in her early teens and garner her a reputation as a wild child. Multiple suspensions from bringing alcohol to school to punching a junior male athlete in the jaw for race baiting her. An exhaustive learner in school, Xxngel Baby's teachers chalked her charismatic wildness up to complacency with school curriculum which she dubbed "unchallenging".Xxngel Baby continued to find herself in the principal's office explaining away party rumors, smoking weed during class, and for refusing to give the detention supervisor her real name.
Xxngel Baby turned her attention back toward her studies after narrowly avoiding super-senior status from missing too much class her final semester in highschool. She credits those teachers whom, with veritable genuineness, would insist she apply herself and her mother, whom she saw arduously pursuing a college degree with young children, for encouraging her to take dual highschool and college credits reminding her what matters most.
Already an avid reader and writer, Xxngel baby taught herself to produce music at just 20 years of age and began using "music journaling" every day in place of a diary. She would write and produce songs everyday to cope with the stressors of her multi-cultural upbringing, constant uproot, and being generally misunderstood and labeled as a problem child.
Xxngel Baby released her first single, 'Party & Bullshit' after developing herself artistically for nearly five years.
Xxngel hopes to inspire girls like herself through art and to empower them through living in her truth and transcending despite the odds.
Xxngel Baby lists Beyonce, Amy Winehouse, Taylor Momsen, Lil Kim, Biggie Smalls, Slash, Rihanna, and Kacey Musgraves among her musical influences.
Interview
1. where are you from and how would you describe your city?
It's hard for me to claim any one city. My mother was always a bit of a wanderer, so I've lived all over South King county. Whenever I'd live with my grandmother, it was always countryside Mt. Rainier territory. I would say Puyallup is most familiar to me.
Puyallup is, like, two cities in one. There's the valley-downtown-and that's more of a small town vibe. The valley has high school memories for me. I graduated from Puyallup on the fairgrounds. Bars, pubs, coffee, parks...it's very chill. Friendly. I lived on my grandmother's farm more on the outskirts, so I'd call it quiet and woodsy too.
South Hill, Puyallup was where I kicked it towards the end of high school and, like, early college years. I'd gotten my own apartment the last semester of high school, so the vibe was different there. South Hill is more cookie cutter suburban just looking at it. There was a lot of development happening when I lived there. Welcomed development! Not like all of the gentrification in Seattle. L.A Fitness...Panera..the South Hill mall where I worked after high school was always trying to do flashy things. It was more exciting, probably, for us small town, suburban kids to hang around there as young adults. A lot of parties, joy riding, weed was barely legal at the time lol.... just meeting up to do whatever....South Hill was cool. I heard it's changed now.
2. who has been your greatest support throughout your journey as an artist?
Puyallup is, like, two cities in one. There's the valley-downtown-and that's more of a small town vibe. The valley has high school memories for me. I graduated from Puyallup on the fairgrounds. Bars, pubs, coffee, parks...it's very chill. Friendly. I lived on my grandmother's farm more on the outskirts, so I'd call it quiet and woodsy too.
South Hill, Puyallup was where I kicked it towards the end of high school and, like, early college years. I'd gotten my own apartment the last semester of high school, so the vibe was different there. South Hill is more cookie cutter suburban just looking at it. There was a lot of development happening when I lived there. Welcomed development! Not like all of the gentrification in Seattle. L.A Fitness...Panera..the South Hill mall where I worked after high school was always trying to do flashy things. It was more exciting, probably, for us small town, suburban kids to hang around there as young adults. A lot of parties, joy riding, weed was barely legal at the time lol.... just meeting up to do whatever....South Hill was cool. I heard it's changed now.
2. who has been your greatest support throughout your journey as an artist?
My cousin, Tina, and my boyfriend, Isaac. They are so supportive and accepting of my artistic expression. I cherish that deeply. Isaac especially because we are discovering our artistry together. I feel the most creatively free producing music with him because he doesn't inhibit me. I can take on whatever form I'm feeling and I produce and write the coolest stuff off that.
And my mentor, Andy Beatman, for sure! He was the one to get me into a professional studio finally. I was always too shy to release any music. My first time in a studio he had a dope instrumental and he wanted me to write and lay down a hook all in that one session. I was, like, paralyzed nervous, but he had all of this confidence in me and his passion is craaazy contagious! In a genuine way. He'd be quick to say if he wasn't feeling something and would be super hype if he liked something I did.
This song...which we'll be releasing soon actually! I'm so stoked!..he wrote his verses for it on the spot! Like, zero hesitation. He knew what he wanted and didn't want. He'd get stuck sometimes but then something would just come to him...like flash of genius and he'd be laying it down in the booth in the next instant. Rewriting in the booth...working the song until the words and the vocals all connected...he'd really let the song breathe and find this flow and go with it. He'd want my input too which is a level of confidence another artist had never had in me at the time. It was cool he trusted me enough to let me witness his creative process. That's a big deal I think. That kind of authenticity and rawness is hella rare.
I showed Andy Party & Bullshit the night or day after I recorded it. I think he was in meetings all day, so it took him awhile to respond. I thought he wasn't responding because he was that put off by it. I was hella sad, like, all day lol I'd switched my rapping style last minute to gangster rap because I was so inspired by that first studio session with him..to be real..to say how I really felt...I thought it took him by surprise in a bad way. He finally got back to me and loved it! He was the first to see and respect me as an artist in my own right.
My artistic integrity and my confidence in my craft..how I present it to the public...it all goes back to that first studio session Andy invited me to and his subsequent reaction to my first song. His example is what I follow and what I seek out whenever I feel a little lost in the mix. His advice has been invaluable.
And my mentor, Andy Beatman, for sure! He was the one to get me into a professional studio finally. I was always too shy to release any music. My first time in a studio he had a dope instrumental and he wanted me to write and lay down a hook all in that one session. I was, like, paralyzed nervous, but he had all of this confidence in me and his passion is craaazy contagious! In a genuine way. He'd be quick to say if he wasn't feeling something and would be super hype if he liked something I did.
This song...which we'll be releasing soon actually! I'm so stoked!..he wrote his verses for it on the spot! Like, zero hesitation. He knew what he wanted and didn't want. He'd get stuck sometimes but then something would just come to him...like flash of genius and he'd be laying it down in the booth in the next instant. Rewriting in the booth...working the song until the words and the vocals all connected...he'd really let the song breathe and find this flow and go with it. He'd want my input too which is a level of confidence another artist had never had in me at the time. It was cool he trusted me enough to let me witness his creative process. That's a big deal I think. That kind of authenticity and rawness is hella rare.
I showed Andy Party & Bullshit the night or day after I recorded it. I think he was in meetings all day, so it took him awhile to respond. I thought he wasn't responding because he was that put off by it. I was hella sad, like, all day lol I'd switched my rapping style last minute to gangster rap because I was so inspired by that first studio session with him..to be real..to say how I really felt...I thought it took him by surprise in a bad way. He finally got back to me and loved it! He was the first to see and respect me as an artist in my own right.
My artistic integrity and my confidence in my craft..how I present it to the public...it all goes back to that first studio session Andy invited me to and his subsequent reaction to my first song. His example is what I follow and what I seek out whenever I feel a little lost in the mix. His advice has been invaluable.
3. At what age did you know you wanted to be an artist and how did you get started in the first place?
Since very young. I always liked performance art. I wanted to be an entertainer. A singer/actress. I took all kinds of drama classes. I'd have my mom take me to talent agencies. I read autobiographies and books on acting and screenwriting like crazy..just soaking up information.
I started out re-writing words to popular songs. I remember I rewrote Katy Perry's California Gurls into, like, West coast girls or something like that lol. I'd study artists. Watch behind-the-scenes dvd's, interviews, all that. I think when I realized the glitz and glamour, which is what I was originally attracted to as a kid, had all of these moving parts behind it to make it work was the point of no return for me. I fell in love with the creators and the creative process. I learned very young that I could create myself. My own artistic worlds.
There isn't any age or instance I can pinpoint when my admiration for it all turned into actually working towards it. The desire was always in me and it's been a one-thing-leading-to-another-thing kind of journey.
I started out re-writing words to popular songs. I remember I rewrote Katy Perry's California Gurls into, like, West coast girls or something like that lol. I'd study artists. Watch behind-the-scenes dvd's, interviews, all that. I think when I realized the glitz and glamour, which is what I was originally attracted to as a kid, had all of these moving parts behind it to make it work was the point of no return for me. I fell in love with the creators and the creative process. I learned very young that I could create myself. My own artistic worlds.
There isn't any age or instance I can pinpoint when my admiration for it all turned into actually working towards it. The desire was always in me and it's been a one-thing-leading-to-another-thing kind of journey.
4. In your opinion who is the most influential and successful artist in your genre and why?
Lil Kim without a doubt if we're talking female rap as a subgenre. Everything is traceable back to her. Women spitting hard with crossover pop appeal, alter egos, owning her sexuality... going bar for bar with men...her looks! Her refusal to compromise her artistic expression! Like, damn. I grew up listening to Lil Kim and following her career. I have so much respect for her.
She came out of the gates swinging not having any predecessors to reference as a safety net. Sometimes it seems like today's rap listeners eschew Kim's accomplishments. I think they're unaware. Lil Kim coming the way she did in the early '90's in a male dominated genre before black feminism was outlined in our society...she had to make her image and presentation make sense in a time when it just didn't. And she did that! On a global scale! I watch her old interviews sometimes..before her Notorious K.I.M era when interviewers relentlessly backed her in a corner and picked her apart and she would assert herself still shaky voice and all. That woman is a boss. It all goes back to Lil Kim.
5.who would you like to work with in the future?
She came out of the gates swinging not having any predecessors to reference as a safety net. Sometimes it seems like today's rap listeners eschew Kim's accomplishments. I think they're unaware. Lil Kim coming the way she did in the early '90's in a male dominated genre before black feminism was outlined in our society...she had to make her image and presentation make sense in a time when it just didn't. And she did that! On a global scale! I watch her old interviews sometimes..before her Notorious K.I.M era when interviewers relentlessly backed her in a corner and picked her apart and she would assert herself still shaky voice and all. That woman is a boss. It all goes back to Lil Kim.
5.who would you like to work with in the future?
I would love to work with Ashley All Day. A Bay area rapper. She's dope. Lil Debbie. Her discography is nothing light! Qveen Herby, Pouya, Shoreline Mafia.. Oh, Gifted Gab and Blimes! Dope, dope artists.
I want to work with Andy Beatman again for sure and I've been trying to link with Troxy Cotton, another Seattle rapper to do a song. He's a spitter. Whenever I book my next studio sessions to finish my project I really want to make that happen.
6.How do you separate yourself from other artists?
I want to work with Andy Beatman again for sure and I've been trying to link with Troxy Cotton, another Seattle rapper to do a song. He's a spitter. Whenever I book my next studio sessions to finish my project I really want to make that happen.
6.How do you separate yourself from other artists?
I go with my gut. I don't like to be formulaic. All respect if that's how an artist wants to rock of course. I know it's popular to do the twerking on Triller or be this big personality on the internet to promote, but I think it'd be too disingenuous if I went that route. I have a vision and I'm particular with how I want to do things. What I envision is what I have to do even if it takes more time or it doesn't connect with the general public. My life and the art I produce from it are inextricably entwined to me. I wouldn't see a point to continuing down this path if I wasn't being creatively fulfilled.
I have to be careful not to get too disappointed with the industry sometimes because several people have told me I'd need an OnlyFans or to dress scantily clad, post twerk videos etc. to get people's attention. And they lose interest in working with me when I, you know, disagree. It can be a little disheartening but I've got the right people around me who've got my best interest at heart and who are letting me know I'm doing the right thing sticking to my direction. I'm a creative and an artist above anything else. I want people to see that first and foremost I can do the fun stuff later.
I have to be careful not to get too disappointed with the industry sometimes because several people have told me I'd need an OnlyFans or to dress scantily clad, post twerk videos etc. to get people's attention. And they lose interest in working with me when I, you know, disagree. It can be a little disheartening but I've got the right people around me who've got my best interest at heart and who are letting me know I'm doing the right thing sticking to my direction. I'm a creative and an artist above anything else. I want people to see that first and foremost I can do the fun stuff later.
7.How do you stay motivated and continue your music as an artist?
For me, it'd be impossible to not make music. It's always been my principal mode of expressing myself. For years before I ever released anything or even told people produced and sang and rap and had files upon files of songs, I did what I called "music journaling". I'd produce songs based off of how I was feeling that day and write whatever I felt and that's how I made songs and developed my art. Whether I was having a bad day or a good day....I'd document time periods in my life with songs I created purely from my imagination. It's my most rewarding way to pass the time. It's still my favorite thing to do on my days off. Smoke a joint by the water then open up my laptop and let it flow.
Since releasing Party & Bullshit, I have had days where I'd feel, I guess, jaded. Thinking the music industry is not what I thought or something and maybe I should just go back to making music in my bedroom for myself, but I know that's not what I really want. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is a musician who I admire not just as an artist but as a person. And Andy too. Watching his workflow and creativity come to life as we work together.
Knowing there are artists out there like them who give their energy to their craft because they have a song or a lyric or a visual they HAVE to bring to fruition because it's in their coding to do so and not for any fame or hype or whatever...that inspires me to keep sharing my art
8. what aspect of the music making process excites you the most and what discourages you the most?
Since releasing Party & Bullshit, I have had days where I'd feel, I guess, jaded. Thinking the music industry is not what I thought or something and maybe I should just go back to making music in my bedroom for myself, but I know that's not what I really want. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is a musician who I admire not just as an artist but as a person. And Andy too. Watching his workflow and creativity come to life as we work together.
Knowing there are artists out there like them who give their energy to their craft because they have a song or a lyric or a visual they HAVE to bring to fruition because it's in their coding to do so and not for any fame or hype or whatever...that inspires me to keep sharing my art
8. what aspect of the music making process excites you the most and what discourages you the most?
Working a song from a seed idea or a passing thought in my conscience to a fully written, mixed, and mastered song is what excites me the most. Songs to me have their own kind of life force. Like, I don't ever force songs to be ready. They are when they are, you know? When I'm writing a song there is usually an idea or something I'm trying to get across. A concept. An overall feeling.
If lyrics or bars don't fit I don't make them. I come up with something else. I've left songs unfinished for years before coming back to them to finish. I really don't force anything. Especially when I'm working with another artist. Breadman is the engineer who recorded and mixed Party & Bullshit and I remember not wanting to give too much direction with how he was recording it. I like artists in their lane to do what they do. I like the mutual respect and new ideas and angles that comes from that.
Party & Bullshit honestly sounds nothing like how I imagined in my head. I love it! I'm awed by the sentience of art. Once the idea leaves my head and becomes tangible, I don't believe it's fully just mine anymore if that makes sense.
Marketing, branding and promo are chores to me honestly.
9. what was tour inspiration behind your latest video "Party and bullshit?
If lyrics or bars don't fit I don't make them. I come up with something else. I've left songs unfinished for years before coming back to them to finish. I really don't force anything. Especially when I'm working with another artist. Breadman is the engineer who recorded and mixed Party & Bullshit and I remember not wanting to give too much direction with how he was recording it. I like artists in their lane to do what they do. I like the mutual respect and new ideas and angles that comes from that.
Party & Bullshit honestly sounds nothing like how I imagined in my head. I love it! I'm awed by the sentience of art. Once the idea leaves my head and becomes tangible, I don't believe it's fully just mine anymore if that makes sense.
Marketing, branding and promo are chores to me honestly.
9. what was tour inspiration behind your latest video "Party and bullshit?
Well, the idea of it is confidence. Self-assuredness. I booked my own studio session shortly after Andy had me as a guest in his session and I wrote the song a week before my appointment. I was inspired by seeing Andy at work in his creative space. I kind of just absorbed the experience and spit out Party & Bullshit.
Some things were going on in my personal life..my work life..my love life..that I had this unresolved acidity about. Some repeating cycles I didn't like. I'm not actually so gruff in real life lol or bragadocious. A lot of the things I rapped on Party & Bullshit I would not say in real life. I was impassioned and grappling with things and I just let it all out when writing Party & Bullshit. I referenced my present day circumstances as they were happening and then some situations from the past I never talked about. It was liberating. It was art.
Some things were going on in my personal life..my work life..my love life..that I had this unresolved acidity about. Some repeating cycles I didn't like. I'm not actually so gruff in real life lol or bragadocious. A lot of the things I rapped on Party & Bullshit I would not say in real life. I was impassioned and grappling with things and I just let it all out when writing Party & Bullshit. I referenced my present day circumstances as they were happening and then some situations from the past I never talked about. It was liberating. It was art.
10.if you can describe your fans in one word what would it be and why?
Fiery! I hope my music resonates with fiery individuals who live as their authentic selves even when no one is watching. People who stand tough in their convictions even when others may try to manipulate their truth or run narratives about them. The truth comes out eventually and so people like them, like me, who will weather the storm and take the heat if that means not compromising who we are at our cores. People who move. Who take action. Who really want to live an unrestricted life and who will experience what they want even when it's not what everyone else is doing or approves of. Just some ballsy, bossy, fiery people, man.
11. what advice would you give to upcoming artists who are trying to pursue their dreams?
11. what advice would you give to upcoming artists who are trying to pursue their dreams?
Keep going! Keep making things happen. Follow the rabbit. Don't leave any stones unturned. Remain authentic.
12. where do you see yourself in 5 years?
12. where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I'm pursuing a degree in computer science right now, so I see myself having completed that. Doing some cool things in tech. Making strides with visual art. Still getting real creative with the rapping, singing, and producing. Living my life.
13.What albums, latest releases or singles are available to your fans and where can they be found?
Party & Bullshit is available on Spotify, YouTube, and Soundcloud! Check out the music video on my YouTube, Xxngel Baby, and like, subscribe, and share! There's more coming.
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