Canadian, queer singer Xana Morris has a unique and important voice in the music industry.
Based in Vancouver this rising pop artist covers topics such as anxiety and relationships on her sophomore album The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t.
The new music has taken her out on the road and she spoke backstage about her lyrical journey before her set at Lincoln Hall recently
JN: (Jerry Nunn) Did you always want to be a musician?
XM: (Xana Morris) Yes, that was the first thing I learned about myself when I was little. I put on shows for my folks and I was singing before I could talk.
I discovered Avril Lavigne when I was six years old and I wanted to be her when I grew up. My dad’s side of the family is very musical and they put me into music lessons around age five. I grew up on the island and moved to Vancouver almost two years ago when I started pursuing music full-time.
JN: Is that a good place to be based out of for music and traveling?
XM: Yes, at least for me, two producers that I work with live there. It made sense for me to live there when my videographer is there.
I would love to spend more time in New York or LA, but everything I need is in Vancouver right now, so it has been working out.
JN: Are you a fan of poutine?
XM: Yes and people ask me where to get the best poutine. It’s at Costco of all places!
JN: I visited Toronto during World Pride and it has a great LGBTQ+ scene.
XM: Canada is really good with that and I live in a little bubble where everyone is gay and happy. Where nothing is wrong in the world and everything is great.
JN: I live in that bubble too until it bursts!
XM: Yes, sometimes I tour some states and my eyes are opened.
JN: Were you always out and proud in your career?
XM: My coming out experience was very nonchalant and casual. When I realized I liked girls it was pretty chill. The second song I released was called “Pray” and it is all about women. There was never a moment in my career where it was a question about who I am. It has just been a part of it all along and not something that I have to think twice about.
It’s a privilege that I don’t take for granted.
JN: It makes it easier for the next artists when people are open about it too.
XM: This shows that any artist should be in an environment where they can strive and be themselves. No one needs an extra hurdle. People just want to create and be their authentic selves.
JN: The title of your album The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t sounds like a breakup record. Was that the intention?
XM: There are some breakup songs on the album, but this was me diving into themes of trauma. In my head the record circles around the track “15” and branches off from it. It’s a song that I am very proud of and I am glad I was at a place where I could make it come to life. I hoped it would be important to a lot of people.
It’s about assault and trying to understand a terrible experience. It has affected me ever since it happened with relationships and sex. I am able to see it through a lens now that I didn’t have when I was young so I can process it properly.
When I was writing the title track “The Sex Was Good!” it was about staying in a relationship too long for the wrong reasons. I thought that this encapsulated the entire album and everything fell under the title.
JN: Was this cathartic for you?
XM: Definitely and there were moments that were tough to make with this album. I think people expected it to be harder than it was because I had already worked through many things already. I was able to dig into those feelings. It was cathartic and the last nail in the coffin. Now I have something that was made from it and I can let it go.
JN: It must be empowering to put these emotions into a song…
XM: Absolutely. It has been special to see how it has affected other people and how they relate to it. Hopefully, victims now have words for what they went through with this song. That is a beautiful thing and makes it all worth it.
JN: Judging from the crowd I saw when I walked in there are a lot of girls out there that will relate to your music. That has to be the rewarding part after something horrible has happened to you.
XM: Totally. It’s no longer about that terrible thing that happened. It’s about growth and connections with each other. All of those years thinking I was alone was not true and now everyone can connect with this song. This is more about what happens afterward and not the event itself.
JN: That sounds healthy. It reminds me of the singer Tori Amos and her song “Me and a Gun.” Keep going with it.
XM: Thank you.
JN: The concert experience is communal so it all comes together.
XM: It’s very special.
JN: You have a song called “Homewrecking Era.” What era are you in now?
XM: That’s a hard question. I am in a limbo era while I am on tour. My personal life has been put on hold and I am not dealing with it until I get home.
Being on tour is so much fun and I get to meet so many incredible people. I am in my touring era and connecting with many people. I am realizing how many people listen to my music now. I see numbers on my computer at home, but then I come to the cities and see people’s faces. When people know my lyrics it comes together in a whole new way. Maybe it’s my revolution era!
JN: That’s a good era to be in.
XM: People are real and so am I. We are in this together!
JN: Talk about your track “Monster.”
XM: That’s a good follow-up to the “Homewrecking Era.” There were some decisions that I made that weren’t the best, so I was having a moment wondering if I was a terrible person. I wrote “Monster” to sort through that. I dragged myself through the dirt and listed off every selfish thing I had ever done. Some of it was when I was a teenager and some was recent. I was questioning why I had behaved a certain way. I was just being human.
By the time I was done writing the song, I had more compassion and grace with myself. I was learning and reflecting on these things while trying to move forward.
I do love the song and it makes me happy.
JN: It’s brave of you to face those issues on a song.
XM: I don’t think a lot of people do it. Putting in a fun beat made it easier. Ironically it is one of my favorites.
JN: Do you have a favorite tattoo?
XM: I have a few. My recent tattoos are this little rockstar bunny and these two little dudes. I have this one Blue Girl which is what I wanted to name my sister when she was born. Me and my sister agree that it would have been a cool name. That is my favorite tattoo.
JN: Who is the girl in the “Better Kind of Best Friend” video?
XM: That is my friend Devon Dalgarno.
JN: I thought she was possibly your girlfriend.
XM: Well, we went on a few dates and made out twice so I asked her if she would make out on camera with me. We were seeing each other at the time, but we are just good friends now. We had the best time!
JN: We call it the gay handshake sometimes…
XM: It was very gay! [laughs]
JN: Who would you like to work with but haven’t yet? Possibly Avril Lavigne?
XM: The closest I have been to meeting her was when I was 12 years old at her concert. My friend was able to squeeze through a crowd after the show to meet her and have something signed. She told Avril that it was my birthday and Avril wished me a happy birthday.
Artists I would love to work with would be Fletcher, Dermot Kennedy and Gracie Abrams.
JN: We need to get you to Lollapalooza because I have met all three of them there.
XM: Was Dermot like a big teddy bear?
JN: He’s cute and I am always worried about his voice because of how he vocalizes, so we talked about that. Gracie has a new song with Taylor Swift so she is doing well. Fletcher was one everyone wanted to work with that I interviewed that year.
XM: I am opening for Fletcher at Summerfest in a couple of days, so I hope I get to say hi to her.
JN: Are you staying in Chicago until you go to Wisconsin?
XM: No, we play in Minneapolis tomorrow then we drive through the night to head to Milwaukee. We have one travel day before going to Denver after that. After Salt Lake City we are done for this leg of the tour.
JN: That is a lot of traveling. The album came out recently so are you still trying to come up with live versions of the songs?
XM: Yes, but I think we are doing a good job of settling into it. It is still new for us as the album came out a month and a half ago. We jumped on the road to play it live right after it was released.
We will have a Canadian tour in September and we are planning more fun stuff for next year. The ball is still rolling!
JN: Maybe some Pride festivals?
XM: I would love that.
JN: Have you performed at Pride gatherings in the past?
XM: I did a few things but it was years ago. I would love to visit various Pride events on tour. I would love to come back for Chicago Pride!
For more on this talented artist visit xanaofficial.com.