For every artist we decided to catch at SXSW, we decided to review each performance with our own version of “Five Ws and One H” answering the questions: 1) Who are they, 2) What kind of music do they play, 3) When did they play, 4) Where are they from, 5) Why did we decide to catch them play and 6), How was their performance.
FOR OUR COMPLETE SXSW COVERAGE CLICK HERE!
WHO: Lexie.
WHAT: Hip-Hop infused R&B.
WHEN: 3/18/2017 at SXSW’s International Day Stage
WHERE: Currently studying in the U.S., but originally from Changsha, China.
WHY: There were a handful of Asian and Asian American artist showcases at SXSW, but I couldn’t fit them into my schedule without backing out of other commitments. When I received a random email for a very early showcase of a young recording artist named Lexie. Her bio was impressive having finished in the top 4 of Korea’s televised vocal competition “K-Pop Star” and releasing a record in China titled “Coco Made Me Do It” which apparently hit over 5,000,000 plays on various Chinese internet music platforms.
HOW: Currently studying in the states, I was impressed with Lexie’s hustle. Determined to find a foothold in the U.S., her attendance at SXSW was a chance for her to showcase her triple threat (singing, dancing and rapping) talent. If the audience impression of her was anything like mine, I think she made a pretty solid case she’s got talent that deserves to be kept an eye on.
You can tell that she enjoys being on stage. Her confidence was clearly evident and that’s half the battle when trying stand out in the music biz. She performed her entire set in English (which is what she is currently studying), and if there were any tips I could offer to help her with her transition into the U.S. market, it would be to concentrate on lyrical content, with an eye towards avoiding cliched tropes that may not necessarily be genuine to her own life. The talent is there. The beats sound solid. I think the true hurdle will be writing lyrics that are both authentic to and give the audience an opportunity to discover who she is and what she’s about. She’s young, so she’s got time. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on how her music evolves.
Follow Lexie Liu on Weibo and Instagram.
FOR OUR COMPLETE SXSW COVERAGE CLICK HERE!
LIVE CLIPS
Lexie Liu @ SXSW 3/18/17. Stay tuned for my photo gallery and thoughts to get posted on @BlurredCulture! pic.twitter.com/fkWSZ1caqo
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 15, 2017
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