There’s so many artists that I’ve discovered in my time of being alive but very few of them have stayed on my daily rotation consistently. Xavier Weeks is one of them. Getting to watch him grow as an artist over these last four years has been a real privilege for me. The Texas-born artist has been turning heads for years and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. We had a chance to chop it up and now we get to share a more personal side of Xavier Weeks.
EY: How’s life been for you lately?
XW: It’s been pretty good. Just transferred to a university and been working on this EP.
EY: That’s good to hear bro! First of all, I wanted to say thank you so much for wanting to do this interview with me. I’d love to hear the story on what got you into making music?
XW: At first, I was just a huge fan of hip-hop music and the culture and I was heavily inspired by Pierre Bourne when Carti dropped his self titled project. I wanted to be a producer at first but it was lowkey too hard so I found out how to record songs on Audacity. I began to fuck around and make meme songs like me legit mumbling on a track for three minutes and it did weirdly well so it kind of prompted me into actually giving recording a go and then two or three songs later I made “Team,” [and] that changed the trajectory of my life.
EY: That’s dope bro! Hell of an origin story. Who is Xavier Weeks for those who aren’t familiar with you or your music? What would you like someone’s first impression to be of you when they hear your name?
XW: Xavier Weeks is someone that tries to make hopeful or uplifting music. I try to make soundtracks to peoples lives or just try to capture the feeling certain songs give me that make me feel alive or feel something. What I would like someone’s first impression would be is what I’m doing is pushing art forward or is creative. I hope to make art that inspires others [and] to not be afraid to try new things.
EY: As someone who has been a fan of yours for years, I’ve seen you grow as an artist and it feels like I got to see you grow as a person, on the surface at least. How would you say these last four to five years have treated you and how have you overcame obstacles in life and creative blocks?
XW: I think I’ve definitely grown up a lot since I first started. I think how I have overcame creative blocks and obstacles is not to force anything. I feel like when we try to force something like songs or things in general, they don’t turn out how we want them to.
EY: I definitely agree. Tell me a bit about your origin story in regard to location. Where are you from and how has it impacted your life as well as the music side?
XW: I was born in Dallas but when I was seven, I moved to Finland and lived there for five and a half years before moving to Seattle. I feel like Finland gave me a whole world perspective and really understood [that] there’s a whole world perspective out there with different cultures and people. I think that definitely impacted my music as I take a lot of inspiration from international artists.
EY: That’s sick! I’m in Dallas and have been my entire life so I haven’t been able to travel as much. One of the first songs I heard from you which got me hooked was “Rambo.” What was the creative process/meaning behind that song?
XW: I was just in my room one day. I probably finished it in like an hour or two. It was juts one of those songs that I instantly got a hook right when I heard the beat but I think it was around the time when things really started to gain traction and I really felt like I was going somewhere with the music so when I said the line “Tell my mom I’m a star, I’ma make it,” That’s just what I was I was feeling. I felt like my aspirations in this were coming true.
EY: Besides Pierre Bourne, who else has been some of your influences/inspirations when it comes to making music?
XW: Lancey Foux I’d say would be my biggest inspiration now. I feel like he mixes the hard swaggy shit with adding a deeper message in his projects. ‘Friend or Foux,’ and “Life and Hell,” are projects that I really inspire to make, something that really impacts others.
EY: He’s definitely one of my favorite artists as of now as well as the UK rap scene in general. Who have been some artists that you work with and stay close to? How would you say these artists have helped you to where you are at now?
XW: I’d say my bro Randy and Charlieonnafriday. Those are just people that I have collaborated with [where] everything came naturally. Charlie taught me a lot about content creation as I feel like he’s mastered it. With Randy, I feel like we just have hella fun cooking up making up whatever.
EY: That’s good to have a great circle around you! I know that I discovered your music around the pandemic. Would you say the isolation during that time period helped you, hurt you, or how did that affect you?
XW: I’d say it helped me and hurt me in different ways. I feel as an artist, I relied my life experiences for my writing process and just overall vision for my music. The pandemic made me have to grab that inspiration from thin air. I think I got better with the process of making music during that time.
EY: Being an artist, do you get self-conscious about your music? If so, how do you overcome those thoughts that take over? If not, what helped you get to that point?
XW: For sure, 100%. I think what it comes down to is making music for yourself. You can never 100% please the audience. Half [of] the time they don’t even know what they want yet.
EY: I get that completely. You just recently released an EP titled Rather Feel Than Heal What’s the backstory behind this project? What did the creative look like leading up to this release?
XW: I just wanted to release some rap music. I feel like I was drifting all over the place genre wise and wanted to make strictly rap music for the EP. It was just songs that I’ve made over the last couple of months that I thought were hard. Honestly the least amount of thought behind this EP other than just trying to put fire songs on there but I got a house/dance EP coming next that I’m really excited to start working on.
EY: I’m enjoying the project and I’m definitely looking forward to the next project as well. Who are the top three artists you’d want to collaborate with and why?
XW: Lancey Foux because that just my favorite artist, Fredagain. I feel like we would make some really fire shit and Drake because that’s the goat.
EY: Definitely a solid list. What are some goals you have for yourself? Are you where you thought you’d be right now compared to this time last year?
XW: I haven’t ever really been a goal setter. I kind of like letting things happen naturally. To be honest, I’m not really sure where I thought I’d be right now. I kind of just went with the flow and let the universe do it’s thing.
EY: I know you’re in Seattle and you also mentioned that you transferred to a university. Are you staying local or where is that taking you to?
XW: I’m local. I’m going to the University Of Washington.
EY: That’s dope! When not in class or making music, what are some other hobbies of yours?
XW: I take boxing pretty seriously. I’ve been doing it behind the scenes for the past two and a half years. I’d say that’s my main hobby but other than that, I’m a huge soccer fan. I feel like I spend a lot of my time watching soccer or just tactics of the game. I don’t know why, it just scratches my brain.
EY: I know you mentioned a project in the near future but what else can we expect from Xavier Weeks this year?
XW: Hopefully a full scale project called Human Nature I think it will be my “classic.”
EY: If you could give any advice to up-and-coming artists, what would that be?
XW: Trust your gut. This music stuff is 50% hard work and 50% mental strength. If you can’t keep your mental strong or just [aren’t] in a good place, things can spiral really fast and the last thing is have fun with it. The best music comes from having fun.
EY: Lastly, what is some advice you’d give to people in general? Maybe those who aren’t in the best headspace or those who are struggling with finding themselves?
XW: I’d say let time take it’s course but just try to do things with love as much as you can. Try new things, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Either way, everything will be okay and work out.
