Meet XTIE, the Pop Star Reshaping the Music Industry

She’s one of the few self-made pop stars from Hong Kong, but XTIE is now on her way to becoming a supernova in global pop stardom.

Since she stormed into the music industry by way of Hong Kong in 2017, the multifaceted artist  XTIE has become a force in the independent music scene. She just made her North American debut on February 7th in an intimate show at Los Angeles’ Hotel Cafe, but XTIE’s rise has been long-in-the-making. With the release of her exceptional debut album “APOLLO-23” and as one of the few Asian women producing music period, XTIE resembles a supernova, ascending and blazing into the North American music scene as a ray of light. 

But XTIE’s story begins the first time she left Hong Kong for university. She was 21 years old, “quite old,” as she told me one morning over Zoom with a laugh, when she landed in the Scottish city. The flight was long and included a layover in Dubai. She had traveled alone with heavy luggage, lugging it to her dorm room and unpacking by herself. The first thought that occurred to her as she reached for her clothes was almost childlike: “Oh my god, my mom is not here to help me unpack.”  And then she burst into tears. 

Glasgow was the first time XTIE had moved away from her family in Hong Kong, much less left the country. It was daunting and overwhelming to imagine creating a life in a place so wildly different from her own home. But then she felt, well, free. “I loved being very independent,” she said with a sense of wonder. 

Living in Glasgow gave XTIE the first glimpse of how big the world is, and how much music there is to soak up in different continents. She had studio sessions with producers and engineers where she was able to see firsthand the process of recording music. At the time recording professionally was not something XTIE had considered, even though she had been writing music and melodies for the better part of a decade. But she was fascinated by the city’s culture.

XTIE’s spent the last seven years back in Hong Kong since she returned from university. In the time since she returned home, XTIE’s made a name for herself as a producer and musician. In the past six years, XTIE’s had a hand in creating some of the most popular music coming from the city. She’s worked with idol groups and stellar level cantopop artists like Alfred Hui, Janice Vidal, putting her own brand of unique production on their music. She’s one of the few women producing music in Hong Kong, period. 

But it’s her solo work that is starting to get XTIE the most attention. Last year, the singer released her debut album “APOLLO-23”, a concept album that explored themes of self-love and celebrated individuality. XTIE created the album on a remarkably small, do-it-yourself budget, filming music videos and creating visuals that presented herself as an avant-garde work of art. Her most popular songs, “Skin” and “Spaceship”, represent the singer’s desire to elevate; to move beyond the restraints of identity or location. Her work is often an invitation to find the warmth of the sun, to liberate yourself from stereotypes. 

“I wanted my listeners to feel free and like they were walking down the runway,” XTIE told me. “I wanted them to feel like they had power.” 

Hong Kong is as embedded into XTIE’s story as music is in her biography. The city made her into the woman she is today: She’s a force of energy. Someone who is extraordinarily determined, who talks as fast as she walks, who refuses to wait for anyone to do something for her. The city, which she describes as a “melting pot”, toughens you up.

In the nineteen-nineties, before K-Pop became the industry Asia is most known for, Hong Kong was in the midst of a golden age of Cantonese pop music. Jacky Cheung, often referred to as the “God of Songs”, as well as Lesley Cheung and Anita Mui were the city’s most revered pop star.

XTIE wasn’t born until years after, but this pride in Canto-pop was something that was instilled in her from a young age. “My mom trained me to be musical,” she explained “it’s a common thing for Asian families that when we are young we have to go to a lot of hobby classes, like ballet, tennis, piano, and sports. There were a lot of things I had to try.” But it turns out that the hobby XTIE liked the most was choir. Her mother took notice, and in primary school her music education expanded into piano lessons, something that XTIE admits she never liked. “But I had to practice because I didn’t want to waste my mom’s efforts or money,” she said with some exasperation.

Yet piano gave XTIE the rudimentary skills that she still has today: A willingness to learn; a perseverance to not give up even when the task feels ridiculous. In middle school, she began writing songs. “I didn’t even realize they were songs, though,” she laughed. “I just thought they were melodies.” But she was proud of them, and often shared them with her friends. 

XTIE’s parents preference was for her to receive a proper education; to have more options than they did, to go farther than them. “I needed to succeed academically in order to have society recognize me as an adult,” she explained. She majored in psychology and politics. “I didn’t really think about getting into music as a career because I didn’t know how to do it, and also, I didn’t know anyone personally who was pursuing music,” she said. The thought felt foreign. A career in music? That would be insane. 

After she returned from Glasgow and graduated from university, XTIE began a career in art management, immersing herself in Hong Kong’s vibrant art industry. The work was thrilling and she learned that she was good at it, too. But she was still interested in music, and after she returned home from work she’d stay up late watching YouTube tutorials on producing music. By 2018, she felt confident enough to call herself a producer. 

 “Once I started producing and experimenting with different sound textures that I resonated with I found XTIE’s sound,” she said. Her secret sauce, she discovered, was how she manipulated vocals. “I love to use my vocals in different ways on the production. I like to manipulate people’s vocals. If I put a piano, a bass, or guitar, it sounds like those instruments. But if I manipulate the singer’s voice, then it sounds unique.” 

“It was terrifying to become a musician,” XTIE admitted. We were in the middle of a conversation about her debut, which she pinpoints to 2020, and how much faith she pulled together to believe in herself. “I always tell people I'm a COVID artist because I started on my project in COVID.” 

XTIE isn’t alone. Hong Kong has seen a revitalization of its music scene in the past five years that began right before the pandemic. If I could trace the shift to one year it might be  2019, when the largest demonstrations in the history of Hong Kong broke out against the government’s introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. 

The protests lasted until 2020, when the COVID-19 outbreak shuttered the population’s ability to congregate. But then something unexpected happened: because the borders were closed and no outside performers could tour, people in Hong Kong began to invest heavily in its own talent. 

“We didn’t have an idol group with commercial success but because of COVID and the protest, we’ve started to focus on the local artists,” XTIE explained. The city’s border was closed for three years, which meant that the only groups who could perform were local artists. While K-Pop was beginning to achieve worldwide domination, in Hong Kong, locals began to feel an extreme sort of pride for their own idol groups like MIRROR. 

As Hong Kong’s music scene exploded, XTIE found work pouring in for her as a producer. She was conservative on becoming a working musician, though, and didn’t quit her day job untill 2023. “I started to feel that maybe I could try,” she said. “My husband, family and friends in the industry encouraged me a lot.” Her friends in the industry, too, were eager for her to become a full-time musician.”I was the only one who had to juggle with a day job. When they graduated from music school, they started working as a freelancer. They encouraged me to quit to start working in music.” 

“And then I quit,” she said with a self-deprecating laugh. “It was terrifying because you know after graduation I worked six to seven years full-time.” She learned production, took gigs in Hong Kong and did side jobs as often as she could. “It was about getting into a new lifestyle,” she explained, telling herself, “You're on your kid. You don’t have a stable salary and your time is yours now.
Oh, but she made the best of it. In 2023, she recorded “APOLLO-23”, her gorgeous debut album, and threw herself into a “DIY” tour across Asia. This, she explained, was another moment where she simply learned how to make things work on the fly. “I wanted to make more opportunities for myself. We couldn’t tour in Hong Kong. So I didn’t have a lot of opportunities because the only gigs I did were small. I wanted to get myself more gigs and I built connections and networks,” she said. So, she applied for a festival in Europe and then expanded into Asia. “I networked and built my soft skill as a musician entrepreneur. “

She did everything, as is her characteristic, herself. She budgeted, received small sponsorships, sold merch, and met fans, all while being a pop star on stage. In total, XTIE played 20 dates last year completely “DIY.” It took an act of fortitude, but then, so has everything that XTIE has accomplished in her career.

“But you know what, I wouldn’t give myself a plan B. I didn’t have an option to not succeed,” she told me in a serious tone. “If I can’t sing anymore, if I don’t have any stories to tell, I will just go back to art management.” 

Once “APOLLO-23” was released, she used the album to promote the tour and to angle herself as an artist who fans could find strength in. ”I wanted to give warm space vibes. So what is warm? The sun is warm,” she explained. “So I started to have this idea of the colors being yellow, orange and gold. I wanted to make it a newer angle, so I used the sun.” 

As XTIE thinks about it, her career has been less about luck and more about hard work, although often when great things happen to her they feel surreal. She told me a story of how, on her last day of her art management career, she received an invitation from the GRAMMYs to perform on their Press Play series. She was shocked, not just at the timing, but because why her? So many huge Asian artists like BTS and Henry Lau were part of this lineup. 

XTIE knows this thought-process dates back to her childhood. “Growing up I didn’t get a lot of compliments or praise. Growing up I heard ‘Not good enough!’,” she said with a shout. “ So I always felt like I wasn’t good enough, so when it came to an opportunity I didn’t feel good enough.

She chose “Skin” from “APOLLO-23” to perform for “Press Play”, one of the most personal songs in her discography. “Sorry for being sensitive,” she sings with a piano. “I just need to get a little bit of control/ Sorry for being overactive/ I just wanna heal on my own.”

“Skin” represents what XTIE’s defining message is: We can be overly sensitive and not good enough, but we will heal. There are very few Asian women enjoying mainstream success making complicated, vulnerable music like this, and that’s something XTIE wants to change. If there is a guiding star to her career, it’s Rina Sawayama, the Japanese-British singer who’s made self-love an emblem of her identity. But even Sawayama struggles to receive the respect she so deserves. 

“I read a lot of Rina’s interviews. She talked about how before her break there was no other Asian icon who could be an icon, and then she made it,” XTIE said. “But I feel like there needs to be more icons. It’s about connecting as a global citizen and we have our own story, our own culture and how we can resonate with audiences in different parts of the world.” 

Recently, XTIE was invited to attend several events in Los Angeles for Grammy week, including  “Grammys Next Gen Red Carpet, and “Women in Mix”, where the Grammys celebrate the achievements of women in music, and “Best New Artist Spotlight”, organized by the Recording Academy. Later in the week, XTIE performed her first show at Hotel Cafe.  “Being able to perform at the Hotel Cafe is a dream come true, a lot of my idols performed at the same venue and I can’t believe I’m able to play my tunes and also test out new songs with the crowd here,” she said in a press statement following the event. 

At each event, XTIE was reminded of how far she’s come, and perhaps all of these signs that maybe her hard work is beginning to pay off. “I feel like I always needed  some control in my life. I’ve been stuck in Hong Kong, living with my parents,being in the same circle of people, so I felt like I didn’t have control in my life until I graduated from university. After learning everything, I felt like I had control to feel safe,” she said. But then, she added with a little bit of wistfulness, “I feel so much freedom now. I’m so thankful to my younger self that I worked so hard to get here.”