Xena Giam doesn’t want to be boxed in

thefader.com:

New artists often face a creative conundrum; parsing through a lifetime of influences to slot themselves into, or create, an easily defined sound of their own.

For Singapore-based artist Xena Giam, feeling is what guides her music far beyond the confines of genre. Instead, her blend of funk, R&B, and, at times folk and indie, creates a juxtaposition of its bouncy, cheery instrumentals and more subdued self-reflective lyrics.

On the moody R&B cut “Wdym,” Giam seems to scold an ex who can’t let go, while the funk-driven “Stoplight” sees the singer-songwriter tackle a breakup. “I think it's very hard to be tied down by that, so I always just tell people I write happy-sad music instead of alternative R&B or funk.