Allie X

Alexandra Ashley Hughes, known as Allie X (pronounced [ali ɛks] in English), is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, producer and actress, born on 31 July 1985 in Oakville, Ontario.

Growing up mainly between Oakville and Toronto, she developed an early interest in classical piano, opera and musical theatre. As an arts student, she attended Sheridan College in Oakville and the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, where she eventually graduated. She then launched her career in the mid-2000s, performing in various bars and clubs in Toronto while distributing and releasing her own albums herself. Quickly noticed, she went on to make numerous television appearances through series and variety shows, such as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Ma vie de star. In July 2013, Allie decided to move to the United States, specifically Los Angeles, in order to better focus on her work as a solo artist. She met various musicians and producers, including Cirkut and Billboard, and went on to sign a deal with the labels Universal Music and Sleepless Records.

Her first single, Catch, was released in February 2014. It was immediately noticed by Jamieson Cox, a writer for Time magazine, and then caught the attention of American singer Katy Perry, who did not hesitate to praise it, allowing Allie to enjoy growing online recognition. Two further singles, Prime and Bitch, followed. Her first EP, titled CollXtion I, was released in April 2015. Buoyed by critical success, Allie planned a series of promotional concerts in North America and a fan base gradually began to build. At the end of 2015, a reissue of the EP was released alongside yet another release of Catch, this time as a mini-album featuring a new single and bonus track, Never Enough.

From May 2016 onwards, Allie began sharing a string of unreleased songs and unfinished demos with her audience, aiming to gather as much feedback as possible to decide what might best form a future project. A third EP called Ĥ5nsolved, bringing together most of these unreleased tracks, including the singles Too Much to Dream, All the Rage and That's So Us, was released a few months later. In February 2017, the singer unexpectedly announced the upcoming release of her debut studio album, CollXtion II, planned for June. The first single chosen to herald the record, Paper Love, was released in April. A North American and European tour was also organised for the occasion.

Influenced among others by Björk, Grimes, Kate Bush and Lady Gaga, Allie X is recognisable through her many public appearances steeped in theatrical eccentricity, a tendency reflected in her sense of fashion as well as in her stage performances and music videos. As a songwriter, she has helped various artists throughout their careers, such as Troye Sivan, Seohyun and Lea Michele, writing one or more songs for them, in addition to openly taking part in the vocal arrangement of numerous musical pieces linked to the film industry.