Allie X

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

Growing up primarily between Oakville and Toronto, she developed an early interest in classical piano, opera, and musical theater. A student of the arts, she attended Sheridan University in Oakville and the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, where she ultimately graduated. She then launched her career in the mid-2000s, performing in various Toronto bars and clubs while self-distributing and self-publishing her own albums. Quickly noticed, she subsequently made multiple 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 to Los Angeles, to better focus on her work as a solo artist. She met various musicians and producers, including notably Cirkut and Billboard, and managed to secure a contract with 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 attracted the attention of American singer Katy Perry, who praised it and helped Allie gain growing fame online. Two other singles, Prime and Bitch, were subsequently released. Her first EP, titled CollXtion I, was distributed in April 2015. Building on its critical success, Allie planned a series of promotional concerts in North America, and a fan base began to gradually grow. At the end of 2015, a reissue of the EP was released alongside another release of Catch, this time as an extended play featuring a new single and bonus track, Never Enough.

Starting in May 2016, Allie began sharing unreleased songs and unfinished demos with her audience, aiming to receive maximum feedback to determine what could best make up a future project. A third EP titled Ʉnsolved, containing most of these unreleased tracks, featuring 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, scheduled for June. The first single chosen to preview this album, Paper Love, was released in April. Additionally, a North American and European tour was organized for the event.

Influenced by Björk, Grimes, Kate Bush, and Lady Gaga, among others, Allie X is recognizable through her many public appearances imbued with the eccentric side of theater, a trend reflected in her sense of fashion and through her stage performances and music videos. As a songwriter, she has assisted various artists in their careers, such as Troye Sivan, Seohyun, and Lea Michele, providing songwriting for one or more songs, not to mention that she openly participates in the vocal arrangement of numerous songs related to the film industry.