TheHxliday is here to stay. Using music as a way of expressing his emotions, the 19-year-old artist creates inspiring and relatable tales over introspective instrumentals. Inspired by the likes of Eazy-E, Bruno Mars, and XXXTentacion, TheHxliday found himself fiddling with music at the age of 13. Fast forward a few years later, he took it seriously and never looked back; a decision that paid off a lifetime.

Through his pop-infused hip-hop, TheHxliday showcases his approach to understanding and digesting life. Emerging through a series of records that caught wind via SoundCloud, TheHxliday saw major success upon the release of his 2018 single “Enemy.” The following year he released his Motown Records debut EP, Broken Halls, which further propelled him into popularity.

Fast forward to this year, the multi-genre Baltimore is bearing the fruit of his New Year’s Day Batbxy EP. With tracks like “Nxbody” and “Batgirl” doing extreme numbers, TheHxliday has found his audience but continues to shapeshift throughout genres. “I gotta show people that I can’t be boxed in,” he emphasizes.

In our new interview, TheHxliday discussed his fairly recent full-length project, musical journey, and legacy to name a few topics. Read the full conversation below.

Tell me a bit about yourself, who is TheHxliday?

I’m from Maryland, but I stay in Chicago now because that’s where my management team is based at. I kind of got stuck in this town, I like the food and everything so I moved there. I just 19 back in December and I’m lit now.

With you being in your teens still, what was it like balancing school and working on music?

School and music is a bad mix, not going to lie. I had a bad attendance, there was a point where it got really bad. It was funny ’cause I was good at school, I used to get all the work done and my teachers used to like me. All my teachers, I swear on everything, were my best friends. I just wouldn’t show up to school because I’d be at home making music. Once I got to a certain point though—I was in high school, but I dropped out in 10th grade—they put me in online school.

I didn’t know I was really going to take it serious until about like 15 or 16. I started singing at 13, but I started making relatable music once I got older.

Did your friends and family initially support you when you first started?

Yeah, it was crazy because it all started from a solo in school. The song “Glory” by John Legend and no one else was going for it. So I did it and my teacher was like that’s damn near perfect. That was the day I went home and made the very first song I ever did. I redeveloped it, brought it back to school, and they was like “bro, you might as well perform the whole thing.”

You released Batbxy at the top of the year, what was it like working on that project amid everything going on?

It was pretty lit, these songs are crazy. “Nxbody,” that song gives me a harder vibe than what I put out before personally. The next project that I’m dropping goes even harder. It’s just a combination of experiences that I had last year. I dropped it on New Year’s to show that I’m leaving it in the past.

Picture this: the pandemic is over and you get to go on a world tour—what song do you think will turn the crowd up the most?

With Bxtboy, I would definitely have to start in Chicago. Gotham City, that’s where they shot Batman. I’d take it to Hawaii, there are definitely places there to perform. China, or Asia in general. I think “Batgirl” would be a crazy performance song, it’s just an easy song to remember and catch on to. The same with “Bad,” it’s definitely an easy song to get that energy out of the crowd.

What are your short-term and long-term goals looking like?

I need some awards, I gotta be hottest new artist. I’m going to be hitting any and every genre because I wat every lane. I gotta show people that I can’t be boxed in. This year is also a personal headspace that I’m trying to better myself. I want to aim for all the highest ahceivements I can this year.

People are anticipating you to be one of the biggest artists this year—what do you want the world to know you as in five or so years from now?

I just want them to know that I’m open, you can come up and talk to me. I’m here to spread good vibes, all of that. I’m down to Earth, I just want to show people that even for celebrities and stuff like, you can always show love to people. One thing about a lot of artists, there’s always some bad energy and that’s something I want to stay away from.

Elsewhere in music news, check out our interview with Seddy Hendrinx.