Show Preview: Artist Ashwin Shenoy Opens Up About His Many Creative Pursuits

Ashwin Shenoy recently selected the moniker Xenai to help categorize his creative work. The Boston based musician boasts an impressive resume that includes producer, composer, engineer, singer, and arranger. His new name works to put his love for hip hop in the spotlight. “Xenai is an alias I created in the summer of last year to put out a bunch of hip-hop music that I started working on,” explains Shenoy. ” I come from a tiny little island in the Arabian Gulf called Bahrain. Being such a small country and having such a diverse demographic, I was exposed to multiple ethnicities, religions and cultures from a very young age. Needless to say, this exposure has played a huge role in my musical development especially when it comes to genres and styles.”

His many creative endeavors aren’t just limited to urban music. “The heavy metal scene over there, as well as the Indian and Arabic music that was played on the streets and venues, heavily influenced me. Each song I have put out so far is very different from the previous releases and I aim to keep it diverse like that to represent the different emotions, cultures, and influences that have had an impact on me.” Opening up for The Lost Collective later this month is a feat that Shenoy claims is ambitious but serves a larger purpose. “The one common thing that brings it all together is my love for hip hop and I hope that through this music–as well as my own personal journey–I can bring these cultures and people together in the world and recognize we are quite similar in our own unique way.”