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The xx | |
|---|---|
 The xx performing atIlosaarirock Festival inJoensuu, Finland, in 2012. From left to right:Romy Madley Croft,Jamie xx, andOliver Sim. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Wandsworth,London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members | Baria Qureshi |
| Website | thexx |
The xx are an Englishindie rock band fromWandsworth, London, formed in 2005.[1] The band consists ofRomy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals),Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), and Jamie Smith, also known asJamie xx (beats,MPC, record production). They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock,indie electronic,indie pop,dream pop andelectro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.
The band was formed in 2005 whilst Madley Croft and Sim were students atElliott School,[2][3] with Baria Qureshi (keyboard, guitar)[4] and Smith joining in 2006.[5] Whilst there has been much speculation over the meaning of the band's name, the band have said they just liked the way "the xx" looked written down.[4][1]
After posting demos on theirMyspace page, the band drew the attention of theBeggars Group-owned label Young Turks (nowYoung).[citation needed] Working with producerRodaidh McDonald, the band released their debut album,xx, in August 2009.[citation needed] The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number three on theUK Albums Chart,[6] ranking first forThe Guardian's and second forNME's best of the year lists among others,[7][8] and winning theMercury Prize in 2010.[citation needed] After their debut, Qureshi left the group.[citation needed]
Their second album,Coexist, was released on 5 September 2012 to positive reviews, reaching number one in the UK and number five on theBillboard 200.[6][9] After a four-year lapse between releases, including Smith's solo debut in 2015,In Colour, the band released their third album,I See You, on 13 January 2017, which debuted to critical acclaim and reached number one in the UK and number two on theBillboard 200.[6][10]
The band members met while studying atElliott School, the same school attended byHot Chip,Burial,Four Tet, actorPierce Brosnan,Fleetwood Mac founderPeter Green and singerMatt Monro.[11] The group has downplayed the influence of the school on its career: "A teacher from Elliott who had never even taught us said how great we were. It's a bit annoying. We were left alone, more than anything — although I'm sure that helped us in its own way."[12]Oliver Sim andRomy Madley Croft (born 1989)[13] started the band as a duo when they were 15. In 2006, Guitarist Baria Qureshi joined once they had begun performing,[4] withJamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, also joining that year.[5] They all studied GCSE Music together.[14] Smith, although school friends with Madley Croft, Sim and Qureshi, joined the band after being formally introduced by their now label, Young Turks (nowYoung).[15][16] The band were taken on by Caius Pawson, who founded the label.[4] Young provided the band with a studio in Ladbroke Grove to develop their music.[16]
The xx's debut albumxx was released on 14 August 2009 through the British independent record label Young Turks,[17] and was met with critical acclaim. The album ranked on best of the year lists, ranking ninth on theRolling Stone list and second forNME.[8][18] In the 2009NME The Future 50 list, the xx was positioned at number six, and in October 2009, it was named one of MTV Iggy's "Top 10 Bands with Buzz" (at the CMJ Music Marathon 2009).[19][20] "Crystalised" was featured oniTunes (UK) as Single of the Week, starting from 18 August 2009.
Though the band had previously worked with producers includingDiplo andKwes,[11] Smith producedxx[21] and co-mixed withRodaidh McDonald.[22] The xx recorded its first album in a small garage that was part of theXL Recordings studio, often at night.[23]
In August 2009, the band headlined its own concert tour. The xx has toured with artists includingFriendly Fires,The Big Pink, andMicachu.[citation needed] In January 2010,Matt Groening chose the band to play at theAll Tomorrow's Parties festival which he curated inMinehead, England. In addition, the band played at five music festivals in the US:Coachella,Sasquatch,Bonnaroo,Lollapalooza andAustin City Limits.[24]
In late 2009, second guitarist and keyboardist Baria Qureshi exited the group. Initial reports stated that this was due to exhaustion, but Oliver Sim later said that the rest of the band had made this decision: "Also to be fair to her, people have an idea about that she left the band. She didn't. It was a decision that me, Romy, and Jamie made. And it had to happen."[25][26]
The music of its debut album was used extensively on television and in other media, such as24/7,Person of Interest, NBC's coverage of the2010 Winter Olympic Games;[27] during the seriesCold Case,Suits,Mercy, the Greek version ofNext Top Model,Bedlam,Hung,90210, as well as being the feature song for the March 2010E4 advert for90210,Misfits, the Karl Lagerfeld fall/winter 2011 fashion show,Waterloo Road, and the filmI Am Number Four. In May 2010, the track "Intro" was used by the BBC in its coverage of the2010 general election. This led to the band playing the track on an episode ofNewsnight.[28] The track was also played before theUEFA Euro 2012 andUEFA Euro 2016 matches at stadiums in Poland, Ukraine, and France and featured during the end ofTop Gear season 19 episode 6 "Africa Special Part 1".Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike andSander van Doorn's 2012 single "Project T", which launched theTomorrowland 2012 aftermovie,[29] contains samples from "Intro"; van Doorn had earlier released a remix of the song in 2010.[30] The song was also sampled inRihanna's "Drunk on Love" from her albumTalk That Talk[31] and was featured in the filmsIt's Kind of a Funny Story andProject X.
In September 2010,xx won theMercury Prize.[32][33][34] After the live ceremony screening, the album jumped from number 16 to 3 on 12 September edition of the UK Albums Chart, accompanying a 269% sales increase.[33] XL's marketing campaign drastically expanded after this substantial win, with day-time television advertisements and billboard campaigns on some of the UK's highest-profile digital billboards.[32][33][34] Thanks to the highlighted publicity, XL Recordings says that it shipped more than 40,000 CDs in the days following the Mercury Prize.[34] XL managing director Ben Beardsworth explained, "Thanks to the Mercury win... things are accelerating dramatically and the band will be reaching a bigger and bigger audience with their music."[32] In another promotional initiative, the label sent outSaam Farahmand's audio/visual sculpture of the album when the band toured atBestival 2010, as well as to an event atSeoul.[32]
The xx was nominated for 'Best British Album', 'Best British Breakthrough' and 'Best British Band' at the2011 BRIT Awards held on 15 February 2011 at the O2 Arena in London, although it did not win in any of the categories.[35]
In December 2011, Smith revealed that he wanted to release the xx's second album ahead of its festival appearances the following year, and that it was inspired by "club music", having all spent more time "partying" since not being on tour, and hoping the album would be released in time to play the summer festivals.[36] The band have spoken about the importance of taking a break from touring before writing another album.[37][5]
On 1 June 2012, it was announced that the follow-up,Coexist, would be released on 10 September.[38] On 16 July 2012, it announced and released "Angels" as the lead single fromCoexist.[39] On 3 September 2012, in a collaboration withMicrosoft'sInternet Explorer,[40] the xx releasedCoexist to stream on its website until the worldwide release date on 11 September.
In August 2012, the xx was featured on the cover of issue number 81 ofThe Fader.[41] The album was voted No.8 onThe Guardian's Albums of 2012.[37]
The xx performed atBestival on 9 September 2012 in front of the festival's largest crowd. The band's first North American tour began 5 October in Vancouver, Canada, with dates throughout the US and Mexico.[42]
In 2013, the xx held a series of three festival-style concerts, called "Night + Day",[5] in Berlin, Lisbon, and London. The festivals featured performances and DJ sets curated by the band, includingKindness andMount Kimbie. Each festival culminated in a nighttime concert by the band. The band was nominated for aBrit Award for Best British Group, eventually losing out toMumford & Sons.[43]
In April 2013, the xx contributed the song "Together" to theofficial soundtrack toBaz Luhrmann's adaptation ofThe Great Gatsby.[44] In March 2014, the xx performed a series of shows at thePark Avenue Armory in New York City. The show featured live visual effects and had a limited capacity.
In May 2014, the band revealed that they were working on their third studio album, working with producerRodaidh McDonald at the Marfa Recording Company studio inTexas.[45] They also worked on their music at Greenhouse Studios, inReykjavik, in the summer of 2014 whilst holding the Night + Day Iceland Festival.[46]
In May 2015, Jamie xx said that his debut albumIn Colour "has definitely informed what we're doing for the next album."[47] The band also reported that the record will have "a completely different concept" than their previous records.[47] In November 2015, the band stated that they would continue working on the record through December and it will be released in 2016.[48] On 6 October 2016, it was reported the band was planning to release new music "before the holidays."[49] On 10 October 2016, they announced that they were still working on the third album, but shared a playlist and added tour dates.[50]
In November 2016, the xx announced that the release of their third studio album,I See You, would be on 13 January 2017.[citation needed] They released the album's lead single "On Hold" at the same time. On 19 November 2016, the xx appeared as the musical guest onSaturday Night Live. They performed the songs "On Hold" and "I Dare You". On 2 January 2017, the band released the album's second lead single "Say Something Loving".
The album's title,I See You, came from the lyrics of theVelvet Underground song "I'll Be Your Mirror".[5] After a testing period of being on tour withCoexist, and a much-needed break, Romy stated that this name fitted, as it describes "the way a friend can be a mirror to you, reflect things you can't see yourself, good and bad".[5] The album tracks used samples including those fromHall & Oates on "On Hold", theAlessi Brothers on "Say Something Loving" (which was also a collaboration withStella Mozgawa fromWarpaint), andDrake in "Naive".[5]
In November 2016, UK and European tour dates were announced for the new album. On 25 November 2016 the band announced an extended residency at theO2 Academy, Brixton, adding four additional days to their original tour and setting the record for longest run of sold-out shows in the venue's history.[51]
I See You was nominated forIMPALA's European Album of the Year Award.[52]
In 2020, Madley Croft recorded backing vocals on the song "We Will Sin Together" onJehnny Beth's debut solo album,To Love Is to Live, and released her debut single, "Lifetime".[citation needed]
Sim released his debut album,Hideous Bastard, on 9 September 2022 throughYoung. It was produced by Jamie xx.[53]
Madley Croft's debut solo albumMid Air, produced byStuart Price,Fred Again, and Jamie xx, was released on 8 September 2023 through Young.[54]
In 2024, Sim and Madley Croft featured on Jamie xx's track "Waited All Night" (ft. Romy & Oliver Sim).[55]
The different band members have appeared on stage together as part of their solo projects. Madley Croft and Sim have joined Jamie xx's 2024 set atGlastonbury[56] and 2025 set at LIDO Festival.[57] Sim has joined Romy's set at the Roundhouse in 2024.[58]
In early January 2024, Croft confirmed the band was working on their fourth studio album.[59] In September 2025, it was also announced that they would be playing atCoachella 2026.[60]
The xx has been described as various genres, includingindie rock,[61][62][63]indie pop,indie electronic,[64]R&B,[65][66]dream pop,[67] andelectro-rock,[68][69] while incorporating elements ofpost-punk[69] anddance.[66] The band members have cited several artists in their influences. Madley Croft said: "Jamie started out very much into soul and then from there moved into hip-hop and UK-based dance music. He brings some much lower frequencies of bass into the band. And then I've grown up listening toSiouxsie and the Banshees, andThe Cure. We're really quite a huge melting pot of different stuff."[70] She also had mentioned her liking forJimi Hendrix,The Slits,Joy Division,Yazoo,Eurythmics andNew Order.[71] Madley Croft also added that the xx have been inspired byCocoRosie,The Kills andElectrelane. When signing to their label, they discovered bands likeCocteau Twins. They also expressed admiration forBeyoncé.[72] Sim is a fan ofAaliyah, with the band covering her song "Hot Like Fire",[73] while Madley Croft enjoysMariah Carey's music.[74]
Current members
Former members
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Žebřík Music Awards | Themselves | Best International Discovery | Nominated | [75] |
| Rober Awards Music Poll | Breakthrough Artist | Won | |||
| Best Pop Artist | Nominated | ||||
| xx | Album of the Year | Nominated | [76] | ||
| Best Art Vinyl | Best Vinyl Art | Nominated | [77] | ||
| UK Music Video Awards | "Basic Space" | Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | "Islands" | Best Indie/Alternative Video | Nominated | ||
| Mercury Prize | xx | Album of the Year | Won | ||
| NME Awards | Themselves | Best New Band | Nominated | [78] | |
| Q Awards | Best New Act | Nominated | |||
| "VCR" | Best Track | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | Ivor Novello Awards | "Islands" | Best Contemporary Song | Nominated | |
| BT Digital Music Awards | The xx iPhone app | Best Music App | Nominated | ||
| International Dance Music Awards | "VCR" (Four Tet Remix) | Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track | Nominated | [79] | |
| Brit Awards | xx | British Album of the Year | Nominated | [80] | |
| Themselves | British Group | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Nominated | [81] | |||
| 2013 | Independent Music Awards | Coexist | Best 'Difficult' Second Album | Nominated | |
| A2IM Libera Awards | Independent Album of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Brit Awards | Themselves | Best British Group | Nominated | ||
| mtvU Woodie Awards | Branching Out Woodie | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Performing Woodie | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | A2IM Libera Awards | I See You | Marketing Genius | Won | [82] |
| AIM Independent Music Awards | "On Hold" | Independent Track of the Year | Won | ||
| Q Awards | Best Album | I See You | Nominated | ||
| Hungarian Music Awards | "On Hold" | Foreign Electronic Music Album or Sound Record | Won | ||
| 2018 | I See You | Won | |||
| Sweden GAFFA Awards | Best Foreign Album | Nominated | |||
| Themselves | Best International Group | Won | |||
| Brit Awards | Best British Group | Nominated |
Des sixties, je retiens Jimi Hendrix que me faisait écouter mon père. Puis, dans les années septante, The Slits, que j'adorais, Siouxsie and the Banshees (dont elle porte le T-shirt), Joy Division Les années quatre-vingt avec Yazoo et Eurythmics New Order aussi. Et bien sûr The Cure.Off the 60s, I select Jimi Hendrix that my father made me discover. Then in the 1970s, The Slits that I loved, Siouxsie and the Banshees (whom she wore a T-shirt, note of the author), Joy Division. The 80s with Yazoo and Eurythmics, also New Order. And of course The Cure.
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