Eden xo | |
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 Eden xo in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jessica Eden Malakouti |
| Also known as |
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| Born | (1989-03-30)March 30, 1989 (age 36) Anaheim, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Shut Up Stella |
| Website | www |
Eden Wilson (née Malakouti), best known asEden xo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. Described by the BBC as a "colourful, ambitious, out-and-out pop princess," she has been compared toGwen Stefani and earlyMadonna.[1][2][3]
Wilson was born in Anaheim and raised in Moreno Valley, California. Her father immigrated from Iran to the United States during theIranian Revolution. Her California-born mother ran away to Guadalajara and got married when she was 19, having two children with her first husband before returning to the US.[4]
As a child, Wilson wrote poems and put them to music. At age 12, she danced with a hip-hop crew and wrote raps that she performed in English andPersian.[5] She graduated from high school two years early—she said in a 2011 interview that she had a "volcanic childhood"—and emancipated herself from her parents at 16.[6]
Wilson moved to Los Angeles following her graduation. In 2006 she started an all-female punk band, Shut Up Stella, who were signed byEpic shortly after their formation. They recorded "Watch Me Rain", which was produced byGreg Kurstin and featured in movies including theTina Fey andAmy Poehler filmBaby Mama. The band was dropped in 2008 and Wilson quit, deciding to focus instead on her career as an actress, songwriter and solo artist. Among others, she later worked with Ali Shaheed Muhammad ofA Tribe Called Quest. Her songs "Trash Me" and "Outsider", which she released independently, were used in the MTV series,The Hills.[7]
At the end of 2008, Wilson signed with EMI Music Publishing. She spent the following two years in London, where she worked extensively with the French house music producerFred Falke andXenomania. She also worked with thePet Shop Boys (with theLondon Symphony Orchestra),[8] Kylie Minogue, andJohnny Marr.[8] Her song "Standing Up for the Lonely" was released in 2009 on the dance labelMinistry of Sound and appeared on the label's compilation albumsThe Annual 2010,Dance Nation 2 andFunky House Classics. She toured the UK withThe Saturdays in 2009.[7]
In 2010 Wilson created Jessie and the Toy Boys.[9] It was a solo project; the Toy Boys were mannequins. She said in a 2011 interview that she wanted plastic bandmates that could not get in the way of her creative vision.[10]Show Me Your Tan Lines, a five-song EP, was independently released in June 2011. Produced byJimmy Harry andTony Kanal, it included the single "Push It" (ft.Yelawolf)", which hit the Top 10 on theBillboard dance charts.[11] Wilson performed the song onConan, making her television debut. During the summer of 2011, Jessie and the Toy Boys opened forBritney Spears andNicki Minaj on the North American leg of theFemme Fatale tour and in the fall played alongside artists includingSteve Aoki,Pete Tong,Kaskade andAvicii as amain stage artist on theIdentity Festival tour.[12]
In 2012, Wilson began to generate coverage in fashion magazines such asElle andWomen’s Wear Daily.[13] She did multiple shoots withPurple, including aLolita- inspired editorial spread.[14]
An advocate forLGBTQ rights, Jessie and the Toy Boys performed at events associated with the LGBTQ community such as the Palm SpringsWhite Party and theDinah Shore Weekend. She co-headlined Los AngelesPride withFifth Harmony,Kesha andTinashe, and headlined Pride events in Chicago and Atlanta.[15] Wilson's song "Runaway", written withDJ Skeet Skeet, was a statement againstProp 8.[16][12]
Wilson signed to Virgin in 2013. In 2014—with the addition of an "xo"—she began using her midldle name, Eden, and released the single "Too Cool to Dance" as Eden xo. It hit the Top 40 onBillboard and the Top 20 on the club charts. In 2014, it was featured onSo You Think You Can Dance to mark National Dance Day.So You Think You Can Dance producer and judgeNigel Lythgoe choreographed a dance routine for the song and Wilson helped him teach it to young dancers.[17] The follow-up to "Too Cool to Dance" was "The Weekend". It was another hit, as was a remix of the track that featuredLil Jon.[18][19] Wilson also recorded a version of theThompson Twins song "Hold Me Now" in 2015; it was featured in the pilot episode of the seriesScream Queens.[20]
In 2016 the video for Wilson's song "El Barrio" was released; it featuredRafael Reyes, also known as Leafar Seyer, as her love interest.[21][4]
Although Wilson was then writing songs for other artists, includingKygo andAva Max, she remained focused on her own career after parting ways with Virgin in 2017. She released a series of singles that included "Cinematic Goodbye" as well as collaborations withRaja Kumari ("Drips Gold") andTravis Mills ("Say That Again"). Justin Moran ofPaper wrote: "With its high drama and heart-wrenching emotion, "Cinematic Goodbye" represents a shift in the glossy dance music Eden's known for releasing. Last year, she dropped her sunny Travis Mills-assisted standout "Say That Again," and the impossibly catchy sex positive anthem "Drips Gold," featuring Raja Kumari. Her 2014 breakout single "Too Cool To Dance" solidified Eden as an alt-pop star to keep on your radar."[22][23]
Wilson independently released the EPThe Question in 2019. Its five songs included "So Lucky," which was accompanied by a video starringAngelyne. Peter Robinson ofPopjustice described the collection as 'an EP that fizzes with future-facing pop flair and classic songwriting...brilliantly expressive'. She later independently released the songs “Bad Girls Go to Heaven," written with her frequent songwriting partner Bonnie McKee, "Paradise Found" (written with McKee andDavid Sneddon), and "American Youth French Kissing".[24]
In June 2023, Wilson released the single and video "All Day Every Day." She said she originally wrote and recorded the track in a castle in France in 2013.[25] "Bad Apple" was released in September. It appeared on theRolling Stone playlist, "Songs You Need to Know".[26]
Ellen von Unwerth photographed Wilson for a cover story inVON after meeting her at a Madonna concert in April 2024. In an Instagram post, Von Unwerth said she was "fascinated" by Wilson's resemblance in attitude and appearance to Madonna.[27] Von Unwerth, who shot Madonna frequently,[28] titled Wilson's session "Bitch, I'm Not Madonna."[29]
Wilson and her husband, Ryan Wilson—a visual artist known as ThankYouX—live in Los Angeles. They have one child.[30]
A supporter of animal rights, Wilson appeared in the Humane Society's campaign to end animal testing for cosmetics. She also supports A Place Called Home, a high school program for students on probation, in the foster system, and/or without stable homes.[30]
