It is rare to discover an artist at the exact right moment when their music is polished yet still relatively unknown. Today, you have the opportunity to discover an artist at that exact moment. You have the opportunity to legitimize your musical expertise forever by telling your friends about an artist before they make it big.
That artist is twst.
twst (named Xhloe Davis) is a producer, songwriter and singer based in Hackney, London. She isn’t defined by genres or social institutions. She is self-taught and self-designed. And though her catalog is relatively small, her artistry speaks for itself.
Her first EP, TWST0001, was released in June of 2020 and was produced by Davis herself in collaboration with Danio Forni, a member of the European band Husky Loops. In the EP, Davis explores themes of isolation and technology and perfectly evokes the desperation and paranoia that might arise from an overdependence on technology. The production throughout the project is incredible; each song creates a unique soundscape, and several tracks on TWST0001, like “Are You Listening?” and “Always,” feature some of the hardest-hitting production you will hear in pop music.
She followed up on TWST0001 with one of my favorite tracks of 2021. “Chandeliers, Bullets and Guns,” produced by Hudson Mohawke, features otherworldly production and some of Davis’ best vocal work to date. “Sugared Up,” also released in 2021, is a Slinger-produced single that is simultaneously ironically consumerist and hyperfeminist, showcasing Davis’ range in songwriting.
To emphasize how high-profile Davis’ most recent collaborations are: Hudson Mohawke was a producer on several Ye (formerly Kanye West) projects including “The Life of Pablo,” “Cruel Summer,” and “Yeezus,” as well as projects from A$AP Rocky, Pusha T, and Drake. Slinger has produced much of singer-rapper Ashnikko’s most recent work, including the 2020 UK top 40 hit “Daisy.”
We will no doubt have a lot to look forward to from twst in 2022. So without further ado: this is twst.
Just to take it back to the basics briefly: can you talk about how and why you first began creating music? What is your musical process like, and how has it changed over time?
I really can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t writing music or creating art in one form or another.
I’ve always created from a place of necessity to understand the relationship between myself and the world around me and how I fit into all of this.
My musical process is like 80% researching, collecting information and figuring out how to smash all my findings together haha and then 20% writing and production, the writing usually happens very fast… and I always start with all the lyrics and a title, which so many people are shocked by haha but for me the lyrics and meaning of the song inform my melody and production.
Who have been your musical influences?
David Bowie, Kate Bush, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Fiona Apple, SOPHIE, Bjö rk, Elliot Smith, Kanye, Madonna – just all the greats <3
Many of your songs have been featured in the Spotify hyperpop playlist. Would you describe your music as hyperpop, and if not, what genre (if any) would you say your music falls into?
I don’t identify with musical genres. I also feel like anyone trying to push the boundaries in electronic pop music right now is being labeled “hyperpop.”
I’ve always seen “hyperpop” as more of a community than a genre. It feels like its identity is rooted in a shared ethos of transcending the confines of genre and likewise with identity, where they explore so many influences and identities in this inherently queer community.
Much of your music feels very relevant to the isolation from others and proximity to technology. What do you hope to express through your music?
I named my label ‘‘hikikomori baby” (which is a reference to “the Japanese word [that] describes both the condition of acute isolation and those suffering from it) as a reference to the time where I lived quite reclusively after leaving school and home at quite a young age .
I think my lack of participation in social institutions, be it education or family, definitely informs a lot of who I am both on a personal and creative level. The fact I was pretty isolated allowed for a lot of space to think without any rules or guidance and I could see things in non-traditional ways. A lot of my identity building was done through the lens of the internet, which I explored in 0001 [twst’s debut EP TWST0001].
I’m definitely interested in provoking, in a good or bad way.
To date, you’ve worked with some of the hottest names in music production: Clams Casino, Danio Forni of Husky Loops, and most recently, Hudson Mohawke. How did you end up working with each of these artists?
Working with HudMo was properly a mad one for me as I’ve been such a fan of his for so long! We wrote in LA together and he played me through a bunch of tracks he’d been working on and then he played me the beat for what is now “Chandeliers, Bullets and Guns” and I was like okay, lemme hop on this absolute euphoric sad banger.
Though I never met Clams, I’m still very much not over the fact he has remixed my song “Girl on Your TV.” That is one of my favorite pieces of music.
Danio is a really close friend of mine. I’ve always admired his ability to create a space that allows me to feel vulnerable and most connected to myself. I genuinely thrive around him; he’s extremely talented.
Are there any artists you hope to work with this year?
Ahhhhh yes! I’m currently working with a few people that I’m extreemeeely gassed to share with you all. But some other angels I would absolutely love to work with are Rina Sawayama, Dorian Electra, Arca, Petal Supply, 070 Shake, and Himera.
In a tweet, you joked that people no longer call you an industry plant. Do you feel that your place in the music scene is more legitimate now than it has been in past years?
I’m in the corporate sponsorship part of my industry plant narrative, where I become the face of the o2 phone company and have my songs on their adverts that advertise data packagers…. It’s giving industry plant ✌? hahah but yeah I think people are able to see my vision and who I am and that’s something that couldn’t be manufactured by a bunch of middle aged men directing my TikToks from my bedroom.
Do you have any goals or predictions for yourself for 2022? What do you hope to accomplish?
I predict that I will become significantly more enlightened and have multiple identity breakdowns and breakthroughs!
Did you have any 2021 favorites? Albums, songs, movies, shows, books?
Every TikTok sound.
Matt Sakiyama ‘25 (msakiyama@college.harvard.edu) listens to artists who are too underground for you.