Xenia Rubinos is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn, New York.

Background

Rubinos was born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father of Spanish descent. Her great-great-grandmother was black. Her last name has roots from Northern Spain as "Rubiños", which means, "Blondes".

She grew up in Hartford, Connecticut listening to a lot of salsa from the innovative New York label Fania Records as well as ** classical Frenc h and Russian composers. The first instrument she played was the piano and, as an entertaining practice, she wrote scores for pretend films and pressured her parents into the family's loving room to perform for them.

Growing up in the nineties, she was charmed by hip-hop's resourceful witticisms and R&B's soulful grooves.

Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, and Busta Rhymes were some of her idols.

While in middle school, she developed an interest in Jazz as opposed to the crush she had on the trumpet player in her music class.

By the time she was in High School, she took lessons regularly, while also exploring artists such as John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and Betty Carter.

Music

Her music is a combination of punk and soul with a Latin flavor.

Magic Trix

On April 23rd, 2013, Xenia released her first full-length album in collaboration with drummer Marco Buccelli.

Black Terry Cat

On June 3rd, 2016, Xenia released her second full-length album on the record label Anti-Records.

She once again collaborated with drummer Marco Buccelli and engeneer, Jeremy Loucas - all three worked an average of 16-17 hours a day for five months to complete the record which is named after “a giant black scraggly cat” that surprised Rubinos one cold night in Brooklyn.