Toronto-based genre-bending singer-songwriter, composer, screenwriter, and creative director Xavier Solis releases his smooth-sailing and heartfelt single entitled "Heartbeat."
After honing in his sound for years with help from church and gospel music, Xavier Solis has now solidified himself as a versatile and genre-bending recording artist. His greatest inspiration to date is none other than Frank Sinatra, which explains why Xavier Solis' music is so dreamy, chilling, and uplifting.
Recently releasing his sweet-sounding and warm single, "Heartbeat," the song offers this breath of fresh air through the lively jazz instrumentation and Xavier Solis' crooning vocals. There's something about his charisma and poise that truly brings us to our knees, especially as Solis continues to serenade us with the utmost passionate and heartfelt lyricism.
Listening to "Heartbeat," the song begins with a steady mid-tempo percussion arrangement, soft keys, and a groovy bass line. As the bright piano begins to rain down from above, Xavier Solis makes his way in to captivate our ears with his crooning and soulful vocals. We can't help but hear similarities to Michael Buble through Xavier Solis' natural passion, confidence, and composure.
We love the groove and soul that Xavier Solis has placed into this single, as he allows us to take in each sweet element of his delightful vocals and leave us tapping our feet to the song's irresistible beat and warm instrumental foreground. As he leads us to the song's end, Xavier Solis reminds us that love is the strongest force on this earth, and we'd be nothing without it.
Catch the savory sounds of Xavier Solis and his latest single, "Heartbeat," on all digital streaming platforms.
Thank you for joining us at BuzzMusic Xavier Solis. What a well-rounded and passionate piece you've released with your latest single, "Heartbeat." What inspired you to write this heartfelt and exciting tune?
Thank you! I really appreciate these words. Heartbeat is a song I wrote back in 2015 while I was still in High School. I came to write it under the mindset of “What If?”. Heartbeat isn’t about me, but more so about a particular situation in life that many people face all the time. It’s with regard to the situational mindset of being worried to lose someone you love, and how you choose to hold that person ever so tightly in hopes of never losing them.The idea of it being called Heartbeat was in representation of a thematic idea I held in mind while writing it; that idea being if you hold someone you love close enough, you could hear their heartbeat with yours. So, I really wanted this song to purely be a representation of what it meant to be scared of losing the one you love, holding them tightly in an embrace to feel their heartbeat with yours once again. The embrace is and always will be such a powerfully simple expression of love.
Did you collaborate with any musicians when formulating the instrumentals for "Heartbeat?" How did you achieve such a dense and groovy instrumental atmosphere?
The instrumental lines, harmonies, and overarching melodic ideas were all written and arranged by me. The collaboration came when I teamed up with my good friend Mateo Molina from TOnX, to mix and master the recordings. We essentially sat down together and talked about the best possible drum fills/rhythm patterns to use and the best way to tune the drum kit for this particular sound. He's an incredible percussionist, so the drums you hear on the recording are him grooving to the calculated rhythms we put together in the studio. The other integral instrument was the trumpet. I played trumpet years ago and thankfully never lost touch with it. So, I wrote the trumpet lines and called my friend Fionn Ling, an incredibly talented trumpet player, to come in and record the trumpet lines, as well as the solo at the end. You might also recognize him from my Christmas EP in 2020! He's a familiar face anytime I write something for a trumpet. Then pretty much every other instrument, harmony, or note played/sung was by me! To achieve the dense groove you hear on the recording was all a matter of harmony! Back in 2015, I crafted the chords in the song one by one to make sure every musical moment had an absolutely essential purpose. But there’s also much to be regarded about the careful considerations we put into the mixing and mastering. I'm a very detail-focused person, so there was a lot of time put into making sure each recording came out clean, concise, and well-executed.
What emotions or thoughts did you want to evoke in the listener after experiencing the single "Heartbeat?"
In all honesty, I just wanted something that would speak to everyone. My goal is and always has been to create music that everyone would have something to take from. I personally believe music to be for everyone, and would never want to limit the experience of appreciating music for a particular set of ears. So, I’m always looking for ways to challenge the listener, express an emotion, or provide explanations to things already being thought by so many people. In sum, if there’s anything you can take from this song, it’s to appreciate the special person you have in your life and live a life moving forward.
Since "Heartbeat" is your first release since 2020, how does the song represent your current sound and musical approach?
I would say that Heartbeat is a clear definition of my style and essence as a musician, composer, and artist. I come primarily from gospel and classical background when it comes to music education, but my musical influence comes from every genre out there. My father always pushed me to learn how to sing, play, write, and perform in all styles of music. It’s definitely in that upbringing where my music-making was born. So, in Christmas of 2020 when I decided to release doo-wop, classical, jazz, big band, and then switch to a pop funk-jazz in 2021; it was all in line with everything I do musically. At the end of the day, I believe that there are no limits to what we can accomplish when we open our minds, ears, and hearts to the possibilities that are hidden inside us as music creators.