July 18, 2023
The all-Black femme lineup of XINAVERSE, a showcase put together by Minneapolis multidisciplinary artist XINA, packed the Green Room in Minneapolis Thursday night. Groups of college students, proud friends and family members, and couples on a date night filled the space, creating the largest turnout since Green Room’s opening according to its owner. XINAVERSE transported me to a world of Black femme power and unity.
The essences of XINA, Ricki Monique, 5th House, and Soulflower were unique. However, the lineup was cohesive. Their different styles brought a diverse crowd together.
Soulflower, the evening’s first opener, brought punk rock energy to the stage. She belted proudly, even inspiring moshing in the crowd. Her high-energy performance set a good standard for the rest of the performances. She was later joined by bandmates Zoé Challenger and Bobby Kabeya of Miloe to perform as 5th House. Both sets were passionate performances, however, the mood was dampened by crowd members talking during their sets.
Ricki Monique, a rapper and singer with poetic, cerebral punchlines, let the crowd know that this kind of interaction is not OK, especially at a show with an all-Black femme lineup. This was a big shift in the show’s energy. Ricki performed passionately, doing call-and-responses with the audience and giving space for her bandmates to give solos. Unfortunately, Ricki decided to end her set early due to a lack of respect from audience members given the request for their full attention at the beginning of her set. It was the audience’s loss to not be able to see the rest of her performance and hopefully a wake-up call to them to be more engaged crowd participants in the future.
XINA, headliner and producer of the evening, mixed pop, jazz, neo-soul, and more during her set. XINA describes her style as “arts and crafts,” with XINA being the hot glue gun creating and sticking these elements together that keep viewers engaged and gagging for more. Starting her set with “Waveform,” she soothed the crowd and eased them into her world. The song represents her multifaceted nature that was showcased throughout her set. I stared at the performance, wondering what else she had up her sleeve if that was how she started. Joined by dancers dressed in black. XINA later introduced singer and fellow multidisciplinary artist Vie Boheme on stage with her to perform the Vie Boheme’s track “Emotion.”
XINA's set was seductive and tantalizing. XINA showed her many talents during her set, pole dancing, belting ethereal vocals, and playing her guitar without it even looking like she even broke a sweat. The night ended with an afterparty of pole dancers. XINA expressed that she wanted the dancers attending to feel inspired, celebrated, and safe.
XINAVERSE showcased an all-Black femme lineup of promising talent from Minneapolis. However, Ricki Monique’s acknowledgment of the lack of respect from audience members determined that the artists did not feel heard during the whole show. XINAVERSE was a demonstration of Black femmes advocating for each other and hopefully, a step in the future for listeners to create a space for Black women to feel honored.
