SAHXL

Learning piano as a child in Western Sydney, SAHXL (pronounced “Sa-hil”) began releasing his smooth hybrid of hip-hop and R&B while still in his early teens. Earning co-signs from The Kid LAROI and Apple Music 1 host Ebro Darden, he displayed his romantic finesse on 2020’s “The Kid Freestyle” and a harder edge on 2021’s “C4”—as in blowin’ up like the latter—before making open overtures of desire and satisfaction on the 2024 ballad “MISS INDEPENDENT”, featuring Chikoruss. Working with Australian and American producers alike, SAHXL glided confidently across 2024’s NEVERMIND, whether seething with romantic frustration on “BETTER THAN LATER” or sharing some of his most delicate emotional truths on “NEGLIGENT”. The latter has proven to be especially insightful about his emerging potential, yielding both a supple remix featuring added vocals from Texas R&B artist Kaash Paige and an unplugged version that circles neatly back around to his early days at the piano. In the artist’s words: Describe one of your earliest musical memories in detail. “One of my earliest memories was being about six years old and sitting with my grandpa at the piano while he taught me to play.” What are your top three all-time favourite albums on Apple Music, and why? Why did you choose these three albums in particular? Drake, Views Justin Bieber, Journals Bryson Tiller, TRAPSOUL “I listened to those a lot when I was younger and feel like they inspired my sound to be what it is today.” Find a song of yours on Apple Music that you love and tell us what makes it special. Tell us why you chose this song. “‘STEREO’: It's one of my favourite songs of mine, and every time I listen back to it, it feels like a dream.” What’s one of the most memorable moments in your career so far? “I think one of the most memorable moments of my career was playing my debut EP to some of my day-ones that have been riding with me for a while, and them clapping and cheering after they heard it. I do this for them!”