TheHxliday isn’t afraid to tap into his feelings. Equal parts introspective and inspiring, the 19-year-old artist is very comfortable with the concept of openness. “Vulnerability is something that you need when it comes to making music,” he says. Through his bright, pop-infused hip-hop, TheHxliday showcases his approach to understanding and digesting life. Tracks like “NxBody,” are masterclasses in accepting existence for what it is, no matter the circumstances. “I tell myself that everything is gonna be okay / I let the negativity go a-a-away,” TheHxliday sing-raps, reflecting on the more challenging moments he’s experienced and how he navigated expertly through them. To say he’s wise beyond his years would be an understatement.

Elsewhere, on songs like “Laugh a Little”—also from his New Year’s Day Batbxy EP—the rising Baltimore star born Noah Malik Lee offers sage advice for healing oneself while sounding as playful as the title suggests. Although his insight sets him apart as a songwriter, it’s this youthful curiosity and unshakable positivity that draws listeners in. TheHxliday developed an insatiable appetite for hands-on creativity early in his life. That’s where his name comes from—he’d get so into decorating during annual festivities as a child that his brothers started calling him “Holiday.”

At 5 years old, TheHxliday already had his own band called Versus the World. But he got serious about music at age 13, after his mother, who was in an alt-rock band called Chick Flick, introduced him to GarageBand and showed him how to loop beats. With music in his bloodline and an incredibly wide-ranging array of genres in his headphones—his favorite artists include My Chemical Romance, Bruno Mars, and Eazy-E—TheHxliday refined and established his own sound across a year of making music in his bedroom. It was a homespun approach, aided by the family computer and a Rock Band microphone, that would soon lead to success.

As a member of the industry-shifting, DIY SoundCloud rap class of the mid-2010s, TheHxliday stood decidedly apart from his peers in his hometown. “Other Baltimore artists, they have a certain sound,” he explains. “I would make music to differentiate myself. I sounded like the odd one out.” He uploaded at a manic rate, well over 100 songs, and kids began to catch on, slowly but surely. That unique style, an idiosyncratic take on what he calls “sad music,” was bolstered by lyrical content that was deeply personal and revelatory, opening the doors to a fan base that was longing for a real connection. TheHxliday welcomed those supporters with open arms.

“From day one, the only way I grew any type of fan base at all was always to just speak to them, in a way,” he says, pointing out that his listeners are his peers. “I was always trying to talk to more people, to help them with something, or acknowledge them in any way that I could.”

The bond was cemented with TheHxliday’s 2018 hit “Enemy.” It’s the ultimate Gen Z breakup anthem, telling the story of the inner strength required to move forward after a toxic relationship ends. “That was my first song that had people relate to me in any type of way,” he reminisces. It also expanded his creative circle to include the inimitable Motown Records, and the Lyrical Lemonade video crew based in Chicago, where he has been quarantining (and filming trippy visuals) lately. Though he’s a natural leader, TheHxliday still finds it hard to believe he’s an influencer in today’s generation. “Now it’s more of a family type of following and it feels crazy,” he says. “I reach out to them a lot, text them back. I want to be easy to get to for the kids.”

TheHxliday is quick to describe his sound as a hybrid, which makes sense. By combining his passion for rock, pop, hip-hop, and R&B, he’s created a mercurial style that refuses to be boxed into any genre. “I wouldn’t exactly give myself a label, because I’m always trying new things,” he says. That open-ended approach to music-making results in projects like the contemplative, melody-drivenBatbxy EP. “It was a collection of experiences from last year,” he explains. “By dropping it on New Year’s I’m leaving those memories right back there in 2020.”

All of which clears the way for him to look to the future. With his newest project called The Most Beautiful Disaster, TheHxliday aims to continue providing his fans with songs that have substance, emotion, heart, and uplift. As much as he enjoys dropping music on holidays, he confirms what already rings clear in his work: “I want to make timeless music.”