Alexandra Ashley Hughes (born 31 July 1985), known by her stage name Allie X, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and visual artist.

She began her career as an indie pop artist in Toronto in the mid-2000s, playing with local bands and recording several albums.

[10] After relocating to Los Angeles in 2013, Hughes began working with producers Cirkut and Billboard and achieved success with her 2014 single, "Catch", which peaked at number 55 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

[11] The song rose to prominence after pop singer Katy Perry referred to it as her "spring jam" on social media.

[18][19] In 2008, she took part in CBC Television's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, the Canadian version based on the series with the same name which aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One in 2006.

[20] She began recording for her debut studio album in 2009, collaborating with Dave Newfeld of Broken Social Scene, Leon Taheny, and Adam King of Run With Kittens.

[25][27] In July 2013, Hughes moved to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time career as a songwriter; despite this, she did not stop working on her solo material.

[28] She adopted the stage name Allie X and began working with producers Cirkut and Billboard, whom she had met during her time in Los Angeles.

Upon release, the single received praise from multiple sources including American singer-songwriter Katy Perry who called the track on Twitter, "spring jam.

[33] Prior to the release of Hughes's debut extended play, CollXtion I, two singles, "Prime" and "Bitch", were put out by the singer on 18 March and 6 April 2014, respectively.

In February 2016, Hughes released a free-to-download song called "Old Habits Die Hard", which was originally meant to serve as a non-album single.

Hughes' vocals were featured on "Shadow" by Dutch electronic music duo Vicetone, released on Canadian label Monstercat on 30 October 2020.

The song's 1980s influenced music video was shot in analog and features Hughes and Chachki in Schiaparelli haute couture outfits.

[57] In November 2023, Hughes announced her third studio album Girl with No Face would be released February 24, 2024, promoted by lead single "Black Eye" and its title track.

[59] Hughes cites many of her influences as being ABBA, Arthur Russell,[60] Björk,[61][62][non-primary source needed] Kate Bush,[61] Lady Gaga,[63] Celine Dion, Cyndi Lauper,[64] Mariah Carey, Mark Mothersbaugh, Tom Petty, and author Haruki Murakami.

"[67] Hughes has the vocal range of a soprano,[68] with her music having drawn frequent comparisons to British singer Ellie Goulding's,[66] but also that of Chvrches and the Knife.