Xenia Rubinos was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1985 to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father.

[2] She spent most of her 20s acting as the primary caregiver for her father as he dealt with a degenerative illness, which inspired her song "Black Stars.

[3] Salsa, rumba and merengue, including releases by Fania Records, were popular in her house while growing up.

[5][6] Later, she became enthralled with hip-hop, R&B and Miles Davis in particular, which led her to study jazz at the Berklee College of Music.

[1] Rubinos' music is not easily categorized, as she crosses many genres in both her lyrics and her sound.