Brenda Xu

Brenda Xu (pronounced “shoo”) was born in Northern China in the city of Harbin. At the age of 5 she moved with her grandmother to California. As a teenager, she would record herself singing along to Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan, and taught herself how to play guitar. After graduating from UC San Diego with a degree in Political Science, she wandered from job to job, ignoring her creative inclinations. It was not until she started writing her own songs that she found direction and purpose and finally pursued her true calling.
Brenda began her music career in January of 2007, playing 4-5 open mics per week for 4 months. After releasing a 6-song EP that year, she soon became a staple in the San Diego music scene and began playing shows at venues such as Lestat's, Dublin's Square, and festivals such as Ray At Night and Artwalk. Nominated for Best New Artist in San Diego's Honoring Acoustic Talent Awards that year, she has since opened shows for international touring artists such as Gregory Page, and Renata Youngblood. She was recently nominated in 2010 for a San Diego Music Award for "Best Acoustic Artist."
Her music has been described as haunting and melodic with a rock influence, and has been compared most often to that of Aimee Mann. Her songs have received airplay on various radio stations, including San Diego's KPRI 102.1, Boston Progress Radio, and Insomnia Radio and her debut EP and album has been written about in The SD Reader, Citybeat, The North County Times and Performer Magazine. She released her first full-length album in November 2009, and is currently performing at venues in the west coast.