Backstage At Breakaway With XANDRA

Xandra Pohl is taking it “easy” this summer. For her, that means DJing gigs and multiple festivals, walking in runways, posting daily content, and taking a grand total of two weeks off. When I question her idea of relaxation, Pohl, who goes by the stage name XANDRA, has her music manager weigh in. “I actually feel like I am taking it easy. This is my so-called easy summer, right?” she asks him. (“For the most part, yeah,” he replies.)

We’re catching up in Pohl’s dressing room at Breakaway Festival Ohio. She just flew in from her Hamptons summer rental for a hometown performance at the EDM festival. Tomorrow morning, she’s headed to Miami to walk in the Sports Illustrated Swim runway show that night.

This schedule is nothing new for Pohl, who blew up on TikTok while she was a student at the University of Miami, posting GRWM videos for a seemingly never-ending list of college parties. Since graduating in 2023, her life has only gotten busier. “I feel like I have the same hours as a stripper; weekends and nights,” the Cincinnati native says.

It’s only fitting that Pohl’s latest single, “I Won’t Sleep,” came out on May 30 — an apt description of her current lifestyle. “I literally don't sleep ever. It's just: party, DJ, drink, fun, friends,” the 24-year-old says. “The song is about the in-betweens: how this all is fun, but I also spend more time in planes than I do on the ground.”

Here, Pohl dishes on her summer plans, Breakaway set, and new music coming in July.

Elite Daily: Last time we talked, it was for your first SI Swim season. You just had your second. How else have things changed for you since then?

Xandra Pohl: Oh my God, everything has changed. Last year, I had just graduated college, I was fresh out of a breakup, and I was rediscovering myself.

I’ve grown so much since then. I've accomplished a lot in my music career — put out a ton of singles, traveled a ton, and performed at sold-out tours and massive music festivals. I'm living my dream every single day.

ED: You just bought a house in Miami, but you’re spending the summer in the Hamptons. What prompted that decision?

XP: Miami is so hot, and my house was supposed to be done next week. It is very much not done. Plus, although I love living in Miami more than anything, it's hard for me to truly relax and settle down there.

The Hamptons is where I’ve spent the past four summers. It’s easier to turn off and just be in nature. I love it. This year, my friends and I have been calling our house “The Fairy House” because it looks like fairies should live there. We bought bikes this week and rode 16 miles yesterday. I put my little JBL speaker in my basket and pretend I'm in a music video. During the week, I just go on runs and cook. That’s been really important for my mental health.

ED: How was your Breakaway performance? The crowd seemed to love your set.

XP: It was so much fun. I'm from Ohio, so I love playing these hometown shows. The stadium that we're right next to is where I won my state soccer championship in high school. It's a crazy feeling to realize how far I've come. I also used to intern for Breakaway, and now I'm here.

ED: How would you rate the crowd?

XP: I pride myself on reading the crowd, whether it's 60,000 people or six people. It's all about the energy they are giving off. Today was incredible — any show in the Midwest is. People come for the music. They want to have a good time. They want to get f*cked up. So I knew it’d be amazing. Ohio never disappoints. Those are my homies.

ED: Who are you most excited to see at the fest?

XP: Ooh, I love Bunt, Dom Dolla, Sofi Tukker, and Odd Mob. He’s so sick.

ED: You just released “I Won’t Sleep” with Jordan Shaw. How did that collab happen?

XP: Our teams are friends, and he's incredible. If you go and look at his Spotify breakdown, he's worked with incredible people, doing vocals on the craziest songs.

So when we were coming up with “I Won’t Sleep,” I really wanted to have him on it, and this speed garage sound is really in right now. I'm excited to see what people think.

ED: How did it feel, playing it for a crowd for the first time today?

XP: When you play your music for the first time, nobody knows what it is. For the first 30 seconds, you see them digesting it in their brains. Then they start to move their heads slightly. And all of a sudden, their bodies start moving. When you get the hands going, you know it’s good. It’s like, “Oh, period. We got them.”

But normally it takes a second, so I'm nervous. I'm up there like, “Are you guys having fun? Please tell me you're having fun.” The crowd today really loved it.

ED: What are you most excited about this summer?

XP: Everything. “I Won’t Sleep” just came out, and I have so much new music coming this summer. We have so many shows, too. I'm doing Ibiza and Saint-Tropez.

ED: Can you share any more details about the new music?

XP: I have a song with Bryce Vine coming out in July. It’s called “Superstar.” It came together about eight months ago. I was working on the record with a few other writers, and when we finished the demo version, I realized the way we treated the vocals sounded exactly like Bryce Vine.

I was like, "Oh my God. How cool would it be if we got Bryce to cut this track?" We called his team, and they agreed to work on it. He made some lyric changes and sent it back, and we completely reworked the production with his vocals. I’m really excited. I was obsessed with him when he was coming out with these summer bangers, like “Drew Barrymore,” a pretty long time ago.

ED: Can’t wait to hear it. What are you manifesting for 2025?

XP: Love and respect.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.