TheGracefulBard (aka “Bard”, aka Xhën ) is an independent musician and artist from New York.
Most known for her live-looping in the music category on Twitch, she has also composed for film and video games, along with personal commissions.
The Birth of Xhën:
Bard’s love of looping had arisen out of necessity, when her music began to evolve beyond simple piano/guitar arrangements. With her first looper pedal (a Line6 DL4) she began performing some of her improvised works at local coffee shops and bars. Realizing that it was nearly impossible to completely recreate her compositions, she started leaning more heavily on pure improv as a live artform.
The Birth of Bard:
In 2020, the world shifted, and suddenly Xhën had nowhere to play, no friends to see- just a small gaming account on Twitch, and a looper pedal with limited capabilities.
As the months went on, Xhën began to stream more frequently, with little else to do. Slowly, she started to step out of the gaming scene, and into the world of online music. It was there that she met other influential creatives, who not only inspired, but encouraged her to keep chasing her dreams and thinking outside the box. She changed her username to TheGracefulBard (quickly realizing the irony of the name as she frequently spilled things on herself, tangled herself up in wires regularly, and swore like a sailor- not very graceful at all), and then one day one of her favorite streamers called her “Bard”.
The Community and its mission:
As Bard grew as a streamer, she realized that building an online community was so much more than she had ever anticipated. It wasn’t some performance she could leave behind when she walked off stage. It had to be something more. As she got to know her viewers, she began to call them friends. These online friends became friends with each other, and some even got to become friends in person. This is when she realized, she has a responsibility to do her best to make this world better, for herself, for them, for everyone.
A note from Bard…
One thing that 2020 did for me, was it shook me to my core. It really made me look at my life: the things that brough me joy, the things that brought me pain.. I was confronted with the most beautiful parts of myself, along with the most hideous parts. It was this self-reckoning that really changed my life.
When we are forced to face our problems, and really learn ourselves, how can we continue on making choices that make our lives less joyful? How can we continue on knowing we are making choices that hurt others?
At the end of the day, we have a responsibility to love ourselves, and love each other. There is only one you, there is only one me, and there is only one now. Let’s make it count.
