4 Breathtaking Photos of 2024 Rookie Xandra Pohl in Belize

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

If you ask Xandra Pohl what it means to be legendary, she’ll tell you it’s all about confidence and passion—two attributes that she has in spades. Both made her an easy choice for a feature this year’s 60th anniversary issue of the SI Swimsuit Issue. The campaign is “Be Legendary,” and that’s exactly how we might describe the 23-year-old DJ.

This year, she traveled with the team to Belize for her brand photo shoot. Though it will be her first time gracing the pages of the annual magazine, it’s far from her first run-in with the 60-year-old brand. At the 2023 Miami Swim Week last summer, Pohl both worked as the DJ for the runway event and walked in the show, too. It was there that the team first became acquainted with her bubbly personality and contagious confidence.

It was the same spirit that she brought to the set of her SI Swimsuit debut. DJing, according to the rookie, has forced her to come into that sort of confidence. Being a female in the industry isn’t easy, as people aren’t inclined to take her seriously. But, over the years, she has proven the doubters wrong and built her confidence in her own abilities.

“I just want people to know, I love who I am,” she says. “I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing. I’m confident about it. I’m passionate about it. I am who I am.”

Her confidence has brought her a long way in the industry. Soon, she will be releasing her own music and signing with a record label, and Pohl is currently on tour. Plus, her SI Swimsuit debut gave her the chance to express some of that confidence in a new medium.

SI Swimsuit, to Pohl, has always been about encouraging “young girls looking up to all the models” to be “confident in [their] own bodies.” In 2024, with her official debut, she is contributing to that message.

Here are a few of the lovely photos from the DJ’s trip to Belize. For more on her backstory and career, read here.

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Four Three Seven. Top by Natalia Fedner. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Four Three Seven. Top by Natalia Fedner. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Four Three Seven. Top by Natalia Fedner. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Four Three Seven. Top by Natalia Fedner. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. Swimsuit by Four Three Seven. Top by Natalia Fedner. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated