Eliana

Photo Credit: Dana Golan

Originally from the San Fernando Valley, Singer/Songwriter Eliana has been writing music since she was eight years old. Now out of college, she’s released her original music and collaborated with a number of artists, including mellow ev. Her music knows no bounds: The artist effortlessly switches up between styles, going from a rock-influenced “Cycle,” which makes heavy use of a drum beat and electric guitar, to the more LoFi and synthetic sound heard in “I want you, but you’re hard to love”. Never short on accomplishments, the rising star has ⅔ of 100k streams on Spotify, and has also been placed on two Spotify-curated playlists, Fresh Finds, and Fresh Finds: Indie. We recently spoke with Eliana about her taste in music, her experience in the music industry thus far, and more!

How did you start making music?

I think I found a connection with music on my own. Music weaves in and out of the extended family tree, but I’ve always been the musical one in my immediate family.  I was an extremely shy child (I would cry when my parents left the room), but I always loved to sing and somehow got into performing.  I remember my friends and I started a “band”  when we were eight years old and I still have my first notebook filled with songs from that time. However a video recently resurfaced via my father watching home videos of when I was six or seven singing a song I wrote, so the starting point is a bit blurred. I learned how to play a bit of piano when I was young but dropped that, picked up the drums for a few years, dropped that because I didn’t feel like I could sing with them, and then found guitar and really fell in love with it. I’ve been writing, playing, performing, and learning ever since. Out of all the uncertainty music always been the constant in my life. 

It’s your day off: How are you spending it? 

Oh man. Well, honestly in quarantine I’ve had quite a few self-prescribed days off. But an ideal day off in a normal world would be sleeping in followed by a slow morning with a big breakfast, eaten preferably outside in the sun where I daze off for about another hour or so. From then I’m feeling energized and go to the beach, park, or hike with friends (wherever I’m located in the world at the time), and then have a big lunch followed by a long nap. The evening could either be met with a nice TV series, going out with friends, or finding some inspiration to play around with in Logic and seeing if I can come up with any good impromptu material. 

Who’s your choice for a dream collab?

James Blake or Frank Ocean, or Justin Vernon. I cannot choose. I would love to work with the other producers that those artists work with as well but that list is quite long.

What was the last song you listened to?

“You Were Bored” by Loyal Lobos. So lush ...

Describe your music in just three words.

Ethereal, introspective, alternative

Where do you draw inspiration from when making music?

I don’t know why I get frustrated at myself saying this, but the most obvious love and heartbreak. I’ve really been pushing myself to try and write about other aspects of life, social topics etc… but I am most often creative and inspired by relationships or lack-there-of. At least right now in my life those experiences are the ones I can delve openly into and articulate best. I also do sometimes get inspired by my friend’s circumstances and stories that they share with me. Especially if it is a situation I have not experienced myself, I try to put myself in their position and daydream a storyline.  

Tell us about your experiences in the music industry as an up-and-comer.

I spent some time doing internships and studying the business side of the industry, but everyday I wished I was on the other side. The industry is a really webbed and interesting place. I’ve had some really great experiences and some not-so-great ones. It’s pretty cool to be in a growing phase of my artistry because there are so many different people involved in the process, and so many different approaches to go by. I’ve learned something from every person I’ve met, and the web only seems to expand and tangle further. I’m also extremely grateful because being independent has forced me to learn how to trust myself and I’m excited to see where my decisions take me. However I must note that while I’m an independent artist, this project has by no means been an independent pursuit. I’ve had a huge amount of support and help from friends that have volunteered so much time and energy into working with me and helping me grow as an artist. Without them I’m not sure where I would have gained the self-confidence to share my songs and build out my identity and career. 

Any future projects for fans to get excited about?

There are more songs and collaborations in the works that I’m really excited about. However, a big goal of mine is to create a cohesive body of work, something that hopefully turns into an album, so I’m just letting myself write all the time and seeing where that takes me. I’ve been working my production which has been extremely helpful in identifying and actualizing what I’m hearing in my head. It also helps me create a body of work that has a strong visual identity. I love collaborating with producers and visual artists to bring these ideas to life, but I’m definitely that person that needs to word vomit on their own and then refine to have a clear vision to pursue with others. I really want to make sure that every new work I put out is a step up from the last. But I’m hyped for what’s to come.