For EL, music is about embracing emotions, trusting instincts, and finding the courage to be unapologetically oneself. Drawing inspiration from films, personal experiences, and the beauty of everyday moments, the singer-songwriter creates music that feels both intimate and cinematic.
In this City Stories feature, EL opens up about discovering their artistic identity, learning to let go of perfectionism, navigating the challenges of social media, and finding the balance between creativity and personal well-being. With the release of ‘stars,’ an upcoming alternate music video, and a first EP on the horizon, EL is stepping into a new chapter with greater confidence, honesty, and a renewed sense of purpose.
For those discovering your music for the first time, how would you introduce yourself and describe the kind of artist you are?
Hi, I’m EL. I guess when it comes down to it, I’m the kind of artist who’s into feelings because feeling things is how you know you’re alive and you’re here.
When I sing, that’s when I feel most like a person. It’s visceral. It comes from my soul, and it’s raw.
I get to say, hey, being a person is hard but beautiful, and you hear that through my voice. You get to hear those emotions and feel that maybe you are not alone, and we are paddling the same boat to shore.
How did your journey as a singer-songwriter begin, and what inspired you to start creating music?
I was talking to a high school friend the other day, and I remembered the first song I wrote. Officially, I guess I started writing at 15. I wrote this song for a girl I liked because we were both into The Script.
But I’ve been singing since I was 3. I’ve been into music and playing instruments since grade school. It all came together naturally for me because I’ve been doing it all my life, but I didn’t really get into it until I quit my first job in 2017.
I bought my first Fender electric guitar and a crappy Zoom mic, and would just record and sing on my laptop at my mom’s house every day.
Your artist name, el, is simple yet distinctive. Is there a personal story or meaning behind it?
I love simple things. EL sounds feminine but also sturdy. Geometric. When I was playing in my first band, I realized I was also nonbinary, so I wanted a name that was declarative but easy.
But honestly, when I came up with it, I was also playing a lot of The Last of Us and watching Stranger Things, so that may also have something to do with it.
How would you describe your musical identity, and what influences have helped shape your sound?
If I were to describe my musical identity, it’s cinema. I was always into soundtracks, TV shows, and movies. I get my music from there.
I used to listen to a lot of radio too, and I grew up in the 2010s, so I was shaped by a lot of good music from that era and the ’90s ballads my parents would listen to when I was a little kid.
I’m drawn to really big emotions. I like Neutral Milk Hotel because they’re not musical geniuses who use inverted chords or whatever. They’re just singing in a very guttural way that moves me as a person.
I also like pretty melodies. I listened to an unhealthy amount of Sara Bareilles, A Fine Frenzy, Aurora, Death Cab for Cutie, St. Vincent, Caroline Polachek, and Haley Heynderickx at some point in my life. Paramore, if we’re being real.
What usually inspires you to write a song? Do your ideas come from personal experiences, emotions, or things you observe around you?
To be an artist, you have to be present and be kind of a sponge. I think generally people make art to make sense of life. So, all my ideas come from processing life moments.
Sometimes I get lyrics from a line I’ve heard somebody say or read in a book. Conversations, random epiphanies, my feelings about somebody, about myself, things I’ve gone through, that sort of stuff.
I also get inspired a lot by someone else’s storytelling or art. It can be a painting, a picture, or a scene from a movie. I wrote “Runner Up” because I watched Crush on Hulu. I wrote “Colors” because I played Life is Strange.
Art begets art.
When writing music, do you usually begin with lyrics, a melody, or a particular feeling you want to express?
I have 600-plus voice notes on my phone and a lot of one-liners in my Notes app.
My process is like putting tiny socks on a very unruly cat. When it starts with a melody, you have to fit the words in, and when it’s words, you have to fit a melody over them. The cat always tries to shake the damn things off.
There’s always a bit of both, and I always have to wrangle with it.
Your release “stars” gives listeners an opportunity to connect with your artistry. What is the story behind the song, and what inspired you to create it?
I met a girl when I was pressing tapes during the pandemic and had a dream about her. I think at the time I had a secret crush on her, and the dream was so sweet and cinematic. We held hands on the bleachers, etc.
It moved me the way dreams move me, so when I woke up, I wrote a song about it. I had the line, “When we talk, I can feel the stars,” because that’s how long-distance crushes feel to me. Cosmic. You’re not even in the same place, but you develop these big feelings for somebody. It’s like something otherworldly.
I started around 3 a.m., recording the demo on my laptop with my acoustic guitar in my mom’s living room, and finished it around 8 a.m.
I recorded everything in the studio over the course of a month or two, and it just stayed in post-production for four years until I revisited it last year with my engineer and pulled the song out of a stack of maybe 40–50 tracks.
How do you decide which personal experiences or emotions you want to share through your music?
I don’t, really. My music is a product of those things. They’re intertwined.
As an independent artist or emerging musician, what has been the most challenging part of finding your own sound and identity?
Being bad. I was raised a perfectionist, so it’s been a real challenge to be bad at things. Being okay with making mistakes was new for me and hard at the beginning. But that’s a huge part of self-discovery, and you can’t really skip that if you want to learn things about yourself.
I wrote ‘stars’ without a metronome, and one of my teachers told me it had two different time signatures. So that’s pretty cool and makes my music 100% me because I did it instinctually. If I had put a perfect beat over it or done things conventionally or copied a trend or something, that probably would not have happened, and it wouldn’t have felt right.
So now I’m more fearless with how I make music and not overthink things or worry about music theory when I’m writing. I just trust my instincts and write from my feelings like a normal person.
How has your understanding of songwriting changed since you first started making music?
I very rarely write or finish a song on one instrument. It starts as one thing, then I put it through different instruments, but I mostly do the work on my DAW. It’s like my sketch pad. I draw a rough shape in, and then layer my paints and change this and that until I get it right.
And then it sits untouched for a long time, or I play the song with my band and perform it in front of people over and over again until it feels good to me.
Time is the best ingredient, in my opinion. It’s true for me in the kitchen, and it’s true for me and my art. I just let it be. Time cooks it, and when it’s done, it’s done.
I still want to get better at the craft of it, the musicianship, but I’ve learned that I can still express myself well without knowing everything.
When creating a song, how do you balance your original artistic vision with the expectations of your listeners?
I don’t know if anybody has an expectation of me yet, but as EL, my only goal is to be honest with myself.
If I ever make something super out there, it’ll just be under a different name or probably a secret project I’ll never tell anybody.
What does your creative process look like, from the first idea to the finished track?
I very rarely write or finish a song on one instrument. It starts as one thing, then I put it through different instruments, but I mostly do the work on my DAW. It’s like my sketch pad. I draw a rough shape in, and then layer my paints and change this and that until I get it right.
And then it sits untouched for a long time, or I play the song with my band and perform it in front of people over and over again until it feels good to me.
Time is the best ingredient, in my opinion. It’s true for me in the kitchen, and it’s true for me and my art. I just let it be. Time cooks it, and when it’s done, it’s done.
Are there any artists, genres, or musical scenes that you would love to explore or incorporate into your future work?
Electronic music is something I really got into during the pandemic and would still very much love to get into. I like the textures of synths and their ability to take you to another world and make you feel something.
My dream job is to make music for films. But if we’re talking artists, my pick would be Ludwig Göransson and FKA Twigs.
What have you learned about yourself through the process of making and releasing music?
I’m, like, at existential levels of debating with myself how I can do music without social media, but in our world right now, unfortunately, it’s almost a requirement.
If you look at my Instagram, all the stuff I post, I shot, edited, and graded myself. I won’t do it for the sake of doing it because I’m responsible for my art. It has to be intentional, and making intentional art takes time.
But if you have marketing and that kind of stuff, you’ll need to do it consistently. So I’m learning how to be better at that, better at time, and finding the balance for myself without sacrificing my integrity as an artist with a camera or as a person with, like, mental health.
The internet is a good thing, but you also have to learn to be safe around it. I’m learning how to do that and still be okay and have a career at the end of the day.
Music can sometimes communicate feelings that are difficult to express in everyday life. Has songwriting helped you understand or process your own emotions?
All the time. Art does that for you.
What kind of connection do you hope listeners develop with your songs, especially when they relate to the experiences or feelings you express?
The kind where they feel like the song is there for their moments. Not just when they’re sad, but maybe when they’re at a party and they want to feel good, or they’re hyping themselves up before confessing their feelings for somebody, or they’re in a car and it’s a long ride.
I hope they connect with it in a way that will make them feel less alone. Like the song can be their friend or belong in that moment with them.
Looking back at your journey so far, what moment or accomplishment has made you feel proudest as an artist?
Releasing ‘stars’ this year! I’m in my thirties now and feel more like myself. I’m happy I waited. I feel like this time I can give it my actual best shot because I’m in great shape, I have a good support system, the tools I need, and the right people to believe in me.
I did the work for four years to be okay and be in a good place in my life. And, you know, so far it’s been nice. My single has gotten on three Spotify editorial playlists on the first try! I’ve played a couple of shows. You’re interviewing me. It’s going to be an adventure, but I feel like we’re off to a good start.
If you could collaborate with any artist, whether locally or internationally, who would you choose and why?
Off the top of my head: Haley Heynderickx, hands down. Locally, Ely Buendia.
What can listeners look forward to from el in the coming months? Are there any upcoming releases, collaborations, or creative directions you are excited to share?
Yes, actually! ‘stars’ has an alternate music video that I’m excited to release before the year ends, and I have my first EP coming out next year!
My next single, ‘Long Ride,’ will also hopefully be out before my birthday. Fingers crossed I get to direct a music video again.
Finally, what message would you like to give to aspiring musicians who are still discovering their identities and finding the courage to share their work with the world?
Be honest and be brave. Weird people out or let them down. What feels right to you is right.
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