Spotlight – Elena Erin

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Spotlight - Elena Erin: Unveiling the Artist Behind the Emotion

In this edition of Spotlight – Elena Erin, we dive into the heartfelt world of an artist whose music resonates with raw emotion and poetic storytelling. Elena Erin has quickly become a name to watch, captivating listeners with her soulful melodies and lyrics that speak to the human experience. With a unique blend of vulnerability and strength, she crafts songs that connect deeply with her audience. In this interview, Elena shares the stories behind her music, the influences that shape her artistry, and her vision for the future. Join us as we step into the creative universe of Spotlight – Elena Erin and discover what makes her artistry truly shine.

What started your musical journey?

My mom was really musical and self-taught – so we always had music and singing in our house, and she prioritized music lessons for me and my siblings from a young age. I grew up playing classical piano since the age of 6.

Are there any out of the box influences that you draw from for your sound?

My genre-influences are pretty out of the box. Whenever people tell me they like all music, I always ask, “Country? Rap? Opera?” and there’s always a “no, not that” to one of those. I grew up with all of that – hymns in church, classical music, country music from the radio, Eminem from my older siblings I’d see every second weekend, pop music playing in the malls, Shania Twain. Those were all my early influences.

You have some new music coming up with Only Kink I Haven’t Tried. Tell us the story behind that one and how it came to be?

This is one of the “lyric-first” songs I wrote. In my phone notes one day I wrote “now the only kink I haven’t tried is loving someone till I die” and was like “oooooh this is good!” and tried to write it into multiple different songs. The idea is about trying all these things in life that you thought would be exciting and more sparkly and more fulfilling, and finally realizing there was actually only one thing you wanted and all these experiences was your way of avoiding that thing.

It’s also a love song. Meeting someone and having a connection with them and wanting to build something on a stable foundation, so asking each other if maybe we should ignore the Hollywood-love and couples-goals and instead privately build this care and friendship and connection between each other.

What is your favorite part of the process if you had to pick between Writing, Production or Playing live?

Definitely writing. It’s the one thing I can do with no resources and even if I was living on the street. The other parts are exciting and feel fulfilling but writing and being able to put my feelings into music has gotten me through some of the hardest moments of life. And sometimes when I’ve had nothing, at least I can have a song.

What is one of the more interesting things you have learned about yourself during your music career?

That you can’t do anything to hide yourself from those who are meant to see you. And in the same way, you can’t do anything to show or prove yourself to those who AREN’T meant to see you. At some of my lowest least-interesting times, I’ve come across people who still see my magic and destiny and purpose and remind me of that. Whereas there’s other doors I keep knocking on, coming back more impressive each year and I’ve finally realized those people are never going to care. And that gives me two options: to let myself be loved and seen right here and now, or to spend my life pursuing love from people who don’t get me in an attempt to prove to myself that I’m lovable.

If you could record a song in any unique or unexpected location to capture a certain mood, where would you choose, and why?

What a cool question. 2 places: in the middle of a party. But I’m sitting in the middle of this explosive vibey party with headphones on, holding a microphone, and no one’s really looking at me, and it’s a song about the inner-world and feelings I’m experiencing in a slow-ballad form. Because sometimes in the fastest and most exciting parts of life, my inner-world moves in slow motion. Not in a sad or dull way, just an epic, slow way.

Second spot would be on a mountain somewhere with an amazing view, early in the morning. It would smell fresh and dewy all around and one of my friends would make a campfire, and the smoke would blowing around and maybe stinging our eyes a bit, and we’d have some recording equipment and instrumentals already made and I’d pick up the mic and start recording. I feel like the atmosphere would kind of channel through me and that energy would be put into a song like capturing a feeling for later.

In your transition from a classically trained pianist to a contemporary songwriter, are there any classical techniques or philosophies that you still apply in your modern compositions?

Practice is meant to be practice. I use this as well when I’m coaching other songwriters – you wouldn’t sit down at your first piano lesson and think you’re horrible because you struggle to play a scale; you’d realize you’re learning and need to practice every day. Yet people start writing a song and attach their ego to it and if it doesn’t feel GREAT to them immediately, they think they’re bad. I see the same thing when people begin running.

Songwriting is a practice and not every song is meant to be profound. The same way nobody wants to listen to scales every day, yet the pianist still needs to practice them for hours to get that technique. View songwriting the same way, and that way you’re not attached to an outcome.

You’ve achieved significant streaming success and recognition on editorial playlists. In an age of algorithms and playlists, how do you maintain authenticity while creating music that resonates widely?

I’m lucky enough to have people who are impacted by my music tell me their stories. And it always hits like cold water in the face. Like WOW, Elena, you could be out here stressing about having a “successful” song and how many streams you’ve gotten, or this song could “only” get 25 streams and those streams were because one person had it on repeat-one the day after their best-friend died, because it was the only thing that brought them comfort and expressed their feelings. I try to remove my ego from my music. Like this is not about me and my perceived-success. We’re not given artistic gifts to make ourselves look cool and then die. We’re given gifts because we have the ability to channel something greater than ourselves that taps into the connection between all humanity. And once again that thing doesn’t have to be “profound”.

What is one thing you think should be asked more in an interview that isn't asked enough?

“What would you in 5 years tell yourself 5 years ago from today?” because we forget we can tap into the wisdom of our future selves who are already arrived at destinations we’re heading towards.

Looking back how do you think your younger self would react to your music?

She would think I was so cool. I think my songs would bring her comfort when music was the only thing she had to soothe herself. I think she would feel like less of a outsider knowing that someone else thought like her, and relief knowing that one day her life turns around and she gets to create the kind of world she always dreamt about.

If you are introducing your music to someone new for the first time what is the song that best showcases who you are?

It depends on the person. If they’re friends of my parents or like folk music I tell them “Build a Ship”. If it’s a girl who only loves pop music I tell her “Models Have Feelings”. If it’s a metal guitarist who hates pop, I tell her “Mirage”. If it’s my ex I tell him “Fur Elise”. If it’s my future husband I tell him “Only Kink I Haven’t Tried”.

Who plays you in the movie of your life?

Probably my little sister Elisabeth. I confuse her for me in photos all the time.

What do you hope people take away from your music?

That we’re all human beings having this experience together and have the same ups and downs. I don’t wear any masks in my music, and by being vulnerable and fully myself, I think it gives others permission to be fully themselves.

Last but not least, are you Happy?

It’s exponentially improving each year with a few dips in between.

Spotlight – Elena Erin is a wrap. Big thanks for taking the time to chat

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