Ella Eliza

Born in Germany, raised in the USA and relocated to the UK, Ella Eliza is breaking cultural and musical barriers with her unique sonic blend made of Contemporary R&B and Soultronic. First being introduced to classical music by her mother, Ella went on to develop her own artist's vision when she began writing songs at a young age. Finding herself exposed to various genres, Ella took inspiration from artists such as Frank Ocean and KAYTRANADA. Ella Eliza has recently released her new single ‘Alone With You’ and we caught up with her to find out who inspires her musically and what was the inspiration behind her recent release.

NEO: How long have you been making music?

ELLA ELIZA: I have been in choirs all my life and I started songwriting at the age of fourteen. That has just been something that has caught me and helped me express myself. I've found that expressing myself through my music became really important to me but officially I started my artist project in 2018. Ive been releasing and making music as Ella Eliza since 2018 but I've been writing since the age of fourteen.

NEO: Who inspires you musically?

ELLA ELIZA:Musically I'm inspired by really strong personalities and artists such as Amy Winehouse and Freddie Mercury because they really have a distinct way of expressing themselves. I'm automatically drawn to them. Also my mother. She is a singer and used to be in a band when she was younger. I recently discovered listening to her old CD’s that she sounds like Stevie Nicks. She now sings Opera and doesn’t sing contemporary music any more. She is amazing!

NEO:What was the inspiration behind your recent release ‘Alone With You’?

ELLA ELIZA: The inspiration behind ‘Alone With You’ is basically the interrelation between self love, self acceptance and a romantic relationship with someone else. How I'm treating myself and how it is directly affecting how I am treating someone else. Ever since I started going down the self-development path and just taking more time and taking care of my mental health and really consciously making the effort to take care of myself and my romantic relationship over relationships have improved. That is really what ‘Alone With You’ is about. It is a love letter to one of the really important relationships in my life right now.

NEO: What do you enjoy most about being a musician?

ELLA ELIZA: I enjoy the fact that you get to invent and re-invent. Everyday is different, for a lot of people that can be chaotic and at times I would agree. As you get older you do love a bit of routine. I do love that you get to do what you want. There's no design pathway, you are kind of just making it up as you go along. There’s no degree for musicians, there’s no specific job you have to get. You get to decide what experiences you want to have in your life. I love my freedom and independence and being a musician gives you all of that.

NEO: What motivates you to create a song?

ELLA ELIZA: What generally motivates me to make music is the ideas that go through my mind. A simple thought can turn into music and can then go onto help me let go of a very impactful experience which interns can go on to inspire other people. Thoughts are so powerful and most people don’t even realise it. Music is the best example. Generally that is what motivates me, also the fact I can go into a session with nothing and leave the session with something that makes me feel really good and those who were in the session too. Being able to draw inspiration from others and your surroundings and turning that into music is mind-blowing to say the least. That feeling is truly irreplaceable.

NEO: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

ELLA ELIZA: I have always dreamt of being able to fly. These dreams have always been very clear, I would lift off and just start flying. I had that superpower in my dreams and it felt amazing so I would definitely love to do that. I guess it goes back to loving my freedom and having that sense of independence it embodies for me. You can just take off and fly away and be free. Like Iron-man, well I would be Iron-woman.

NEO:What is something you used to believe in that you do not believe in anymore?

ELLA ELIZA: Probably destination happiness, the idea that you need to get something to feel happy whether it is materialistic or an achievement or that you have to meet a certain person to be happy in life. One of the biggest things I have learned during the pandemic is that I have so much to offer myself the more I give myself the more I can give to other people. When I was younger I was very focused on when I achieved XYZ but now I am more focused on what I have now and being present and grateful.

NEO:What other music genres would you like to explore?

ELLA ELIZA: I would love to go down the Electronic route. Growing up in Germany I listened to a lot of Electronic music, because of the friend group I was in. I really love the KAYTRANADA vibes. Anything that is Electronically influenced I used to DJ and I just love the vibe it brings.

NEO:What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

ELLA ELIZA: I am quite a dare devil so there is a list of things, but when I was younger I moved around a lot so it did not leave room for me to be in a shell. When I first moved to London at 19 I only knew one person. I stayed with her for two weeks then started to go out on my own and make new friends and just be independent and do things on my own. I went clubbing and eating out on my own, it was weird, but a very rewarding experience. I met some really cool people that I am still friends with till this day.

NEO:If you could travel to one of the planets which planet would you go to?

ELLA ELIZA: I would definitely go to Mars. Alongside my flying dreams I would dream that I could see earth from above then I would fall onto Earth, which was quite scary. It probably means something but I don’t want to know if it's something bad. I would not want to go too far so I feel like I would be safe on Mars and just check out Earth from a different angle.

NEO: Let us know where to find you on social media

ELLA ELIZA:@ellaelizamusic