Montreal is great turf for up and coming artists and the folks at H⅄ Records are definitely part of the few labels to be “blamed” for it. We discovered Ellyn Woods music thanks to Musosoup and we were excited to get to know another brilliant Canadian artist. She recently signed with the label, establishing once again their status as a hub for homegrown talent.
Ellyn released her brilliant single Tangerine in September and since then she’s been engaging her fans on social medias with brilliant cover versions of her favourite artists and is now deep into the planning of her next move along with being busy with the filming the video for Tangerine which we can’t wait to watch.
We had the pleasure of talking to her about her influences, her life as a musician and the struggling local scene in Montreal in these tough times. She offered us a great overview into her work, her creative process and gave us some brilliant recommendations of new artists to check out.
Listen to her music here while you read our interview with her.
Hi Ellyn, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. We came across your
single Tangerine on Musosoup and it definitely got our attention. It’s a brilliant track and we are
very excited to hear what is coming next. We checked out your previous releases and we love
how your productions have evolved into what we are hearing now.
We are very happy to be talking to you about your life in music so I’d say let’s start by giving a
bit of background to our readers if you don’t mind.
Please tell us a bit more about your musical journey, when and how you started getting involved with music?
I am 27 years old. I was 12 when I got my first guitar, and I was 18 when I started performing my original songs to open-mic audiences. I was 17 when I recorded my voice for the first time, my boyfriend at the time was a producer, he set up a microphone in his dining room. I still remember that moment, I was so awkward he kept asking me to sing closer to the mic. From then on, I fell in love with
the recording and writing process.
What was your favourite artist/band as a child?
Avril Lavigne. I was a huge fan, I grew up in Ontario and loved longboarding, she definitely inspired me to get a guitar and start writing. I still remember waiting backstage after her show in Ottawa when I was 12 years old to get an autograph.
What was the first music you bought/downloaded?
The first CD I bought from HMV was P!nk’s “missundazstood” album.
What are your main influences now? Is there a particular artist or an album that inspired you more than others?
Some of my musical influences at the moment are Maggie Rogers, Sylvan Esso, and Phoebe Bridgers. I’m also loving the Men I trust, particularly the ‘oncle jazz’ album.
Tell us a bit more about your latest single and how that came about?
Tangerine started as a poem – I wrote it while I was in a studio in Montréal working on vocals for another project. I was waiting to record my part, sitting on a vintage couch, and there was a soft, dreamy, odd orange light above me. This unique environment gave the inspiration to write the poem. I met up with producer Kyle MacDougall with the intention to collaborate on music, and in one bedroom recording session the demo tangerine was born. When I heard Kyle’s beat, the words in my poem just seemed to fit seamlessly.
We are also curious about your signing with H⅄ Records, we love their work and are keen to see where this collaboration takes you. Can you disclose any future plans?
Just finished shooting the official music video for ‘tangerine’ out in a few weeks, shooting many more live videos, and I’m getting back in the studio to record an acoustic EP.
I also sang/wrote some songs for Sterling Grove’s upcoming EP out later this year & I’m doing a ‘feat.’ on a track with Giuseppe Lanni.
Can you tell us a bit more about your local scene in Montreal? How is it looking out there, is
there much happening in the live shows front? Are you doing any socially distanced gigs?
Montréal just went into another lockdown and all venues are shut for the next 28-days.
As for festivals this year, it looks like most have been cancelled. Certainly a strange time for most musicians. For the moment I have no socially distanced gigs booked, so I’m posting more cover videos & living room performances online.
We worked on an online festival in August and even though it was amazing for us being back on
a ‘live show’ setting, speaking with the musicians we could sense there were mixed feelings on
the whole situation and on the right mindset needed to play just in front of a couple of cameras
for an online audience… what do you think about this? Did you get much involved with live
streaming during these past few months?
No streaming gigs as of yet, but I’m open to the idea. I think it’s similar to recording other music videos at home, but certainly isn’t as much fun. I love the energy you get as a performer in front of a crowd and I really miss performing live.
This is something we ask pretty much everyone we know, not just during the interviews…
we are massive lovers of movie soundtracks, what is your favourite movie soundtrack? And
what existing movie would you like to recreate (or even just curate) a new soundtrack for?
One of my all time favourite movie soundtracks is from Garden State directed by Zach Braff. I also really love the soundtrack from Xavier Dolan’s film Mommy, while many of the songs would not appear in my current playlists, somehow they fit the time period & overall aesthetic of the film so well.
Free question – please ask yourself a question that you have always wanted to get asked.
Could be a question about your future plans, or a statement or just a story you’d like to share
with us and our readers.
How can you support an emerging artist, even if you have no money?
Share their work on your social media platforms you never know who might see it.
Before we let you go, can you recommend a couple of great new bands/artists you are into at
the moment? Any new artists we might not have heard about?
Otha, Faderdaze, Beachfossils, Charlotte Cardin, Emilie & Odgen, The Big Moon, Stella
Donnelly
Follow Ellyn Woods at the links below:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ellynwoods/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/2j6jD…
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/ellyn-woods
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5f…
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ellynwoodsmusic
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