With her honeyed vocals and shimmering decade-pop influences, Brisbane’s Eloelo has already established her place as one to watch in the Aus music scene after releasing her scintillating debut single ‘Satisfied’ earlier in the year. The woman behind Eloelo, indie songstress Elouise Goldsmith, melds genres to create her sparkling sound, dabbling in surf-rock, bedroom pop and finding inspiration from her favourite artists of the past and present. Writing about her personal experiences, you can expect Eloelo to shower you with synth layerings and groovy guitar riffs, making for captivating live performances.
As one of the featured artists playing at The Brisbane Indie ‘Winter’ Project on Saturday, 3 July at The Zoo, Eloelo is sure to impress audiences as she continues to make a name for herself in the biz.
We were lucky enough to talk to Eloelo ahead of the highly-anticipated event to find out what her life has been like since releasing her debut single and what we can expect to hear next!
As someone new to the Aus music industry, how have you been finding it so far?
"The Australian music industry is such a rapidly changing environment. I started out by sticking my nose into the scene as a fresh-faced muso, being both terrified and in awe of the talent in my country. Within my first few months of being ‘Eloelo’ I had musicians approaching me at gigs and ironically saying ‘are you THE Eloelo?’ – the music industry is really just a bunch of best friends that haven’t met yet. The thing that really gets me is how everyone in the industry – specifically the Brisbane music scene – are genuinely invested in supporting their locals. Half of my ‘fan base’ are the wonderful artists I’ve had the privilege of sharing a stage with, or musicians I’ve introduced myself to on a night out at a local gig. Essentially, Australian musicians support Australian musicians!"
You released your debut single 'Satisfied' this year, how did it feel to have your music out there in the world? What was the process like?
"The first Eloelo single was an impulse decision – I had a whole other track recorded and ready to go but realised that 'Satisfied' was the truest to who I was and what I wanted to say at the time. I wrote ‘Satisfied’ about my personal experience with controlling friendships, and leading up to writing it, I had been blocked for months, consumed by my thoughts and feelings. I found the willpower to pick up my guitar one afternoon and let all of those thoughts translate into music, which eventually became my debut single! From there it was a whirlwind of excitement, and I immediately jumped into the studio with my then drummer Yusuf Memon and we smashed out the song in a week. When it came to the release, I had no idea how much support and love I would receive. I was honestly blown away by the number of people sharing and streaming MY song – people I hadn’t spoken to since high school were contacting me, and with the help of my Brisbane friends and family I was able to sell out the very first Eloelo headliner show for the 'Satisfied' launch."
Who are your biggest influences when it comes to your sound?
"It really depends on who I’m listening to at the time. For most of my upcoming releases I was very much into Stella Donnelly, Tia Gostelow, Dayglow, Jess Day, Tame Impala and of course, Phoebe Bridgers. Recently I’ve been delving into more atmospheric music such as Beach House, some of Coldplay’s older albums (think Parachutes and X&Y), Her’s as well as revisiting some of my childhood favourites like The Dandy Warhols and The Stranglers. These songs have shaped the newer direction I’ve been going in – but you’ll have to wait to hear them!"
How would you describe the music you typically create?
"I’d like to think I create music that fits people with two left feet, an odd obsession with horoscopes, and of course the disco cowboys – but Eloelo isn’t exclusive to just this bunch of wildcards. I’d put the music itself under the umbrella of indie-rock and indie-pop."
What is your creative process like?
"My process often starts with a musical idea which either turns into a 3-week old voice memo to revisit, or if I’m in the comfort of home, I’ll play around with it on my guitar. During March-July, is usually when I feel the most inspired and write the songs that I’m proudest of."
Forming just before COVID-19 hit, how do you think that has affected your growth as an artist?
"I started rehearsing with a live band just weeks before the worst of the pandemic hit, and it definitely set me back a couple of months in terms of live shows and releases. I was pretty lucky to be one of the musicians that found the motivation to get out of bed (even if it was at 1pm) and be productive. I wrote half of our now live set in the lockdown, so in a way I came back to the band more prepared!"
How did you become a part of the Brisbane Indie Project?
"I wasn’t lucky enough to be at the first Brisbane Indie Project event but had friends who performed at their show and I had mad FOMO. I followed the page and when I saw they were taking applications for their next show I was so set on being a part of it and applied immediately. Around the time of applications I was playing my headline launch event, and was ecstatic when I saw girlboss Summer rock up to our show! My managers from Real Feels and I figured she was sussing out Eloelo so it definitely put the pressure on, but hey, we did it!"
What has been your favourite thing about being a part of the Brisbane Indie Project so far?
"It has been a crazy journey so far. When I found out we made it in I cried on the phone to my mum cause I was so excited to be playing a mini-festival, and at The Zoo no less! Some of my highlights have been meeting and networking with the other talented musicians and artists on the lineup – they have all been so supportive of one another and I can honestly say I’ve made a bunch of fast friends with some amazing creatives! I’ve never played a festival but it’s been on the bucket list for a little while, so thanks Summer & Imogen!"
What are you most looking forward to about the event?
"I’m going to be somewhat hush hush about the specifics, but as the Eloelo fanbase knows, we always dress to impress, and I’ve been working on some very special costumes for our set at The Zoo Winter Project. I’ll be teasing the fans on social media, so make sure to keep an eye on our page!
I’m also really excited to play with such a diverse lineup of artists and musicians in an environment built on supporting one another. It’s going to be such a special experience, and I’m so happy I get to share it with such a great bunch of people!"
What's next for you? Do you have any new releases in the works?
"I am personally a terrible chef (ask my victims) BUT Eloelo is cooking up some stuff in the studio currently and it’ll be out and in your ears VERY soon! Our next release is going to be something extra special, and we have some amazing visuals to accompany it too – keep your eyes and ears out for it!"
