Sydney-based Elouera sat down with Happy to talk about her latest single release, ‘too fast’, and how it came to be
Elouera is an enigmatic force in the Sydney music scene, blending alternative synths with indie pop and topping it with haunting lyrics and powerful vocals.
‘too fast’, her second single that follows up from ‘skin’, released earlier this year, is a soft reflection on Elouera’s desire to let go of her younger self in order to move on.
Emotionally-infused and bound in a classic pop beat, ‘too fast’ has the warmth and sentiment of old-school The 1975 and Troye Sivan.
Her soft, cooing vocals make the track feel atmospheric and delicate, but it has a roaring power behind it that gives it that classic indie-pop feel.
For insight on the process behind the track and her advice for emerging artists, check out the interview below.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
ELOUERA: I had the day off work so I went to the studio and wrote some music. Saw a few friends there and caught up with them.
HAPPY: Can you tell us a little bit about where you live, and what you love about it?
ELOUERA: I live in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I love it because it is far enough from the city that it gives me a chance to breathe from everything going on. It’s a lot chiller and laid back which I appreciate.
HAPPY: Can you tell us about your latest track ‘Too Fast’? What’s the inspiration behind it?
ELOUERA: The inspiration for the track happened when I got out of a relationship that lasted over three years and was thrown into the dating pool again. I couldn’t comprehend trusting another person into my life especially when the only person I trusted romantically was gone.
Getting back into meeting new people was easy and a lot of fun but I knew at one point if something were to work out I would have to go through the process of telling them everything about me and that is a scary thing to me.
I ended up seeing someone very briefly and he would always ask why I didn’t speak openly and personally about myself and that’s when I bolted. I wasn’t ready.
I realised the night I wrote the song that I was clinging onto my younger self for comfort, that my younger self was mine and no one else’s.
To get to know me was to get to know her and that wasn’t something I was willing to share at that point in time.
It ended up taking me over a year and a similar situation to realise I needed to let go of her because it created a barrier to pursuing new relationships.
HAPPY: Your journey from film to music is quite unique. How did your background in film influence your approach to creating music and the visual aspects of your work?
ELOUERA: The journey from film to music was quite abrupt and only started properly making music almost two years ago.
I have always loved and been surrounded by music since I was a kid so I was always writing lyrics and poetry just as a form of storytelling when I was young but kept it to myself.
I am a visual storyteller at my core, so if I can imagine something I can write it and apply it semi autobiographically really fast, it just depends on how personal I want it to be.
I always think about concepts before any session and that’s where my approach to lyrical writing and its conventional structure translates to my background in film.
I always like to say that I am trying to create a visual world for listeners’ ears in the means to keep the other part of my life embedded in my other creative projects.
HAPPY: The track delves into the idea of letting go of your younger self. Can you elaborate on what inspired this theme and how it has evolved for you over time?
ELOUERA: I think the theme was inspired by a particular period in our lives as women where we get to a place where childhood is a heavy reflection in your early twenties.
We emerge from teenagers to adults and we miss the innocence we had. In my personal experience, I felt I needed to lose my innocence and childlike nature to fit in.
It’s not until you lose that part of yourself you want to hold tighter onto it, go back in time, and stop whatever happened from happening. It then affects new experiences, particularly in romantic relationships.
This evolved heavily over time as I finally released that it was something I was going through along with the fear of trust.
The realisation occurred six months later (December 2023/January 2024) after writing the song and the demo being produced. I got out of a rough experience with someone and was trying to work on myself. That’s when the meaning of the song came full circle and evolved over time.
HAPPY: How would you describe your sound within the alt synth indie/pop genre? What elements do you think set your music apart from others in this space?
ELOUERA: I only found out a few months ago by listening back to my new song “too fast” and old demos that my sound through synths heavily reflects 80s music production yet still modern enough to fit in with today’s indie/pop genre. I think that’s the main element that sets my music apart from others.
HAPPY: You talk about creating a visual world for listeners. How do you incorporate visual storytelling into your music and performances?
ELOUERA: I incorporate visual storytelling by setting up a clear picture for audiences to follow along. From my love of poetry and script writing, I merged the two when I started to properly write songs with a producer.
Creating visual storytelling is what I do as a creative outside music so it was vital if I was going to do music it would have to be true to what I loved doing. If you can transport a listener into another place or revisit an experience they had, that is when you know you have done your job right as a writer.
HAPPY: Looking ahead, are there any specific themes or concepts you’re excited to explore in your upcoming music?
ELOUERA: YES! I am so excited for my upcoming projects that I am currently working on!!! I am currently writing a project where each track bleeds into one which is something I have been wanting to do ever since exploring music as a possibility.
I don’t want to say too much about the concept since things can change quite quickly.
I am still lucky enough to embrace the fact that I am still figuring out my sound so in the process of this project, I am experimenting and trying to go out of my comfort zone. In saying that my music will still be quite visual in terms of lyrical storytelling.
HAPPY: As someone who has made a relatively quick transition into music, what advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to break into the industry?
ELOUERA: I am honestly still trying to figure it out myself and think I have a long way to go. But so far my advice is to make sure what you’re creating is what you want people to discover, even if that means taking the time to figure out what your artist project is really about.
Be kind and stick to your guns/trust your gut – your gut is always right even when you want it to be wrong, so listen to it.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
ELOUERA: Creating stories that create personal connections. Don’t know what person I would be without it.
And the fundamental things in my life; my family, close friends, my dog, discovering music for the first time, the ocean, and of course CINEMA!
