Jay Elle is an acoustic pop singer songwriter who brings warmth and energy through diverse, well-crafted, “five star”, guitar-driven melodic songs, sprinkled with hints of folk, rock and Americana. Read our full interview with Jay below.
For those who don’t know, how long have you been making music and how would you describe your style
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. I have been singing, playing guitar, and writing songs for over 20 years.
I have explored various guitar driven pop/rock styles over the years. My most recent work has been described as “easy listening modern acoustic pop”. Warm and energetic, well-crafted, guitar driven melodic songs, sprinkled with hints of folk, rock and Americana. I write lyrics that are personal, human and thoughtful character portraits. They tend to be witty and seek to provoke deeper thoughts about the world while sharing optimistic, positive, upbeat messages that are meant to leave listeners feeling good. And as one reviewer puts it: “have you carry on with your day with a smile”.
What can you tell us about your latest track Take A Holiday?
I wrote “Take a Holiday” to invite listeners to take a break from the world. We can become different individuals when we are overwhelmed by the stress in our daily lives. That’s not always fun for ourselves and the people around us. Whether we have a tough day at work, or face up some challenges at home, or get weighed down by what we see on the news, we all can use an escape now and then. The song was written before the pandemic started. Needless to say there is more and more of a need for taking a break from the world when possible. It might just be less than a 4 minute break in the case of listening to “Take a Holiday” but every bit helps. My fans told me they put the song on repeat…
What do your typical music production process look like?
I spend a lot of time on fine tuning the melody and the lyrics before I start recording a song. Then I focus on the groove, trying different approaches with drums, bass and rhythm guitar, as a three piece band. I want to be “carried away” by the music and the rhythm. The song has to feel great, pull you in and never let you go until it ends. When the groove is happening it’s a matter of capturing a great performance and layering a few more tracks such as the background vocals and some additional guitars. The focus is always on what feels great and best conveys the purpose of the song. In “Take a Holiday” there is a short section in the bridge where I whistle. I never used whistling in any of my songs before. It was the perfect fit here.
Now that the initial shock from COVID is waning, what music industry changes do you think are here to stay? Do you see any positive changes as a result?
That’s a great question. I think that online live shows will continue to grow. There has been interesting development with Virtual Reality. Companies looking to provide people with live concerts experiences through VR. I could see a blend of watching a live show online and being able to experience it more closely via the use of Virtual Reality software and hardware that puts you in the room next to the drummer, etc… You get the comfort of being at home on your coach with your favorite drink and yet you are right there with the band.
The more possibilities for musicians to reach people the better for both the musicians and the audiences. We all hope to be able to safely attend live concerts of course but combining live in person performances with online ones is great.
Do you have anything on the horizon creatively for the rest of 2020 or 2021?
Thank you for asking. I am working on a new album “One Voice One Guitar”. Until I can get musicians together in a studio I thought it would be great to record acoustic versions of new songs. I also have some tracks that were recorded prior to the pandemic. They will be on my Website in the coming weeks.
What can our readers do to support you?
I am forever grateful to anyone who takes the time to listen to my songs. Time is a precious commodity. I would love for people to visit my Website and listen to a few songs. That would mean the world to me. They can even sign up to get at least one song emailed to them for free: https://jayellesongs.com/
Until we can meet at a concert, thank you for listening, and stay safe.
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