We had the pleasure of interviewing Elina, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: What would you like your music to mean to people now and in the future?
ELINA: As someone who’ve always found great comfort and consolation in music during all phases of life, it’s the greatest feeling of all to get a message from someone telling me that a song has made an impact on theirs. I don’t ever feel like the words need to be interpreted in a certain way or mean exactly what they mean to me personally. That’s the beauty of music – everyone can relate to it in their own special way based on their own experiences. So, if my music can spark any inspiration, any comfort, hope, or sense of direction, then I’m beyond happy.
Q: What did you enjoy the most about creating “I Should’ve Danced More”?
ELINA: I loved how it came about so effortlessly. I often hear about people “writing songs in ten minutes” but I rarely get to experience that myself. This was one of those songs that just wrote itself. We made a rough recording of it before heading to dinner that night, sent the bounce of it to our emails, and listened to it non-stop. We were so excited. That first recording is actually the one that we decided to release.
Q: What does this song mean to you?
ELINA: It’s funny how it seems impossible to live a completely fearless life. Completely free. It’s this unreachable dream of mine. I think you can come a long way with a lot of work though. To me the song is really about not wanting to wake up one day, in old age, realizing that you never really followed your heart. That you let other people’s opinions hold you back and steer your decision-making. So, it has both some light and some melancholy to it, I guess.
Q: Was there a pivotal moment in your life that set you on your path as a musician?
ELINA: Music played a very central role throughout all of my childhood, but it wasn’t until I was around fifteen and extremely unmotivated in school that I heard of this music-oriented gymnasium. I didn’t really have a sense of direction at the time, but I remember how curious I got. It sounded so much fun – write, play, and produce music. I got in, and I’ve been dedicating my life to music ever since. A coincidence that started it all for me, really.
Q: What is your go-to vocal training routine before recording new music?
ELINA: Embarrassingly enough, I don’t have one. I do some stretching, and some scales, but I’ve never gotten into the habit of warming up properly, probably because I haven’t played live until recently. I definitely need to step my game up there.
Q: Who would you say is your biggest supporter? Why?
ELINA: The first person that comes to mind is actually Hampus, my close friend and colleague who’s been the creative director of my project since day one. He has this way of making you feel safe even in the most turbulent times, and he’s really helped me learn how to stand up for myself and my own vision, which is so insanely difficult in this business, even more so as a woman. He’s always encouraged me to do what feels right in my heart. I think it’s the one thing you need to do in order to stay sane and to protect the love for what you do.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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