Ellyn Woods is back! After a few years of silence, she finally releases a stunner of a track ‘Tangerine’. We’ve been obsessed with it for several weeks as we had early access to it via MusoSoup. Today the song is finally out on all the streaming platforms and you need to drop everything you are doing and go and check it out!
You can only imagine how excited we are having a possibility to share our conversation with super talented Canadian singer-songwriter Ellyn Woods who is currently based in Montreal. In 2019 she travelled to northern Québec to collaborate with a Montreal based duo Sterling Grove on recording the album that should be released in the near future.
Ellyn Woods describes her sound as dreamy and uplifting. Hands down, this is so accurate. If you close your eyes while listening to the track, you will notice that your head will start bouncing with the rhythm and your mind will take you places. Ellyn’s voice is captivating, soft ad dreamy. Exactly what we love.
We will be featuring ‘Tangerine’ as one of the best songs released this week on New Music Sunday too!
Introducing Ellyn Woods
Congratulations on your upcoming release! We had to wait for several years since your debut single was released back in 2018.
Can you tell us about the journey until the release of ‘Tangerine’?
I spent 2019 living on the West Coast of Canada, I was living a pretty nomadic lifestyle and had lots of adventures. In the summer of 2019, I returned to Montréal and went up north with Sterling Grove for 10 days to write & record vocals on their upcoming album and was offered a contract with HY records. Now I’m wrapping up my upcoming EP – hoping to record another this fall.
What is the song about? Can you share more about the inspiration behind the track?
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. It’s really about a feeling, somewhere between excitement and anxiety.
What quote from the song would summarise it the best?
“It’s not yes – it’s maybe.”
ELLYN WOODS » TANGERINE
For me this line is about sitting with the feeling of ambiguity, in this ambiguous space, you’re open to new ideas or ways of looking at things.
Where do ideas for songs come from? Tell us more about your creative process.
I read a lot of books and I always carry a journal on me. I often stop throughout my day and write down ideas as they come. I like writing poetry, sometimes my poems turn into songs.
Music to me is Life. Music is being alive, it’s being completely in the present moment.
ELLYN WOODS
You’ve been playing the guitar since the age of 12. Do you remember the very first song you learnt to play? What made you pick that track?
‘Complicated’ by 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. I was able to jump the fence and run up to her and give her a hug! She offered a radically different image for young girls, she did for my generation what Billie Eilish is doing for the current generation of young women.
Congratulations recently you’ve been signed to a label. Curious to hear how your life as a musician changed after signing the deal?
I now have the support of a team surrounding me. I am able to bounce my ideas off of others more often. I have also found other people in the industry are now taking me more seriously when I have projects in mind. I am super grateful for opportunities that have come my way this year.
What are your musical influences?
At the moment some of my musical influences would be Maggie Rogers, Sylvan Esso, and Men I trust.
What would you say to those who want to take that first step in creating and sharing music but are battling with their inner voices and delaying it?
Just put your stuff out there, you will learn so much every time you do it. Be brave enough to be yourself, know that people want to hear what you have to say. Make mistakes and learn from them.
If we’d hack your Spotify account, what artists would we find?
Angus and Julia Stone, Beach Fossils, Kurt Vile, Courtney Barnett, Amy Winehouse
Do you have a song, that when you hear it, you’d say, “I wish I’d written that”?
‘Smother’ by Daughter, I just find this song so vulnerable, raw, & honest. Every human can feel depressed at one point or another in life, she describes this feeling so well in this song.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
A duet with Billie Eilish would be very cool, she has such a beautiful voice and unique style. I would also love to collaborate with Phoebe Bridgers, she seems really quirky and fun. Artists who share a similar vision & vibe are the ones I want to collaborate with.
What have you got planned for the rest of 2020?
Shooting an official music video for ‘Tangerine’, shoot many more live videos, and get back in the studio & record another EP – release it in 2021.
Make sure to connect with Ellyn Woods on Facebook » Instagram »
