One for the fans of the likes of Freya Ridings, Lana Del Rey or Billie Eilish. Ellysse Mason, a singer/songwriter from Manchester has just released her new single ‘Something Good’ and as bonus a stunning video to go with it. It is a tough time for the music industry and like Ellysse many artists are releasing homemade videos while in lockdown to promote their latest music but to be brutally honest most that I have seen have not been the best. The good news is with this one you’re in for a treat!
Although she tells us it is not what she’s originally had in mind for the track we must say we love it and can’t imagine it another way. It fits beautifully with the uplifting melody and meaningful lyrics of the song which she says are about “the search for that happier feeling when you’re low”. – Ellysse
Whilst the current situation is far from ideal, one nice thing to come out of all of this is that in a strange way fans and artists are closer than ever. It’s not everyday that your favourite musicians let you into their homes and everyday lives, except now it is. Despite missing live music and the excitement and joy that comes with it as much as the next person. It has been interesting to see our favourite musicians in a different light and discovering something new.
Ellysse’s soft soothing voice pulsing melodies and ambient elements to her tracks can easily sway across a number of genres but if we were to describe her music to someone who hasn’t heard it before in two words we’d go with Atmospheric Pop. Her latest single ‘Something Good’ is one of those heartwarming songs you can easily get lost in and without even trying to automatically relate to every lyric.
“I hear the word “ethereal” a lot. Because I’m a woman with a certain type of voice and a certain type of look, it’s often the first thing people say. But it’s not me. I’m very much in this universe, very much a part of the world. I write about real, everyday things that affect me and the people around me. The key term here is ‘universe.’ Ellysse’s vision for herself and her music is indelibly linked to the idea of space: far-reaching, limitless, full of wonder and possibility.” – Ellyse Mason (spotify)
Ellysse has already accomplished some pretty big things with her last single ‘Hunt me down’ reaching close to 2.5 million streams on spotify. Supporting Tom Walker on his tour in February and being asked to play at the 2020 Kendal Calling festival.
You are very much a do it yourself kind of artist, what were some of the ups and downs in your career so far? I know that you have sold out multiple venues across Manchester including Academy 3 and are even due to play Kendal Calling this year (if it goes ahead) how does that make you feel?
I think being an independent artist is a bit of a roller coaster in itself. There’s a constant battle to be heard, but it makes all the achievements mean that much more when you get to your goals. I love playing live and all the shows I’ve had over the last couple of years have been building and building, and Kendal Calling was looking like being my biggest show so far. I don’t think it’ll be on this year unfortunately because of the virus, but I’ll be there on a stage when Kendal next happens you can be sure.
Have you always been into music even as a child or is it something you’ve grown to love as you got older? What sort of stuff did you listen to?
I’ve always been into music yeah. It was just on the surface like most people when I was younger, picking up little bits and bobs from my Mum and my Grandma playing music at home. But when I started getting into playing guitar (around 12 or 13) and writing my own music, that’s when I really started to get INTO music and expanded my tastes and knowledge. My initial passion and favourite genre around that early time was definitely Folk music. My tastes have grown and changed quite a lot over the last few years but folk will always be close to my heart.
You’ve mentioned in another interview that your latest single “Something good” is about “the struggle or search for that happier feeling when you’re low” can you expand on your songwriting process?
I almost always start with melody generally, and yeah, the process can take different forms. Sometimes it’s about how I’m feeling right there and then, other times its about a memory, or a person, or a memory of a person. My songs aren’t usually narrative in form, so they’re open to a bit of interpretation, but occasionally I’ll reference something external, like in one of my newer songs the whole idea is based around a scene from a film I love… So yeah, it’s quite a fluid and changing process from song to song. But that keeps it exciting even for me!
Not being able to go in the studio, did you record everything at home and then send the stems to your producer (Mathieu Garcia) for editing? What was that process like?
Luckily this song (Something Good) was already 50% done when lockdown started, so we (Mathieu and I) could finish the rest remotely. It’s not been too bad doing it this way, I would obviously prefer to be there in the room and hear things at the same time and be able to talk about sounds and experiment as we go along, but we’re figuring it out. Just like everyone else right now. We’re gonna have to work even harder to get the next few tracks ready as we’ll be starting from scratch with them, but we kind of have the sound figured out now so it should be cool.
So we know you’re pretty good at juggling from your socials. Is there another fun fact or hidden talent not many people might not know about?
Hahaha. Yeah that’s one I started years ago but I’ve been polishing up during lockdown! I don’t really have any other hidden talents! I’m learning to cook properly during this too, so maybe I’ll start doing some live streams of me flipping pancakes!
You can see Ellysse’s impressive pancake flipping skills in her new video to ‘Something Good.’
Any idea on when we can expect your debut album? Obviously the situation is difficult at the moment but it also must be nice to have the time to focus on your music?
All the songs are pretty much written, it’s just a case of when we are allowed to start working in the studio again. As soon as that happens we will be on it 100%. I would love to think the album will be out at some point later this year/early next year. And I’ll definitely have a few singles out along the way.
Of Course as well as releasing your debut album what are some of your main goals you would like to achieve in your career?
One of the first things I’d like to do as soon as we can travel again, is go to California and film the video for one of the singles from this album (the song is called Motel). Filming at an actual motel in the desert outside LA would be like a dream for me. I’d LOVE to play on the BBC Introducing stage at a few of the festivals next year if they’re back up and running. Headlining a London venue is on my list of short term goals too. And to be honest I probably wouldn’t say no to headlining Glasto one day?! Haha
Any message you would like to leave for your fans and people hearing your music for the first time?
TURN IT UP. DANCE AROUND. AND GET READY FOR MORE!
Her latest single ‘Something Good’ is out now!
