Over the past few years, singer/songwriter Ella Fae has released an EP filled with her dreamy alt-pop sound and honest lyrics. Ella also performs around London and will be featured in the Sad Girl Shows’ The Taylor Swift Cabaret on the 28th of March at the New Wimbledon Theatre. We chatted about some of Ella’s favourite moments in her career thus far and the creative process behind her authentic sound and honest lyrics. Ella has some exciting new releases in the near future, so keep her on your radar.
The past two years have been huge for you; what are some of your highlights or most memorable moments? – Thank you so much! My highlight of the last few years has definitely been getting play-listed on an official Spotify editorial playlist, ‘Created By Women’. Another highlight was getting to perform at the BBC Introducing Live show! I’ve had so many amazing opportunities over the last few years. It’s so hard to choose!
Your EP, Magazine Dreaming, delves into your personal experiences from breakups, anxiety, and eating disorders. Can you tell me some more about the process of making this EP and what it means for you to be able to release such honest and representative content? – Making the EP was such a fun process, and I love using songwriting as my own form of therapy. I wrote this entire EP with my producer, Tragic Sasha, and spilled my inner thoughts to her every session. To me, being honest and not shying away from ‘taboo’ topics is essential when creating music; if you are not saying something important within your music, what’s the point? All of the music I love that inspires me does the same, and that’s the reason I love it so much, so I wanted to do the same thing with what I make.
So, do you feel your music is like a catharsis? – Oh, absolutely. Making and creating music is kind of like therapy for me. It allows me to deal with my emotions and create something positive from them.
What is your approach to the songwriting process? – I write and produce with my producer, Tragic Sasha, who is an amazing artist in her own right. I usually come to our studio sessions with an idea or a section of lyrics/ melodies, and Sasha and I develop it from there! I always find a short melody first, as it helps my lyrics flow better.
Who are your musical inspirations or other artists we should be listening to? – I have so many, so get ready: Melanie Martinez, Caroline Polachek, Billie Eilish, Lennon Stella, Troye Sivan, Allie X, The Japanese House, MUNA, Imogen Heap, Holly Humberstone, Tove Lo, Chappel Roan and so many more legit anything and everything!
Your voice is so powerful, and I’m obsessed with your tone. I think you could sing anything, so, following on from that last question, who are your favourite artists to cover, and on the other end, are there any artists/genres you steer away from? – That’s so sweet; thank you so much! I pretty much sing everything, honestly. I know when people say they love every genre of music, they usually don’t include things like country or heavy rock, but I absolutely do. So, from country music to Bring Me The Horizon, I sing and listen to everything. Some of my favourite artists to sing include Kate Bush, Avril Lavigne, Billie Eilish and ANYTHING musical theatre.
You have a background in musical theatre, as do other amazing performers like Renee Rapp and Sabrina Carpenter; I think there is something so iconic about musical theatre girlies who take on the pop space; all that vocal training, stage presence, and general performance skills put you at an advantage, how do you feel about having a foot in both worlds and where do you feel most comfortable? – A thousand percent! Anyone who has been trained in musical theatre is absolutely always going to be a technically great singer and amazing performer. It’s cool to see people cross over into pop music without questioning it. It gives me hope that, hopefully, I can carry on performing both styles, as I love them both so much. I feel comfortable on stage, period, so I adore performing both styles and honestly could never choose between them.
Sad Girl Shows seem like such an amazing group of people to perform with; what are your favourite things about the cabaret shows you get to do with them? Omg, I love Sad Girl Shows and Jade Johnson, who runs it, is one of my good friends. What I love about performing with them is that the shows are absolutely a hundred percent for the fans! I’ve performed in lots of their shows, including both Harry Styles and Taylor Swift cabarets, two artists that I am a huge fan of. Getting to perform songs that I love in amazing venues is just so fun and allows me to release my inner fangirl without judgement.
You always wear amazing outfits to perform; where do you get ideas for your gorgeous outfits and makeup looks? – Thank you so much. I love choosing what to wear to perform. I’ve always loved expressing myself through makeup and fashion. When creating an artist’s branding, I feel like fashion and how you physically present yourself to your audience is important to keep up your aesthetic. To be honest, I don’t know where the inspiration comes from; I just wear what makes me happy and also what makes me feel comfortable on stage.
‘BBC Music Introducing Essex’ said we should be prepared for your ‘world domination’. They’ve featured your music several times and named a couple of your songs the ‘Weekly Vibe’; what did it feel like performing your song live on the radio for the first time? – BBC Introducing have honestly been amazing, they are such an incredible support for new, up and coming artists. To sing live on the radio for the first time was so cool, and to be honest, I was way more nervous to speak on the radio rather than sing. It was such a good feeling knowing that my music was reaching new ears, all whilst I was cracking jokes and answering trivia questions live on air.
Are there any other milestone moments that you can tell us about? – At the end of last year, I did my first ever support slot for Dance Pop DJ, Ryan Doyle at Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney, London. I really want to be able to do more support slots this year and maybe even my own headline show at some point!
Okay, so, coming from one Essex girl to another, do you see yourself moving elsewhere? I know you perform loads in London, so do you ever feel like moving closer to the action to feel part of a bigger community? – Yeah for sure! London is definitely where it’s all happening, but I would hate living in the city. So, maybe in the future, I will move somewhere outside of London or Brighton, as Brighton has an incredible music scene.
Speaking of the future… do you have a name for your fans yet? – I feel like I am not at that level yet… However, yes. Obviously, being called Ella Fae, it has to be something to do with fairies, so it could be something like ‘The Fae’ or ‘Faeries’, either would be super cute.
The Faeries is honestly the perfect name. So, now that we have a name for your fans, when can we expect more amazing songs? Can you give us any hints on the vibes or inspirations for your next release? – I am so excited for the next lot of singles I have ready to release! It’s some of my favourite stuff I’ve ever written, as its the kind of music I would choose to listen to. It’s all inspired by horror movies and has very alternative pop vibes!! Basically, if you like the movies Pearl or Scream and love alt-pop music like Allie X, Caroline Polachek and Melanie Martinez, this EP is for YOU!