Having already made a huge impression with a string of releases over the last few years, fast-rising singer and songwriter Eli Lev now returns with his latest upbeat bop 'Dancin' On The Lawn'.
Channelling a warm and breezy dream-pop direction from start to finish, 'Dancin' On The Lawn' makes for a wonderfully fresh and uplifting offering. With its smooth and sweeping aesthetics, layered perfectly against his own laid-back vocal performance, be prepared to be humming this one long after you've first heard it.
So with the new single out now, we sat down with him to find out more about his background and what has inspired him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The native flute. I discovered the instrument when I was a student teacher on the Navajo Nation when I stopped by a roadside craft stand near Monument Valley, Arizona. The simple design, portability, and pure expression that it allows is unmatched by any other instrument I’ve encountered, and I wrote a song called ‘Treason’ just so I could bring the flute into the studio with me to record!
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
New Kids on the Block, MC Hammer, and U2.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Radiohead - The Bends. I remember thinking to myself - how is he singing exactly what I’m feeling right now?
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
All I Want For Christmas Is You - which somehow becomes a #1 hit every year...
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I mostly just try to stop thinking. Whenever I just ‘listen’ and go in instinct mode, that’s when the magic happens. I can’t explain it, but I know that’s the musical mindset I need to be in to create songs and lyrics that I can deeply connect with and want to perform live over and over again.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Lucy Dacus, Holy Holy, Yasmin Williams.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
The fact that it would still be possible to open for Bob Dylan in 2021 is mind blowing. That would be a dream.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Connecting with humans. Whether it’s a livestream, or a social media post, or an in-person live show - sharing a song or a performance with someone (or many someones) is the most incredible thing about creating music, and makes me want to sing and write songs forever.
And what is the most frustrating part?
As an independent artist, it’s all on me to build the business, create a community, book the tour, set up the marketing, and do all the things a record label used to do in the old days. It has been kind of fun to figure all those things out, but it would be pretty sweet to just create and sing music all day!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
“The only time you fail as a musician is when you quit - so don’t quit” - some guy in a bar between cover sets at a four hour gig in Virginia in 2017.
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Eli Lev's new single 'Dancin' On The Lawn' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.