Getting To Know... Elina Filice

With her recent single 'Thinking Of You' currently storming the streaming sites, racking up more than 215,000 streams to date, Toronto-based artist Elina Filice has now returned with the official video for her latest release.

With its nods to funk, soul, and hip-hop throughout, 'Thinking Of You' showcases her as a bright and uplifting emerging artist. Filled with smooth and silky hooks, a bold production, and her own incredible flow, this is one of those rare jams that you can't get enough of after only one listen.

So with the new video available now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has inspired her most over the years.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

The first instrument I fell in love with was my guitar. I had been playing piano but the guitar quickly won my heart. It just felt right in my arms (still does) and I wanted to always be strumming it (still do).

What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?

Homosexuality. But seriously though: life experiences, things I’ve gone through, observations of the world, the highs and lows.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

Anything angsty. I went through a pop-punk phase like any teenager. But there was always lots of different kinds of music around my head and my home.

Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?

Maybe not a song but definitely artists, especially female artists I looked up to that made the dream even seem possible: Ani Defranco, Alanis Morisette, Avril Lavine, to name a few.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Daniel Caesar, Noname, Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper.

How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?

Pretty much all of them. Even the semi-fictional ones are still rooted in real-life people and stories.

Outside of music, what is your biggest passion?

I’d have to say traveling. I’ve been afflicted with the travel bug since I was young, having lived in three different countries with my family and three on my own since leaving home. There's an urge deep within me to keep moving and exploring. For me being a traveller is an outlook, a state of mind, which is more important than how far you go.

If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?

I’m pursuing other paths at the moment in tangent with music. I’m a writer, I work for a small record label, I co-run a small PR company, and I do my own consulting too. For me it’s been important to diversify, and learning more about the music industry has not only helped my own career, but allowed me to help other peoples’ too. As long as I’m working in the industry and with other creative people I think I’ll be happy!

And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to start a career in music?

The best advice I have to give is “keep going.” There’s gonna be ups and downs and turnarounds, rejections and missteps, but the only thing that's gonna ever make your career keep keeping on or stop altogether is YOU, and no one else.

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Elina Filice's new video for 'Thinking Of You' is available now. Check it out in the player below.