Meet Eli, the singer making music for those who yearn Y2K pop
Eli is an American singer-songwriter who dreams of being the next big pop princess. Get to know her now before everyone else does…
By Richard Burn
It’s not often that you catch someone just before they break out, but Eli has all the makings of being the next big thing. She feels like the epitome of a post-Tumblr pop star with a look that can only be described as a combination of Hannah Montana, Britney Spears and trashy teen magazines of yesteryear. The vision board also includes the red carpet lewks of a High School Musical-era Ashley Tisdale.
Working with Mike Wise (Chappell Roan and Charli XCX) and Jason Vance Harris (beabadoobee) on her debut album Stage Girl, released last October, Eli created a whole world which was half parody/half tribute to the reality TV singing shows that used to be oh so popular. Saying that, the whole vibe still felt fresh yet nostalgic. The music is dreamy and reminiscent of early 2000s pop and R&B.
‘Girl of Your Dreams’ and ‘Glitter’
There is an aspiration that comes across in everything Eli does that makes you feel like you could be a Stage Girl too. This is the main reason to add her to your playlists, starting with ‘Girl of Your Dreams’ and ‘Glitter’ – these tracks are the quintessential examples of what she does best.
Like a lot of queer people, Eli has stated in the past that she wants to be the artist she didn’t have growing up. The lyric of the decade can be found on ‘Girl of Your Dreams’: “For a man who’s such a child / you don’t know how to play with dolls”. She often speaks quite openly about her trans identity in her music, which is not only refreshing but incredibly important in the current climate. Support the doll: stream now.
This is a feature appearing in issue 371 of Attitude magazine, on sale in print and digital now. Order Attitude magazine issue 371 in print now, or in digital on the links below on Apple News+ and the Attitude app.