Jonah Eli
INTRODUCING Jonah Eli https://www.facebook.com/iJonahEli (photo by David Kreibich)
We first met Jonah Eli back in 2017 when we featured his band The Motion Poets as our Artist of the Week in Scotland on Sunday.
Although Jonah has been creating solo material since his early teens, it’s only within the last couple of years he’s began releasing music under his own name, his brand new single Won't Hold Me Down (< pre-save) is self-released on 29 April.
In the meantime, we had a blether with Jonah and you can listen to his previous releases on our Introducing playlist ⬇️ Facebook: @iJonahEli | Instagram: @jonaheli_ | Twitter: @Jonaheli_ | Spotify HERE
Jonah Eli (photo by Magnus Kermack)
LISTEN to Jonah Eli on New Found Sound introducing playlist ⬇️
When did you start performing solo, tell us a little bit about yourself
I actually used to perform solo a bit back when I was fourteen but have mainly played in bands until fairly recently. I've not performed the new stuff live yet but have got most of a band assembled and have begun rehearsing. The first Jonah Eli shows will be this summer!
Tell us about your upcoming single Won't Hold Me Down, what’s it about?
Won't Hold Me Down is about two things, environmental collapse and the resiliency of the human spirit. It's a song about how our actions as a civilisation could ultimately lead us to a near-worst case scenario - desertification, large scale population extinction and incredibly difficult living conditions. However, it's also about how humans manage to adapt and survive and about how human joy and the spark of life might continue even in such tough times.
Do you take inspiration from what's happening in the world around you or are lyrics / songs based on personal experience?
A bit of both. I think with this song especially a lot of inspiration came from seeing governments around the world, and especially our own, fail on its climate pledges and aims and continuously put profit over what scientists are telling them is necessary. The general tone of the song though is part of a journey I've undertaken to lift myself out of depression and try to find more contentment with life. Also, I read Frank Herbert's 'Dune' a while ago which definitely also sparked a lot of the backdrop and thinking for the song.
How does your songwriting / recording process work?
I write new ideas and lyrics every day, usually about 5 or so musical starting points that are more often than not guitar, drums and vocals. Most of these hit the scrap pile and never go anywhere but the better ones get taken forward and iterated on over the course of roughly 6 months to a year. I record it all, mix, and master it in my flat - except drums on a few tunes including WHMD which I recorded with Euan Lyons (drummer for Dead Pony and High Fade) at his place. I'm usually working on about 7 or 8 tunes at a time and not all of the ones I finish make it to release. The main thing I've changed about my process in the last few years is to let go more and separate myself from the music a bit better. It all becomes easier when you take the results less personally and try to switch focus to improving your skillset through making music rather than grinding to make perfect songs.
What do you have in the calendar, festivals, gigs, releases?
After Won't Hold Me Down I'm releasing another single 'Skail' on the 27th of May and then an EP on the 22nd of July. The plan then is another EP or maybe an album on the 14th of September with some gigs in between. The aim is to get a couple of support slots to get warmed up as a band before a small headline show after the EP release!
What do your career highlights look like?
My career highlights as a solo artist so far are getting national radio play on BBC Introducing Scotland and Amazing Radio UK and just finally releasing my own music properly! It's early days at the minute!
In my previous band 'the Motion Poets' we supported some really great acts such as 'the Sherlocks' and 'the Velveteers' and played some sold out shows down in London which was good fun. In all honesty though we played some of our best gigs up in St Andrews. We had some incredible audience reactions up there!
Tell us something most people won’t know about you?
I'm really into Dzogchen style meditation, try to do it every day, and can't recommend it - or meditation in general - highly enough to anyone as a practice!
Facebook: @iJonahEli | Instagram: @jonaheli_ | Twitter: @Jonaheli_ | Spotify HERE