We Meet Brilliant Irish Songwriter ELLYD

Boasting a hugely impressive melodic flair and a truly incredible voice, ELLYD is one of the country’s best young acts, and her recent single ‘Ghosts’ is among the finest domestic tracks of the year.

Indeed, things are building nicely for the Dublin singer, as she continues on her autumn tour, which includes a support slot with The Riptide Movement at the Olympia this Sunday, October 27. Prior to that, ELLYD also hits the Ubh café in Newbridge on Friday the 25th.

With her star very much in the ascendant, we caught up for a chat with Elly at superbly appointed new venue The Theatre Bar, at the Wild Duck in Temple Bar. And it’s fair to say she makes as compelling an interviewee as she does a songwriter and performer…

PAUL NOLAN: Can you tell me a little bit about how got into music?

ELLYD: I was a late bloomer. I was writing songs for a long time, since I was about 11, but I never had the confidence to actually go and do out anything with them. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that I wanted to do it, and then I was ready. It was a long period of time in between.

I went the new-school route, as it was then. I’d go on different sites looking for a band and someone to collaborate with. I ended up in the group Riot Tapes for seven years. We were actually very good, but then it dissolved.

PN: You mentioned earlier about lacking confidence at first – why do you think that was?

ELLYD: I don’t know. There was nobody musical in my family. Like, my mam and dad loved music – there was music in the house, but nobody played an instrument. My dad’s a good singer… my mum’s an awful singer! (laughs). But the only person who made me go, ‘Oh my god!’ was my nan. I remember hearing her singing one day and she had the most angelic voice I’ve ever heard.

It’s hard to pin it down, maybe I wasn’t aware of what was out there. There certainly wasn’t a scene around Clondalkin, or even there was, it would have been a pub and I wouldn’t have been allowed in.

PN: Was there a breakthrough moment where you finally found that confidence and knew you wanted to do music?

ELLYD: It was just a need, I can’t even explain it. I was still writing music and songs, and eventually I went, ‘I’m ready to share this now.’ It happened in an instant; I wasn’t thinking about it for ages. I knew it was something I probably would do, but this moment happened and I went, ‘I’m gonna do it now – I’m going to find people to work with.’

PN: What were the most important records for you growing up?

ELLYD: Paul Simon’s Negotiations And Love Songs was the first CD I can remember in our household. I used to go downstairs every Saturday morning, as early as I could, and listen to it over and over again. I used to have this little tiny microphone, and I’d jump around thinking I was great! But I was obsessed with that album. There are so many different layers to it – little melodic bits that would catch your ear.

After that – and I don’t know if I should say this – but do you remember ‘What’s Up?’ by 4 Non Blondes? I was very young, but that song made me go, ‘Oh my god!’ Because they were women. Previous to that, you’d had Sinead O’Connor and the Eurythmics. But they were young and exciting, and the video was cool. I’ve always loved pop music – chart hits and Top Of The Pops.

Later on, I got into The Fugees and The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. I more or less studied that album, I loved every little detail. When I was meant to be doing homework or whatever, I’d be listening to that.

PN: You eventually went solo in 2015 – did you find it daunting?

ELLYD: It was a bit of everything really. It was daunting, but it was pretty exciting, and it was new. It was another goal to pursue. Doing the first EP, I had the gist of what I was doing – and I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the next one. I gained a lot of confidence from doing it on my own. People liked the results so I knew I was doing something right.

PN: Your songs are very melodic and radio-friendly. Do you feel they have the potential to be pop hits?

ELLYD: When I’m writing a song, I always think about whether it will sound good on the radio. It’s not like I write songs specifically for that purpose, but when I think about what I want to release, it’s a question that I ask myself: will this sound good on the radio? If the answer is yes, more than likely I’ll release it.

PN: What’s your latest single ‘Ghosts’ about?

ELLYD: When I wrote ‘Ghosts’, I was very down. I went out one day to walk my dog – this is so sad! – and it was lashing rain. I put my sunglasses on, because my eyes were all red from crying. I was walking across the fields, and there was another woman there with her dog. We’d usually talk, but the tears were streaming down my face. I was like, this is the saddest thing ever.

I went home and started writing the song. I don’t want to say, ‘Well, it’s open to people’s interpretations…’, but it kind of is. It’s a very dark song at the start. That particular day, I was seeing stuff around that reminded me of things, and it caused a bit of pain. But then those things would actually give you a bit of strength. I wanted the song to go from dark to light.

It’s a sad and emotional song about when you feel really shit. The most mundane tasks, like getting out of bed or going for a walk, seem so impossible to do. It’s just about putting one foot in front of the other and getting on with things, and knowing you’ll come out fine the other side.

PN: What have been the highlights in your career so far? Do you get most enjoyment from playing gigs or releasing new music?

ELLYD: It’s both. I always love releasing music. It’s always very daunting, and I’d be nearly petrified, because you’re putting out something that comes from your soul. You hope people like it. But I enjoy letting people listen to it, and when you hear it on the radio, there’s nothing like it. Especially when you’re not expecting to hear it on there, that’s a great buzz.

There have certainly been standout gigs. Nighthawks the other week was a really, really special gig. When a show goes that well, it just warms your heart and you feel like you’re doing something really worthwhile – and that people actually give a shit about it.

The setting and the sound were great, and the audience were incredible. I didn’t really know what to expect, and it was just a kind of surreal thing. It was so quiet, which can be very intimidating as well – I could nearly hear my heart going. But everyone really got into it, and it was amazing.