We recently had the pleasure of getting to talk to Brynn Elliott on the release of her new EP Can I Be Real? This new EP sees Brynn blossoming into a star, and exploring her self identity, and finding her place in the world. It’s a brilliant EP and one of her best works to date. To celebrate the EP, Brynn will embark on an intimate headline tour that kicks off September 13thin Washington DC. Along with that she will also be performing for a special Can I Be Real? Livestream Moment, an exclusive global livestream concert event set for Thursday, July 15 at 6 pm (PST)/9 pm (EST). Be sure to tune in and get a look into Brynn’s world. Check out our wonderful interview below for more on her new EP!
Melodic Mag: Hey! Appreciate you taking the time to chat. For those who may not know who you are, give us a little background on yourself.
Brynn: Hey! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me! My name is Brynn Elliott and I am a pop singer-songwriter originally from Atlanta currently based in LA 🙂
Melodic Mag: How has quarantine been treating you? What are some things that have been keeping you sane in these unprecedented times?
Brynn: Overall, quarantine has treated me well, as well as you can be! Taking long walks has kept me sane and also reaching out and connecting with my friends!
Melodic Mag: You’re set to release your new EP Can I Be Real? In July, what is the story/inspiration behind it?
Brynn:The story behind Can I Be Real? began after I had spent two years on the road promoting my first project. When it came time for me to write new music I had to sit with all these experiences that I had where so many of my dreams were coming true. I heard my song on the radio for the first time and played the Today Show and Live with Kelly and Ryan and it was all just so exciting. But I also realized that a life of performance and promotion could quickly turn inauthentic because I am a textbook people-pleaser. I started to feel like I could lose sight of myself in the process. So I wanted to write about what it meant for me to be real. I wanted to seek what was true and honest and put that in my music. I wanted to talk about what real love looks like and real beauty because I want anyone who listens to my music to know that it comes from a candid place. I hope that they are encouraged that they can be real too when they listen to these songs.
Melodic Mag: Has the writing process been any different with this new EP versus 2018’sTime of Our Lives? (since that EP was mainly based from your studies at Harvard)
Brynn: Yes, the EP writing process has been a little different mainly in that my previous EP was written over the period of four years in college and this one was completed in about a month! But I still draw inspiration from philosophy. One of my guiding quotes for the project came from one of my favorite philosophers, Soren Kirkegaard, when he says “The most common form of despair is not being who you really are.” I wanted to write a project where I could really be who I am and hopefully folks will feel that in the music.
Melodic Mag: What would you say was the easiest and/or hardest song on Can I Be Real to write?
Brynn: Honestly, Can I Be Real? Was both the hardest and the easiest. It was hard because it was extremely vulnerable. I mean in the song I basically tell everyone that I can be obsessive about my work/art and I am an overthinker, a little sassy, all of the things that have been insecurities for me at some point. But then on the flipside it was the easiest because it was all coming from a place within myself that I knew was true. The song was the quickest song we wrote for the project.
Melodic Mag: When you start touring again, what’s one song from Can I Be Real that you just can’t wait to play live?
Brynn: I am really excited to play Masterpiece live. It’s a song about the beauty that can be wrought in a person after enduring hardship. I think that after this year where we have been through so much as a country and a world, I am excited to play a song that speaks to the hope of coming out on the other side – the beauty that can come after pain.
Melodic Mag: How would you describe your music in three words?
Brynn: Hopeful. Honest. Heartfelt.
Melodic Mag: Which song or project of yours are you most proud of?
Brynn: I think it’s typical for artists to want to talk about their current projects but I am genuinely proud of this project. It’s one where I set out to accomplish a specific goal (of being honest and real) and I think I did it! 🙂
Melodic Mag: Is there a moment or memory in your life that you always want to hold onto? Or a moment that has taught you a lot?
Brynn: I have this very clear memory of my grandparents singing to each other while they made dinner one night. I was so young when this happened but I remembered thinking that there was something very powerful going on at that moment. I think now and look back at that and remember the utter magic of music. My grandparents were communicating their love for one another through song and I always want to keep a sense of that magic now as I make my own music.
Melodic Mag: What music have you been jamming to lately? Favorite artists?
Brynn: I have been on a big Coldplay kick recently – just listening to their albums back to front. So inspiring! I also have been listening to music from a new friend of mine, this girl named Maggie Miles. If you like super great alt pop music then you need Maggie in your life!
Melodic Mag: Lastly, since things seem to be getting a bit back to normal, what’s one thing besides touring you are looking forward to doing post pandemic?
Brynn: I am looking forward to hugging my grandparents <3
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-2rc8V1BFk&ab_channel=BrynnElliott
