What's next for Elme?

We caught up with Melbourne alt-pop artist Elme, whose sparkling debut EP Departures is out September 25th. 

What is the meaning behind ‘Elme’ both as a name and as a project?

A lot of my inspiration comes from my surroundings. When I first started writing music, I drew a lot of inspiration from nature in particular. I loved how trees and forests could evoke a myriad of scenes and feelings so easily in the mind of the listener. So, when I decided to break new ground and commence this project, it felt right to use a moniker that referenced and reminded me of how I started all this. After experimenting with a few different names, Elme seemed to capture my past but also felt fresh and exciting.

As for the project itself, it seemed to grow very slowly in the background of my life, almost unknowingly, over the last 5 years or so. For years I had melodies and production ideas in my head but always felt I didn’t have the skills to make them translate into anything.

Eventually, I ended up putting these ideas into full songs and produced my own demos, mostly while I was touring around the Europe as a professional dancer. Once I returned to Melbourne, I was recording some vocals with my friend Elle (Woodes) for her track “Rise” and for some reason I ended up playing her the demos. She really encouraged me to do something with these songs and I didn’t realise it at the time, but this conversation was pretty much the genesis of Elme.  Throughout the process I have continued to have great support from Elle and my cousin Sian (Lyoki) and am so excited that I am at a point where I have an EP! 

-Your debut EP Departures is out September 25th. Tell us a bit about the process of writing/recording/making Departures? Where did it all unfold?

I wrote most of the lyrics while I was travelling. Naturally, scenes of airports, long distance phone calls and such permeated the lyrics as this was the nature of my life at the time. Admittedly, the writing process was very long and drawn out as I tend to re-write the same lyrics sometimes upwards of ten times, so the songs on the EP sound quite different to the original demos but have the same general themes. Seems the songs had a journey of their own.

I also pretty much learnt the basics of music production while making this record. It has always been something I wanted to know how to do. As a teenager I use to record a lot of songs with brother and I always could imagine specific sounds that I wanted to include into the songs, but I didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate what I was hearing in my head. I probably still don’t now, but I suppose the difference is that I have gotten to a point where I can get most of my ideas from my head and into a session on Logic. I am really lucky to get a lot of help and tips from my friends along the way. It feels pretty special to think about how I much learning and hard work has gone into making the songs on this record.

Most of the production on this record happened either in my bedroom or in Edvard Hakansson’s studio in Melbourne. Typically, I would put together most of the production and would take it to Edvard, who would help me polish it up and record all the vocals over at his studio.

-You collaborated with the likes of Edvard Hakansson and Woodes on the EP. How did you come to work with them?

I have known these guys since I was a teenager and it just seemed natural to work with old friends, especially because sharing your own songs in an intimate space like a studio can be really daunting. I am so grateful that I got to make this EP with these two legends, they always push me to try new things and to trust my creative instinct.

Who else is on your musical collaboration bucket list?

Gosh, so many. We are really spoiled for talent here in Australia in particular. I would love to work with Collarbones, Braille Face, Yergurl and Higher Places.

Favourite studio snack?

Well, I am not sure if this counts as a snack, but Edvard and I would routinely get a Banh Mi when working in the studio. Always hit the spot.

Pick a favourite child: what is your favourite track on the EP and why?

Probably Departures. It is special to me because I got to work with so many friends on it. First up, I wrote it with Elle (Woodes), then coproduced it with Edvard in the studio and also got to work with my friends Imogen and Nestor for the string parts. It has also been a long-term goal of mine to have a song that features a string ensemble. It was really satisfying to see something I wrote on the guitar with Elle translate to a proper music score!

How do you hope people will listen to Departures? 

I hope people can listen to it while walking around their city or neighbourhood, or perhaps driving through the countryside at dusk.

What's next for Elme?

Collaborations. Lots of them. I am writing tons of music at the moment and really working to connect with other writers, producers and session musicians in spite of the barriers that COVID-19 has imposed on more standard practices. Making music with others is such a privilege and I have really enjoyed spending time working on songs with new people during this pandemic. I also hope to be doing some live performances too! Stay tuned on that front.