ELLIE MOON | Talks About Her Single "KYLIE JENNER" & EP ‘MOONiSMS’ A Catchy Commentary on Culture
Ellie burst onto the scene at the start of this year, and she’s a breath of fresh air for pop music. Taking cues from the likes of Britpop and vintage early Lily Allen, she makes irreverent and infectious modern pop. ‘Kylie Jenner’ is a song which takes on the subject of social media pressures among peer groups.Ellie burst onto the scene at the start of this year, and she’s a breath of fresh air for pop music. Taking cues from the likes of Britpop and vintage early Lily Allen, she makes irreverent and infectious modern pop. ‘Kylie Jenner’ is a song which takes on the subject of social media pressures among peer groups.
Ellie Moon wants to introduce you to Moonisms: her debut EP comprised of four perfectly crafted, witty and unique pop songs. The 20 year-old British singer songwriter makes her debut in 2020, having been honing her craft for as long as she can remember.
The world is bound to fall in love with her quirky melodies, razor sharp humour and every-day ‘kitchen-sink drama’ lyrics. Her lyrical universe ecompasses everything from social media angst to spineless ex-boyfriends, and keeping up with Kylie Jenner. She takes her cues from the likes of Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie and even Alan Partridge along the way.
Born in Liverpool, Ellie and her family moved to Madrid when she was just 11 - an event which had a significant impact on her as an artist. “It was my first day of secondary school; a new school, a new place, a new language. I couldn’t speak any spanish just ‘hello’, ‘my name is…’ and ‘orange juice’” she laughs, “It was intense but it was either learn the language, or have no friends”. She confesses she was exceptionally shy before the move “Going to spain and having to push myself made me more comfortable and confident, which helped me develop my music as well as myself”.
She has been singing since the age of 6, when she auditioned for a school play and a teacher noticed her beautiful singing voice. This was followed by singing lessons, and eventually picking up a guitar as a teenager: “When I first started, it was just me and a guitar in Madrid, I didn’t know any other musicians. It was a 20€ guitar from a little Spanish place”. Her unique musical style is the result of a broad and diverse range of influences “I love Joni Mitchell, The Smiths, and a lot of indie. When I was 15 I listened to a lot of Billie Marten, and I wanted to be a folk singer” she explains, talking about the musical journey she’s been on. “It just wasn’t me, or my personality, so I branched out and started to play in a band. I loved Jazz and Neo Jazz, so thought maybe I should try that and I somehow ended up where I am now.”
FEATURING THE BRAND NEW SONG ‘KYLIE JENNER’
Ellie Moon introduces ‘MOONiSMS’: her debut EP comprised of four perfectly crafted, witty and unique pop songs. The EP includes the brand new lead track ‘Kylie Jenner’.
The world is bound to fall in love with her quirky melodies, razor sharp humour and every-day ‘kitchen-sink drama’ lyrics. She takes her cues from the likes of Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie and even Alan Partridge along the way.
Stone cold bop ‘Kylie Jenner’ is an exploration into instagram culture and all of its associated evils. “This song was inspired by the dynamics, differences and social (media) pressures of groups of friends.” explains Ellie, “In particular there is that one friend who always brings the mood down with drama and being generally (but consistently) annoying i.e., takes FOREVER to get ready, films and photographs literally everything for Instagram, gets way too drunk, cries, vomits and then gets you kicked out of wherever you were. If you don’t know who this friend is - then it’s probably you (sorry)” Speaking about the very modern pressures applied by today’s culture, Ellie says: “I think there is an unrealistic sense of pressure on young people to behave and look a certain way, which is heightened by social media where EVERYONE looks gorgeous “all the time”...it’s this artificial sense of reality I wanted to capture in the song. However, what I want people to get from it is, yeah it’s cool and lovely to be beautiful and have people tell you you’re amazing all the time. Who doesn’t want that? But if you’re not actually happy, and I don’t mean you have to be smiling and live love laughing 24/7,what’s the point?”
Ellie’s sound is a glorious mix of big, bold brassy sounds, classic “beatles-esque” song structures, and what Ellie describes as “a weird 80s country edge, with country guitars and drums...It fits together really well and you feel satisfied afterwards.” This amazing accessible pop sound is enhanced by Ellie’s lyrics, holding together each song with a charm that’s impossible to resist. “When I first started writing for this EP, I was 18 and in the midst of teen dramas where the smallest of things seem so dramatic and get blown out of proportion,” she explains. “It develops from me having silly stories about my friends, to realising it’s a cool thing to write about - it’s my voice, it’s actually me!” Ellie realised early on that there was no point in writing about subjects she hasn’t experienced, eschewing the classic subjects of love and loss in favour of real stories.
‘MOONiSMS’ is a diverse and accomplished collection of singles with a box-fresh sound. Opening track and debut single ‘Indecisive’ is a hybrid country-infused pop-punk anthem with instant appeal. “I was cripplingly indecisive. I’ve been known to change outfits five times before I leave the house just to go to the supermarket...and I’m always late. The lyrics come from that, and also how I always say the opposite to what I actually mean.”
‘Promise That It Won’t Be Boring’ echoes the golden age of 90s Britpop with a catchy-as-hell chorus and sweet story recounting a weekend Ellie spent with a friend in Glasgow. “It was one of those weekends where you’re so hungover aftwards, but when you think back, you can’t help but smile. The line in the chorus ‘I don’t know where I’m going...but I promise it won’t be boring’ is a quote from Bowie and it’s such a perfect way to pay homage to that kind of pure fun without the need to show it or post about it on social media” explains Ellie, “It’s about living in the moment. The best nights are spontaneous nights when you’re in your ugly clothes, only planned to go for a drink and end up getting home at 10am the next day - but it doesn’t matter because you’re with your favourite people.”
Finally ‘Drive Me Crazy’ is an ode to an ex, and the first song Ellie wrote for the EP. “This is about an ex boyfriend that I didn’t really want to go out with in the first place, it just sort of happened. He was obsessed with another girl, and the whole thing was really weird - I had to wait until he went to uni to break up with him, because every time I tried face to face he would break down and become all clingy. I try to forget it ever happened, but now I’ve committed him to song!” she explains, and perfectly sums up her wonderfully contrary, yet always good-natured personality.