INTERVIEW: Ella Galvin
Photo by Claire Ryenolds
JUNE 2024 | BY TABITA BERNARDUS
Singer and songwriter Ella Galvin has mastered the art of finding solace in the in-between stages of life, even if it meant navigating roads full of second-guesses and fears– obstacles that inevitably arise as an upcoming artist. It’s no doubt that Galvin has stuck to her guns, and her patience and dedication to her career has only propelled her further. She’s hit the ground running with her debut EP The Way It Goes, which was released on June 14th.
We sat down with Galvin ahead of the release to talk about forging her way as an artist, the project’s unlikely influences, learning to trust her gut, and New York City’s incomparable skyline.
You have very natural, diaristic storytelling throughout your tracks. Is it difficult to write about your experiences, or does it come second nature to you? To put a pen to these more honest and vulnerable feelings?
I think with “Spare Me” specifically, that one came really easily to me, which was new because that doesn't happen. But that was such a real experience and something I felt really strongly about. I think with all of these thoughts in my head and sitting down being like, “Okay, how do I turn this into a song?,” I feel like just choosing the right words was the biggest thing. And I wrote that one in one sitting.
Usually, I'll write because a lyric and a melody will come into my mind, and then I sort of build off of that. That’s what happened with pretty much all the other songs. For “Passing the Time,” I had this idea in my head that was like, “I’m just passin’ the time,” and it was this big harmony thing. And that was all I started with. I didn't know anything about the verse or the outro section. That was really fun to build off of. Especially writing that with one of my close friends Diana. We had such a fun time writing that song. We were like peeing our pants laughing.
I remember listening to “Passing The Time” and noticing how it had a very groovy sound to it. I think that's also very distinct in the rest of your songs, too. I was actually going to talk to you about “Passing the Time.” You mentioned how fun it was to write it. Can you take me through the inspiration behind creating a track like that? It's so different from like you said, “Spare Me” which is more of a stripped-down, raw recording. How was the process like writing this track, and the inspiration behind it?
I was inspired to write that song because I worked a corporate job for two and a half years. Towards the end, I was thinking about waitressing in New York and really working and focusing more on music. And I was always like, “Maybe I'll be able to do that, but probably not.” I stayed at this job for a while, but by the end it was so unenjoyable. So that was a great thing ultimately because it led me to quitting.
But before that happened, I had applied to sing on a cruise ship for a couple months and was basically waiting for them to give me the dates so that I could quit my corporate job. They never sent me dates, and for all those months that I was waiting, I was passing the time waiting until the next phase of my life. It felt like I was literally just waking up, working, and then going to sleep– and that was my life. You should never feel like that.
So then I was like, “I'm just gonna quit.” And I proposed it to my friend too. She actually was the one who inspired me to do the cruise ship thing. But I have the first verse which is me being like, I'm working from home. This is boring and monotonous. And then her verse is like, she's waiting on tables, passing the time until you get to the part of your life where you feel like you're supposed to be, or where you want to be in the future. So I thought that it was an interesting contrast, with me working my nine to five and her working her waitressing job. It's funny now because we're both working the same waitressing job at the same place, which is awesome. And then at the end of the song, it's like “I don't want to wait.” So I'm trying to encourage people to not wait and take control and action, and make their lives exactly what they want them to be.
Going back to the first track of your EP “Pink Shoes,” people got to hear this one almost a year ago. There’s a message of growth in these lyrics that feels celebratory in its melody too– a sense of coming into yourself and realizing that we’re capable of more than we think. Do you feel like you’ve grown in any way as an artist, and even as a person, since that release to now your EP coming out?
That is such a good question. And celebratory melody I love that. Yeah, I mean, so much has changed. I wrote that song in 2021. I was in a band, and I had left the band and was like, “Okay, I'm done with music, but I don't know.”
And then I met one of my friends, who's basically my music director now, and he was like, “You should join this band that I just started.” Some of the people in the band I knew of from being in bands of bigger artists. I was like, “These people are professional people. Why do they want to work with me? I guess I shouldn't quit.” And so I didn’t.
But that's just about trusting yourself and trusting in what you want to do. The band wasn't meant to be. I'm finally seeing what I'm supposed to see and doing what I'm supposed to be doing. A lot has changed since then. And I've quit my job, so I'm working in a bar now. And I have a manager now which is cool. I get to do interviews like this which is awesome. I was really just doing everything by myself a year ago. It was super overwhelming and literally impossible– it’s impossible to do all that by yourself.
You’ve mentioned that you’re influenced by artists like Amy Winehouse, Remi Wolf, and Lizzy McAlpine which are beautifully evident in your unique sound and songwriting. As someone who continuously explores different sounds and loves to genre-blend, who would you say is your most unlikely influence that fans would be surprised about?
That's such a good question too. Unlikely influence, I don't know that's hard. I think Maroon 5, because Maroon 5 was an influence on “The Way It Goes.” Me and my producer were sitting and listening to old 2000s Maroon 5 stuff and were like, “This would be a cool direction to take this song.” That surprised me but I was like, “Okay, sure but I'm probably gonna want to change it.” I ended up loving it, which is why I think it's so important to try new things like that. I'm proud of myself for trying so many different new sounds in the EP and trusting myself with it because it's hard to say I'm a pop-soul artist, but then not all of these songs are pop-soul specific, or wouldn't fit into those boxes.
And I've been reading this Rick Rubin book called The Creative Act. Rick Rubin's a producer, like an old Mark Ronson– and he looks like Professor Dumbledore. The book talks so much about how you should step outside of what you usually do. Like for example, I always write by coming up with a lyric and melody. Instead I should start by writing the instrumental or like, try something new. Try writing lyrics and then putting music to it. I think that's important.
Is there a specific track on the EP that you felt was most challenging to you as an artist, whether vulnerably or sonically, or even both?
“Passing The Time” had a lot of moving parts. The horns are live, and I had a bunch of sessions with guitar and horns, production, recording vocals, recording background vocals. And then also, there's two people featured on the track, and there's the big chorus at the end. But I think that that's important and so awesome that all the people that worked on that tracking can come together and be like, “This is what we did.” It’s not just all MIDI, computerized bass, or guitar.
I also want to mention, “Don't Look Ahead” because that song I wasn't gonna put out at all. In my head I was like, “This one is not good.” And then I had a gig where I was running out of time and had to play one more song because I didn't want to end early. I was like, “Okay, I'll just play this one song.” A couple of people came up to me after and said, “I loved that last song” or they'd mentioned something about that song specifically. It’s so interesting that that's what happens sometimes. People resonate with stuff that you're like, “I don't know, maybe that's too cliché. Or maybe it's too specific.” That was kind of a challenge to be like, “I'm letting go of what I feel about this song.” And I do like the song, and I love how it turned out. But I was having second guesses about the lyrics or whatever. It’s like, just trust it, you know?
You’re currently in New York and sprinkle mentions of the city throughout your EP, like NYC in Springtime in “Pink Shoes” and NYC winters in “Don’t Look Ahead.” Is there a specific place or area in the city that draws inspiration out of you the most?
That's so funny, I didn't even realize. “Pink Shoes” kind of explains it in itself. Like New York in springtime, fire escapes and blue skies– that is such a distinct image in my brain. And seeing that in the past few months walking around has been so nice. It’s inspiring to me.
I also have a song called “Tiny City Lights” that came out a year and a half, two years ago. That song is really about my love for New York, but specifically all of the little tiny lights that are in windows and buildings. It’s everything that makes up the entire skyline of New York. I just find that to be really inspiring for some reason. When I was moving to New York, I really wanted to make sure I had a view, which is hard to find when you're on a budget. But I wanted to make sure I saw at least a couple of buildings that have those little lights so that I could be inspired. It’s too expensive to live here to just live here. Everyone that lives here I feel like is here for some kind of reason– like they want to become something bigger. I find that really inspiring.
We also see New York in your music video that just came out for “The Way It Goes,” which is super fun. You also have a very fun sense of style. How did the visual elements or location play into how you wanted to tell that song’s specific story? Tell me about how fun it was shooting that music video.
It was honestly so fun, but it was a huge challenge too. It’s such a big project to work on a music video, and I just did not even realize.
It was the first time I've worked with a stylist, so that was really fun to choose looks together and be like, “I like this. I don't like this. I feel really confident and cool in this.” And she did such an amazing job choosing stuff. Like that outfit at the end is crazy. The design is one of her friend’s designs– her company is called YARNMA. I’m wearing a different color and different style of hers in the EP cover. I really love fashion and have such a specific style that's kind of all over the place. It was fun to choose these different looks.
Going back to the EP, is there a specific track that you're looking forward to performing in a live format?
I'm really excited to perform “Passing The Time” in a live setting just because at my next show I'm gonna have like a whole horn section. So it's gonna be huge because the last time I played that song live it didn’t get the hype it deserved. I'm excited to have a horn section and really give that the love it deserves.
I was gonna say the horn section would be really cool to translate over because, like you said, the song is so big and there are so many moving parts to it. Okay, a more fun question. If you could come up with a dream festival lineup, with yourself being one of the performers, who would you like to see on the list with you?
Definitely Chappell Roan. I'm obsessed with her. I love her so much. Like literally everything about her. I mean, it would just be like Remi Wolf, Chappell Roan– I love Lake Street Dive too, which is more like jazzy. And I do love Sabrina Carpenter too, which is so pop-girly, but I think it's awesome.
Cute. Love it. And then last question for you. What are you hoping your fans take away as they listen to your EP that's coming out?
Especially with “Passing the Time” being the last song, I want them to feel inspired and empowered to realize their full potential. I feel like people need to believe in themselves more, and that is definitely hard to do. But I've always been inspired by music, and seeing smaller artists especially. So that's really all I can hope for. I guess for myself too.
Listen to Galvin’s debut EP The Way It Goes, which is now available to stream on all platforms.