Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Elisabeth Dorion

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

The first show I remember seeing was one of my dad’s; he’s the conductor of a wind and percussion orchestra. I must’ve been around 3 or 4 years old, and they were doing a concert focused on film soundtracks. I was told that they played a piece from The Lion King, which was my favourite movie at the time, but unfortunately I had fallen asleep by then haha!

How did your passion for creating music begin?

My parents both studied music, so I was always around it as a kid. In school, I was in the music program and performed quite a bit with the choir – I loved singing, the way it made me feel, especially singing with other people. I did pretty much all my schooling in music programs up to my Bachelor’s Degree, but I actually only started writing music in 2020, during the pandemic. I think I hadn’t considered it to be something I might be able to do before, but I thought I’d try it then, and loved it immediately. There is something so powerful about being able to share your life through song.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

I’ve just released my second EP, Undergrowth, in September. I think this project make a lot of sense for where I am at in my artistic journey at the moment; I’ve been working on a longer album, that would be a sort of bridge between my musical inspirations from back home in Quebec and the music I’m inspired by now that I’ve left. I feel a desire to reconnect with my roots, but I am in a place where I also want to incorporate more about who I am now and the ways I’ve grown. Undergrowth, for me, is the first step towards that longer project. I think I’ve gotten more comfortable writing lyrics in English, and I got really excited to arrange for clarinet and trombone, which I want to dive into a lot more.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I usually say that I write alternative folk ,with lots of textures, woodwinds and trombone, centered around vocal melodies.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music? There’s a few things, but I’d say learning how to use alternative tunings on my guitar was pretty impactful for me, it opened up so many more harmonic possibilities.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process? I usually write pretty old style, just with my guitar and a notebook, sometimes a piano when I can.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

I’ve been loving Madison Cunnigham’s new record Ace – she has such a stunning arranging style.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision? I’ve always been moving between a few different styles musically, from growing up with classical music, doing a bit of musical theatre and then going to jazz school for college and university. I think this allows me to not be really set on a particular genre when I’m writing and to feel more free to experiment. I really enjoy incorporating many different elements in my arrangements.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

I’d say the main thing is I hope people connect to what I write. I always love when I’m listening to an artist, and suddently it’s like I am hearing something that conveys exactly how I feel, that hits me right in the stomach. I want to write music like that.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

For a while I was really focused on making my songs complicated and interesting from a music theory perspective. Now, I think that was the wrong way to go about it. I’ve learned a lot about harmony, theory and poetry, but I try to think of this knowledge as a tool that I can use rather than something I must use to prove something to someone.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

This is kind of random, but the first show I saw when I moved to Toronto was at the Phoenix and it would be really cool to play my own show there. Otherwise, I’ve always wanted to do a Tiny Desk Concert one day!

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why? Probably Fiona Apple, I’ve been a huge fan of hers for a while and I’d love to see her process.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisabethdorion

Website: https://elisabethdorion.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZdoZDAErfLmYKUOUQy2va?

si=84r9Jr8SSPaXsLwipIOWbA

Bandcamp: https://elisabethdorion.bandcamp.com

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

I’d love to do a tour! Maybe once my new album is done, I can bring it on the road.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way? I’ve been trying to embrace how my music kind of stands in between genres and cultures, especially since I’ve been trying to connect more with the music from back home. Hopefully this brings people to discover more about it too!