Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Ello. P

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

I remember getting this toy guitar for my birthday that had like 7 buttons on it, which each played a different song. I use to mix different parts of the songs to create an entirely new one and sang along with it… It was probably terrible and the singing was completely off key, but it was something.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

When I was 14 and in form 3, we had this career showcase thing at school. I saw one of my friends use FL Studio for the first time (it was still Fruity Loops back then) and that got me interested in music production. So I got a cracked version from him on a flash drive that I had, installed it on my dad’s computer when I got home, and I’ve been into music production ever since.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

Well I haven’t released anything since “Dark Room” came out, but that song was my way of processing having dark thoughts and wanting to talk to someone about them, but being in a dilemma where if I trust people and open up to them, then they might take what I say and use it against me, which completes the cycle of why I have those thoughts in the first place, and that causes me to not want to trust even more.

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

I’m not sure that I have a particular sound per se, but to me, the music that I do sounds organically processed. It seems weird actually having to describe it with words, but being a musician, I always think about dynamics in the music that I do, so I approach music production with the same mindset – so for me a song needs to progress. I don’t like stagnant loops. Songs need to start small, get big and then maybe level off at the end, if it needs to.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

Not everything needs to be processed. When I started, I felt like I had to throw an EQ and compressor on every track for some reason, even if it’s a VST with built-in effects, or a live instrument running through pedals and effects, before it gets to the DAW. Now I just tweak the sound straight from the source as much as I can, and the most I’ll do is route it to an effects bus afterwards, and only add post processing if it needs it. I generally save the heavy processing and tweaking for the main vocals. That saves a bunch of time and processing power.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Studio One for sure. I don’t think I would’ve been as ambitious to experiment with the songs that I create and the music that I do, without having Studio One as a DAW. But the tools that I use the most are my phone – for writing lyrics, recording voice notes and dropping files and samples to my PC; my MIDI keyboard for creating sounds and chord progressions faster; a Sanwa Gravi mouse on which I have customised pretty much every button to trigger things that I use often in the DAW; Infinity EQ, VBC Red Compressor and MetaTune from Slate Digital; Melodyne for sure; and Ozone 12 from Izotope. But I’m sure that list would change in a few months from now.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

I haven’t been listening to a bunch of music recently, but I like what Caleb Gordon is doing with his stuff. “War” is a really sick song, because it has that whole ‘Hip-hop mixed with…’ sound, and the way he puts words and flows together is pretty impressive.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

I think my personal experience is the main reason why I do music in the first place. I see the songs I do as a container for the stuff that I’ve either been through, currently going through, or have seen, heard, or witnessed other people go through. There are some situations I’ve come to realize I may never get closure for, and the music is a way of me acknowledging it and sort of creating a conclusion for myself. I try to say all that there is to say, or all that I’m feeling within those 3 minutes, and when they’re up, it’s like a prompt to let go of it. I mean there’s a bunch more that I want to say about this, but that’s a lot to express at the moment.

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

Different songs have different messages, and would carry different emotions for sure, but If I had to choose, then I would say I hope that people come away feeling that there’s someone out there who’s saying the things that they’re thinking and feeling, and that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that there’s a time to rejoice and a time to mourn, and also that sorrow is better than laughter sometimes, because by it the heart is made well. Ultimately, my biggest hope is that people find Jesus in the seeds that I plant within the music, and that they know he’s a God who relates to them and cares about them the way no one else can.

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

There are some things that I can’t control and that’s okay. Sometimes I would have an idea on how I want the music to sound and feel, and what I want the instruments to be like, and the majority of times, with as much effort as I would put in to try and make the song sound like the idea that I had in my head, it takes on a life of its own, and would sound completely different from the original concept that I had. Out of the 30 songs or so that I have sitting down in Studio One collecting dust, maybe about 3 actually sounded like the idea that I had originally. Most times it sounds better, sometimes it’s just too off, but I’m still grateful for learning those lessons though.

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

I’m not sure if I have one actually, but I would love to do something in England, only because I have cousins over there that I’ve lost touch with, and I’m hoping that could be a reconnecting point.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

It would be great the collab with Forrest Frank, because he produces his own music as well, and I think it would be a cool experience bouncing ideas off each other, and crafting something from scratch that’s a mismatch of both our different styles and perspectives.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music?

All of my links, consolidated on one landing page:

https://push.fm/fl/ello-p

Spotify: