Welsh country singer-songwriter ELERI has swiftly created an impression on the music scene through a host of ear-catching releases that showcase the visionary creative talent this gifted songstress possesses.
Accumulating over 720,000 streams on her music to date, ELERI embarks on the next chapter of her musical journey with the first release from the upcoming album, “Good For A Girl”, featuring Welsh singer-songwriter EÄDYTH & produced by Kaity Rae.
Due for release on May 25th, this song is a call out against the sexism ELERI & countless others have faced not only in the music industry but in everyday life.
ELERI has kindly taken the time to talk with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding the journey behind “Good For A Girl”, working alongside EÄDYTH & Kaity Rae, & what it means to share this song with the world. You can find the full interview below.
Hey Eleri, thank you so much for this interview. Can you start by introducing yourself to readers who might be unfamiliar with your music?
Eleri: Hi Jess, thank YOU for having me. My name is Eleri and I am a Country Artist from Swansea in South Wales. I was inspired by a road trip I took around the USA while I was studying out there for uni and came back obsessed with all things Country and Americana.
How would you currently describe your musical style?
Eleri: It’s been a bit of a mix over the years, I started more folky before fully embracing the Country sound but I listen to different styles of music from Welsh folk to Bluesy Americana to Alt Pop so those sounds have all been infused into my own style along the way. My next album is predominantly Country with some rock and pop elements – I love exploring different sounds and I love how my music has evolved working with new producers on this single and the other tracks.
On May 25th, your new single “Good For A Girl” alongside EÄDYTH, which is a bop, FYI. How did the idea for this collaboration come together?
Eleri: It was a bit of a fluke actually! I wrote the song with Nina and Rachel back in 2021 based on shared experiences of sexism within the music industry and beyond and straight away I knew it needed to be a project where women all came together to make it happen. I wanted someone to sing on it with me and bring their own element and story to it. Then I saw a post Eädyth had made on Twitter calling out a local festival for always booking the same White Male fronted rock bands and calling for more diversity. The timing was perfect and I knew I had to get her on the track. Thankfully she agreed and recorded the vocals for me at her studio that same week.
The song has a kick-ass all-star female team with your co-star EÄDYTH & producer Kaity Rae. How did it feel to work alongside both of these incredible music industry professionals?
Eleri: They are both incredible, highly professional and brought such art and inspiration to the process. I began production on this track with Kaity via Zoom in January 2022 (so it’s been in the making a while!) and then we had a studio session in London to lay down the vocals and co-writer Nina even joined us on backing vocals. Kaity is so much fun to work with and we really layered up the vocals to make it sound HUGE. Then when I approached Eädy with the track she recorded her verse at her home studio and we mixed the two together. I love how our voices contrast and complement each other.
How would you compare the creative process behind this song to some of your earlier releases?
Eleri: Every writer and producer works differently – I hadn’t done all that much co-writing before this album and it often comes so much quicker than writing by yourself. We wrote this one in Rachel’s music room in Bristol and it was actually the 4th song we’d written that day (happy to say all 4 have made it onto the album!) With the production, I felt much more involved than I have in previous works and getting to see Kaity work her magic was just incredible. I’m honoured to have worked with such talented and hard-working women on this track – and the rest of the album to come.
This song calls out sexism you & countless others have faced not only in the music industry but also in everyday life. How does it feel to be sharing this important message with the world & what do you hope listeners will take away from it?
Eleri: I think it’s so important to keep calling out for improvements and addressing the diversity balance across the music industry and the world as a whole. I’ve looked into loads of industry stats for this project and female written material still only makes up 14% of releases and female producers are even fewer at around 2.5% of the charts. It’s certainly not down to a lack of talent and interest so I hope people will change their attitudes towards thinking that women can’t do ‘techy stuff’ and give female producers and songwriters more of a chance. I also hope that if there are any women out there who feel they can’t enter into the production space they feel empowered by this song and find the confidence to take on the industry. A gorgeous example of this is my co-writer Rachel’s 4-year-old daughter who has been obsessed with this song since we wrote it. I hope it can inspire her to do whatever she puts her mind to as she grows up.
What are some of the things you personally feel need to be put in place to not only stop sexism in the music industry but also in general day-to-day life?
Eleri: A lot of it is an attitude thing, with outdated stereotypes still at play. I think artists can make a world of difference by actively seeking out female co-writers and producers for their tracks (and not just female artists!) But I do think that change has to come from within so I’m always trying to challenge my own perceptions like not feeling surprised when I see a female sound engineer or bassist for example. The more women can be confident and visible in these roles the more attitudes will shift. In day-to-day life, I think we can all individually challenge our thoughts around stereotypical gender roles. It’s been great to see much more emphasis on women’s sports in the last few years and seeing the shift in more women playing football, weightlifting in the gym (my personal fave way to unwind) and seeing themselves as strong. I think the world is changing slowly but we still have a long way to go.
What does it personally mean to you to see this song being released to the world?
Eleri: I think it’s a message that needs to be sent and hopefully, it will challenge and empower people. I’m really excited about this song coming out and yes it’s a BOP if I do say so myself so I hope everyone enjoys it.
This song is the first release from your album, due later this year. What are some of the things we can anticipate from the tracklist behind the album?
Eleri: There are a couple more collaborations to come with some amazing artists that I’m really excited about as well as a mix of producers with Kaity on this one, Tim Prottey-Jones on one, and my main producers Millie and Dan bringing the album together. There’s a mix of light and shade with some really feisty rocky tracks, bouncy Country/Pop and some softer acoustic ballads too. It’s a pretty big album too with 15 tracks in total.
What advice would you offer to someone who was looking to pursue a career within the music industry?
Eleri: I would say to just start and learn as you go – it can be quite daunting to try and get everything right from the get-go so just accept that you’ll make mistakes and learn lessons along the way. I released my first EP in 2014 and I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing but without that first step, I never would have gained the success that I have. I’d say try your hand at every aspect at least once – performing, songwriting, producing, promoting, marketing – see what you like and then outsource the things you don’t like but try to have a basic understanding of them. Also, 100% join the Musicians Union and don’t sign anything their lawyers haven’t thoroughly looked through!
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
Eleri: Well, this track is predominantly for the girls.. BUT I hope that anyone who lacks confidence or feels marginalised in any area can be empowered by it.
You can pre-save “Good For A Girl” by clicking the link here.
Eleri Angharad: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram.
Fierce & Fabulous Revolution 