Elín Ey BIO/INTERVIEW
As a fan of singers such as Lauren Hill and Whitney Houston, Icelandic Elin Ey started singing herself at a young age. However, it wasn’t until she discovered Led Zeppelin that she really wanted to play guitar. She got one, and learned playing it with help of the internet. Today she’s reckoned to be one of the future stars of the active Icelandic music scene.
“I compose when I am feeling down or little bemused, then it just comes to me naturally” Elin says very humble. Her songs are based on reality and life as she sees it, and are quite dramatic. For Elin, love is everything. “Love and rejection make us who we are. I have both hurt someone and been hurt. Love is the most important thing in the world and we all need to fight for it so it won’t be suffocated by all the hate.”
Coming from a family of musicians, Elin says that it has had both direct and indirect influences on her direction in life. “It’s like if both your parents are scientists it very likely that you get interested in science. It was very good to be able to turn to musicians close to me for support and advice when I started making my own music. If it weren’t for my family I would probably not be making music at all.”
Elín came “out of the closet” when she was fifteen. “It was quite hard, especially since I didn’t have anyone close who was gay. I was even a bit prejudice myself before coming out, but that it was probably because I was afraid.”
Elín started playing publicly at the age of fifteen and has herself organized a lot of gigs in Reykjavik and elsewhere in Iceland. She has participated in Gay Pride Reykjavik, Iceland Airwaves music festival and several local events as well as hosting and performing at open stage nights with her friend and artist Myrra. Elin has been approached from different directions as an up and coming artist, and feels that whatever will get her attention and zest she is willing look into.
Asked about her favorite type of gig she claims being at her best gigs when the audience is there to listen closely, not only to her music but also her very personal lyrics. “It has happened that I have both cried and laughed during the same show but I have no idea if people noticed it at all”.
The debut album See You In Dreamland will be released by Happy Endings in November. Featuring Elin Ey as well as“two very nice guy’s Pétur Sigurðsson bass player and Jón Óskar drummer” plus a few family members, the album contains 9 songs by Elin, a cover version of XXX by The Beatles and an unexpected twist on the 90’s hit “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” by Haddaway.
“I wasn’t trying to make a perfect album, but a diverse album. After all, what really makes music is the imperfection.” To see more about Elin Ey, visit her myspace site at www.myspace.com/eliney
Elín Ey BIO/INTERVIEW
As a fan of singers such as Lauren Hill and Whitney Houston, Icelandic Elin Ey started singing herself at a young age. However, it wasn’t until she discovered Led Zeppelin that she really wanted to play guitar. She got one, and learned playing it with help of the internet. Today she’s reckoned to be one of the future stars of the active Icelandic music scene.
“I compose when I am feeling down or little bemused, then it just comes to me naturally” Elin says very humble. Her songs are based on reality and life as she sees it, and are quite dramatic. For Elin, love is everything. “Love and rejection make us who we are. I have both hurt someone and been hurt. Love is the most important thing in the world and we all need to fight for it so it won’t be suffocated by all the hate.”
Coming from a family of musicians, Elin says that it has had both direct and indirect influences on her direction in life. “It’s like if both your parents are scientists it very likely that you get interested in science. It was very good to be able to turn to musicians close to me for support and advice when I started making my own music. If it weren’t for my family I would probably not be making music at all.”
Elín came “out of the closet” when she was fifteen. “It was quite hard, especially since I didn’t have anyone close who was gay. I was even a bit prejudice myself before coming out, but that it was probably because I was afraid.”
Elín started playing publicly at the age of fifteen and has herself organized a lot of gigs in Reykjavik and elsewhere in Iceland. She has participated in Gay Pride Reykjavik, Iceland Airwaves music festival and several local events as well as hosting and performing at open stage nights with her friend and artist Myrra. Elin has been approached from different directions as an up and coming artist, and feels that whatever will get her attention and zest she is willing look into.
Asked about her favorite type of gig she claims being at her best gigs when the audience is there to listen closely, not only to her music but also her very personal lyrics. “It has happened that I have both cried and laughed during the same show but I have no idea if people noticed it at all”.
The debut album See You In Dreamland will be released by Happy Endings in November. Featuring Elin Ey as well as“two very nice guy’s Pétur Sigurðsson bass player and Jón Óskar drummer” plus a few family members, the album contains 9 songs by Elin, a cover version of XXX by The Beatles and an unexpected twist on the 90’s hit “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” by Haddaway.
“I wasn’t trying to make a perfect album, but a diverse album. After all, what really makes music is the imperfection.” To see more about Elin Ey, visit her myspace site at www.myspace.com/eliney
