Eliza Howells Visits Section 36 Music!

Another visitor to Section 36! Eliza Howells graced us with her incredible release, “Just the Wine”. I was honored that she wanted to visit with us to discuss the song, and a bit more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

So, let's see what happens when Eliza Howells visits Section 36 Music!

I thought your latest single, “Just the Wine”, was just outstanding. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you! "Just the Wine" is about opening yourself up to vulnerability. I wrote it at a time when I was putting a lot of energy into being hard-hearted. The emotions that I was experiencing felt so insurmountable, it seemed that the best way to deal with them was to ignore them entirely. "Just the Wine" is about coming to terms with the fact that closing yourself off to emotion and connection might actually hurt more than it helps. 

You also released a music video for the song. What was it like putting that together?

Making the music video for "Just the Wine" was such a cool experience. The director, Ethan Dunlap, and I filmed the video in a couple hours with a backdrop, smartphone, and tripod in my living room. A few of the takes were filmed in 2x speed and some in 0.5x, while Ethan shined a flashlight on my face at different angles. I tried my best to stay in character, so to speak, but it was really funny to be lip-syncing to my own voice at different speeds. Afterwards, Ethan edited the clips together with different color effects to create the final product! 

Do you see more studio work in your future?

Yes! I actually have a new song called "Fear the Worst" (and a music video) that will be out in late September. It's a lot like another song of mine called "Night Life" because it juxtaposes a moving dance beat with sometimes somber lyrics. I love playing with different contrasting emotions and feelings in my work. I am also currently in the process of recording a few more songs that I'm very excited about, more on those soon!

You have a theatre background. What do you enjoy about performing live in front of an audience?

I love getting to connect with an audience through music. Over the last few years I've been fortunate to perform my own pop songs live, as well as perform with a number of opera companies in their productions. Pop and opera might not seem to have many similarities on the surface, but in my mind they are alike because of their use of musical form, vocality, and aesthetics to convey feeling. Whether it's someone coming up to me after a gig to say they resonated with my lyrics, or hearing the audience's reaction as I sing a villainous opera role, I love getting to evoke emotion and share in the communal experience of music with an audience. 

What Disney song would you most want to cover?

It would have to be a Hannah Montana song. I've had a lot of musical influences over the years, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the influence Miley's character had on me! As a kid, I saw the 3D Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Concert movie and was totally taken by her ability to connect with the audience, as well as all of the behind-the-scenes footage of life as a performer. I knew then that I was going to perform and write music myself. It would be so fun to perform "Rock Star" or "Best of Both Worlds" and bring that dream full circle. 

What are your immediate musical goals?

I am really excited about finding more ways to blend my pop and operatic worlds. I want to incorporate operatic vocal technique and instrumentation in my pop music, or write opera works that use pop style synths and form. My favorite kind of musical projects are ones that incorporate all of an artist's contrasting influences to create something that is unique, but still impactful to a wide audience. I hope to do that with my music! I feel really grateful to be a part of the musical community in Boston, and I'm excited to keep working. 

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Oh, I love the sound of that, and can't wait to see what she comes up with!

As always, I want to thank Eliza for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview. 

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on and what those next steps will be. I would follow her on Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again, Eliza, and good luck reaching your goals!