Laura Elliott: “It’s always been music”

By Alyssa Goldberg

Photo by Alex S K. Brown

Before Laura Elliott was writing songs, she was writing poems and studying Jazz. Now, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter is channeling all her energy into her new album, People Pleaser, set to be released later this year. Elliott’s smooth lyricism pulls at the hearts of teenagers and 20-somethings aching over love lost, and shines a light on her vulnerability. Her slow, intentional vocals are the perfect backtrack for late night drives, though her upcoming music also brings a mix of powerful songs fit for dancing to at shows. For fans of indie artists like Sasha Alex Sloan, Snail Mail, and Soccer Mommy, Elliott is an artist to keep on your radar. 

Last week, we spoke to Elliott on the inspiration behind her latest single “Better Off Alone,” our mutual love for Phoebe Bridgers, and what we can expect to see on her upcoming album People Pleaser. 

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PLEASER: Do you feel like music is an outlet for when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed? Can you pour that into your songwriting?

LE: Like, always. Definitely. That’s how it started. I’ve always had like, anxiety, whatever, like depression, dealing with whatever bullshit – I get worked up over the littlest of things, all the time. But then I just kind of like, ‘Why don’t I try writing a song about it?’ And that was literally what I did. Actually, the song that I’m putting out —“Better Off Alone” — is the second song I’ve ever written. That was about my first relationship ever. And I’d never written about it, not even in a poem or whatever. So I was just kind of processing that – that’s kind of what I use my writing for, which is probably why it’s so sad, a lot of it. 

You mentioned that “Better Off Alone” is the second song you’ve written, but you have a lot of songs that are out already. So, why share this song now? 

LE: Honestly, I thought that I never wanted to do anything with it. Like ever. I feel like now I’ve definitely grown with writing lyrics, and I think my writing has gotten a lot better, so I did not think that I wanted to do anything with it for a while. And then my manager Natalie was like, “Laura, I just want you to send me all the songs you’ve ever written. I don’t care if you like them, I don’t care if you don’t. Just send me them.” So I probably sent her like 40 songs, and she sent this one back to me like, “What is this? I’ve never heard it! It’s so pretty, so catchy.” And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a really old one, I can’t see myself really doing anything with it. Also, [because of] whatever weird emotional attachment to it, I just [didn’t] want anybody to hear it. But she said to just try recording it and see what happens. So, I worked with a few different producers and it didn't feel right. It kept not feeling right, but they were really pushing me to keep working on it, so I was like, ‘Whatever.’ So, we recorded it probably a year ago now – over zoom with these guys Collin Pastore and Jake Finch [who are] in Nashville – and working with them on it made me fall in love with the song again. They had the perfect vision for it, after I heard that I felt so good about the song. 

What does the song mean to you now, after so much time has passed since writing and recording it?

LE: I can look at it now as a point of growth. I was so down when I wrote it and I definitely tend to get very enveloped in the people that I involve myself with, so it felt like the end of the world when I was writing it. I was just searching for some sort of happiness in whatever weird way, but now I just feel like, ‘Wow. You made it out. You’re okay now.’ It’s not so sad for me anymore. Which feels really good and makes me feel good playing it, because it just feels like it gives me strength, in a weird way. 

Do you have a favorite lyric in the song?

LE: Let me look at it, I’ve never thought about [that] because now the song is so second nature. I think that I really like the first verse. I probably like that – it’s short, like a pretty short verse, but I’ll read it. “Spring is near and I don’t hear your name anymore / Isn’t strange how once you walk out the door it’s not right.” I think that’s my favorite lyric just because – I mean it’s pretty literal, but – I just think I like the way it sounds. The way words flow with each other is important to me. I like to like how I’m saying words. I don’t know if that makes sense, but for me, I love the way that it sounds together, so I like to say it. 

Your recent single “Blue” explored the complexity of falling for a friend and not knowing if you should risk ruining the relationship by breaking that boundary. Is “Better Off Alone” a continuation of that story, or is it a new experience? 

LE: So, the way I wrote [the album] is sort of chronological to my life. It’s what happened within my love life in the past two and a half years. So “Blue” and “Better Off Alone” are actually the first tracks on the album for that reason, and “Blue” is about the first person I started seeing or having any sort of interest in after that relationship in [“Better Off Alone”]. 

Are you still in the second relationship?

LE: It ended really badly, but now I’m in a new relationship.

Do we see your new relationship on the album or does it end with the culmination of the second relationship?

LE: It ends with the culmination of the second relationship, but I have one last song called “Garden” and it’s just a minute long song. I wrote it [when] I met my current boyfriend over the summer, but it’s not about him, it’s really about myself. It had been like a year and a half since I even allowed myself to talk to or see anyone new. It’s just about my healing process throughout everything. I’ll read the last line, because it’s really short, “Just started levitating / almost flew up to the ceiling / Tried to wake myself up / but I do believe in magic in the moment when I need it most / Couldn’t stop my tears from overflowing / watch them fall down slowly / Thank God the carpet caught them / Carried all my worries / and they grew a garden / And I watched as the flowers formed from all my tears.” The end of the album is me being like, ‘This is just life and you’re going to be okay, and you learn so much from all the bad shit that you go through.’ The album just happens to be about relationships, because it’s so easy to write about those. So yeah, this last song is me allowing myself to open up again and allow people into my life again. 

It’s a really gorgeous verse. When you say “garden,” though, I can’t help but think of “Garden Song” by Phoebe Bridgers. And I know that you’re a big fan, I’ve seen on your Twitter. Is there a particular song of hers that really resonates with you? 

LE: Oh god, I have different ones for different reasons. The first song I ever heard was “Scott Street.” I didn’t know who she was before the first Covid quarantine. My friend sent me “Scott Street,” and I had never heard anybody say or write words the way she does before. So I just got very quickly obsessed. But then, after that, the song I go back to and listen to the most – I actually play it all the time – is “Moon Song” from the new album. It’s such a fucked up song, but I just relate to it – which is so sad but I just definitely see myself so heavily within those lyrics. And I love the guitar part, it’s so fun to play and so beautiful. So, I think right now, that is my favorite song. 

Yeah, “Moon Song” is just the song that makes me stare at all the wall. 

LE: No, same. I’m like, ‘Why did I do that to myself?’

I saw that Matty Healy follows you on Instagram, and I was a big fan of The 1975 growing up. How did that connection come about? If you were also a 1975 fan as a teenager, was that a surreal experience for you at all? 

LE: I’m not a huge fan but I’ve always liked them and I know the hits and whatever. To be honest, he followed me about a year ago. I did a cover of “Moon Song” by Phoebe and he liked the video and then followed me on Instagram and I have never interacted with him ever. It was one of those things where I was like, ‘What? This is Matty Healy. Like, why? But like, okay.’ It was crazy and I don’t think about it much anymore but I always go back to it like, is he still following me? 

Are there any artists that you were a huge fan of growing up that ended up finding your music that you’ve connected with since? 

LE: Yeah, so both Samia and Briston Maroney, who I’ve been obsessed with, both followed me probably about a year ago. I still haven’t met them in person but we’re like, small acquaintances I would say. I was doing a live stream one day, and I was playing my song “Grass Stains,” which is like my most popular song, and they both joined the livestream and started typing the lyrics along as I was playing it. I was like, ‘They know the song! They know the words enough to sing along!’ They were just like, “We love you,” and it was crazy.

Is there an artist you’ve yet to interact with that you’d love to collaborate with? 

LE: There’s so many, but I don’t know if I am very likely to. Honestly, collaboration scares me a lot. I’m so scared of like, getting intimate with people [and] writing words is such an intimate thing for me. I’ve tried with just like normal people – not that everyone’s not just a normal person – but I’ve sat for hours with a blank brain and then I’ll go home afterwards and come up with all these ideas and it’s like, ‘What happened? Where was this an hour ago?’ So I’m terrified of it, but yeah there’s so many people. Of course Phoebe … I don’t know what I’d do if I ever got to work with her on anything. I’m also scared of her, though. I feel like I won’t be able to talk to her, so maybe I can’t do that one. 

You said you get nervous being intimate or writing with other people. Do you get any of that same nervousness when you release your songs and fans listen for the first time? 

LE: Yeah, definitely. Just cause my songs are just straight up about my life so it’s like, ‘I’m really putting this out in the world, right now.’ There’s definitely always a fear because of that, but also once I put it out, it always ends up feeling so good anyway. It kind of helps me let go of that stuff even further than writing about it. It’s like, ‘Well, this is really out now,’ so it helps to let go. And then I always get people going like, “Hey, I love your music. I’ve been trying to put a word to how I feel about this, but your song encapsulates it perfectly.” Every time I get a message like that I’m always so glad I did put this out, even though it’s freaking scary. But that’s one of my favorite things about writing. It feels really good to be able to connect to people through my music.

What can fans expect to see from you in the near future? 

LE: I have videos – a video with this single, which I'm so excited for. My friends Jackon and Pat worked on the video, and it was really fun because we filmed it right after New Years throughout New York City. I’m really excited cause it’s the first video I’ve ever really been in. Like, I have one video out, but my friends did it and I wasn’t even there while it was being filmed. So, this one I’m excited for because like, it’s me. And it’s actually my current boyfriend in it – which, like, could have been a good or bad idea, but like, it is what it is. 

Have you decided on a name for your new album?

LE: Yeah, it’s called People Pleaser. 

Oh, and our magazine is called PLEASER! 

LE: I know, I know. When I got the email, I was like “Pleaser?” I thought I would get confused with if we were talking about the album or whatever, and then I was like ‘Oh, right. I have this interview.’

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Check out Elliott’s new single “Better Off Alone” here.