Photo by Russel Tandy.Elohim’s latest release, “Broken Face,” marks a departure from her electronic sound, delving into raw vulnerability with just a piano and cello. Born from a tumultuous period battling anxiety, she candidly shares her reliance on medication and the pivotal decision to prioritise health over tour commitments. The song reflects her resilience, a testament to navigating self-discovery and healing. The artist’s emotive revelation about creativity amid chaos sets the tone for this introspective journey. Accompanied by a stunning music video, “Broken Face” underscores her authenticity, with over 600 million global streams and collaborations with industry giants. It’s more than a song—it’s a beacon of hope, urging perseverance through dark times.
KALTBLUT caught up with Elohim as part of our #TheCulturalConnection-series to chat about genres, her latest release and why she’s a mental health advocate.
KALTBLUT: A few months ago, you called off your tour due to mental health. You have now just released “Broken Face”, a song that you wrote during that time. Considering the personal nature of the track and the emotions it conveys, I am interested in learning more about the creative process behind it if you are comfortable sharing.
Elohim: The creative process behind this song was very much me alone in my home sitting at my piano keeled over head on my hands sobbing my eyes out while writing. Half belting, half crying. The next day I knew I needed to record a proper vocal, so I went in with my amazing engineer, Steve. I put down the piano first, then went in and sang my heart out to just piano and click track. It felt really special listening back. I decided to add cello and had Cameron Stone come in for a few hours, and he played beautifully over my track. It was back to basics… piano, vocal, cello. I felt these words needed to be heard without anything getting in the way. The emotion in this song is raw, it’s very much what I’ve been going through. I am building myself back up.
KALTBLUT: You’re really candid about your mental health in your music. Can you tell me a little bit about what made you decide to combine the conversation about mental health and your music?
Elohim: I have struggled with my own personal mental health demons since I was 7 years old. I felt completely alone for all of my life. I finally decided to release a song I had written called , which was the most real depiction of what I’d been through throughout my life. I figured no one would understand or relate to it because I thought I was the only one who went through these struggles (having trouble leaving the house, vomiting when panicked and the list goes on) but it was quite the opposite. When I released that song, I started getting a lot of messages. Other humans had almost identical struggles to mine. In those moments, I realised there is a community that very much needed to be understood. So I continued to write and advocate for mental health.
KALTBLUT: I find your music is quite hard to categorise, which is a very positive thing. How do you approach producing music? Do you have a specific genre/mood in mind before you start, or does it come organically?
Elohim: I love this question and I appreciate you saying that! To me, humans are so multi-faceted, there is no possible way I can fit into one genre! I love so much music including jazz, classical, hip hop, pop, electronic, and alternative. I truly sometimes want to scream into a mic and at other more gentle times I want to sit at a piano and write a ballad. I have been in tears in the studio, and I’ve also been in a state of pure bliss, dancing around smiling.
It bothers me that the music industry wants to put artists in boxes. Art is the opposite of being put into a box. I believe artists should have complete freedom to create what they want and feel like making. I can only create what I am truly feeling at that moment, so that is what I do. And with that, it always ends up being different! Sometimes I don’t even want to write melodies and sing, and I just want to sample and make beats and weird sounds. I love feeling that freedom!
KALTBLUT: Can you walk me through a typical production day for you?
Elohim: It depends on what kind of session I am doing, I suppose! While I was creating Journey to the “Center of Myself Volume 4” in my bedroom alone, it was mostly nights and it was very untraditional. So much of that music was sample-based. I grew up playing piano and have studied it extensively, so I love playing chords or interesting parts with cool sounds that I chose and start with that. A huge part of creation for me is sound selection!
And I think that is one of my specialities. There are days when I produce around lyrics and melodies that I’ve already written as well! I really just play my keyboard, trying different parts and sounds until it sounds interesting! It is really fun! I feel a newfound confidence in my own production recently, which has been really beautiful.
Photo by Chase O’Black.KALTBLUT: Your aesthetic is super vibrant and colourful and very in line with your music. How do you approach your visuals? And how important are they for you?
Elohim: Visuals have always been incredibly important since the very beginning of creating Elohim. I always had a vision of the visuals being as important as the audio. And the ultimate goal was to be able to marry the two and have them live as one. In the live show and online. I wanted all of it to feel immersive and like an entire world you can get lost in.
KALTBLUT: Can you tell me a little bit about your self-produced EP?
Elohim: Journey to the Center of Myself, Volume 4 was produced by me and only me during the pandemic. So much of the project is sample-based and instrumental. I’d always dreamt of making a project like this, but never took the time to really dive into my own brain and try. Because I think I was afraid! It was a whole new experience for me to create this because I was totally alone. I was able to really try anything and everything without anyone else’s input. This process reminded me of the days when I started Elohim, but it was now this version of myself who has now written 100s of songs released tons of music and playing hundreds of shows! In front of thousands of humans. I have fallen and got back up countless times, and it’s given me a strength and motivation and inspiration. The approach to this project was definitely different from any other project I have ever worked on. I think the approach was different because there was no plan, there was no knowing what this was going to be. I made this music as if it would never be released… No fear, no bias, just me and my brain running wild and free. Whatever made me happy at that moment, I kept going with.
KALTBLUT: I saw a video you posted on Instagram where you said it took you years to feel comfortable to be filmed. How did you overcome this, and how did it impact your artistry?
Elohim: I believe my confidence came from practice and trying over and over. Just like anything else in life, being confident in front of a camera takes practice and trial and error. So I think from working hard and never giving up, trying new things, and challenging myself, I was able to overcome many insecurities and obstacles.
Follow @elohim on Instagram and stream her music here.
Cover photo by @russelltandy_.
You can revisit all Cultural Connection interviews at #TheCulturalConnection here.
