In Conversation: Ella Tobin

Introducing London-based alt-pop sensation Ella Tobin and her much-anticipated debut EP, 'Favourite Place To Hide', unveiling today. Leading with the ethereal single 'Golden Hours', this collection epitomizes Tobin's enchanting vocals, intricate production, and heartfelt lyrics, all elements that have garnered her attention from tastemakers over the past year. Featuring four melodious tracks, including recent hits 'The Ghost', 'Wanna Go Home', 'Older', and the brand-new 'Golden Hours', Tobin solidifies her status as a rising force in the music scene. In 'Golden Hours', Tobin captures the essence of platonic love and the sanctity of cherished moments with loved ones, offering a poignant counterbalance to the EP's more melancholic themes. As listeners embark on this musical journey, Tobin invites them to celebrate life's joys and the bonds that sustain us. We caught with her earlier this month:

1.Congratulations on the release of your debut EP, 'Favourite Place To Hide'! Can you tell us about the creative process behind the EP and what inspired the title?

Thank you! My creative process when it comes to songwriting is different every time but the common thread throughout this EP is that every song began with me sat alone in my bedroom either at my piano, or with my guitar. I had been sitting with the songs for a while before my producer Aria Wood (who is also an amazing artist) reached out over instagram and asked if I’d be interested in working on a track together. I remember getting back the first version of Wanna Go Home, which Aria had developed from my piano/vocal demo, and just being so excited at the sound - it felt like a whole new world of possibilities had been opened for my music. We decided to work on the EP together, a process that involved a lot of back and forth between our respective bedroom studios. Up until this point, my songs had only ever existed as home made and mostly acoustic demos, so it was really cool to delve into the potentials of production and explore my sonic identity as an artist. The title of the EP comes from a line in ‘Golden Hours’ and is in reference to the riverside near where I grew up. The more I thought about the phrase, I realised that it also reflected my feelings on the songs and the place they were written. I know that songwriting is something that is always there for me when I feel the need to retreat from the chaos of life and try to make sense of it all. It’s something that can provide me a lot of solace and it’s also just one of my favourite things to do, which is why Favourite Place To Hide felt like a fitting title.

2. 'Golden Hours' is such a beautiful track that captures the essence of precious moments. What was the inspiration behind this particular song, and how does it reflect your personal experiences?

For years, I would go down to the riverside every Friday after school with my friends - we would sit there, just talking for hours as we watched the sunset below the London skyline. I’m a very sentimental person and I'm sure I've probably overly romanticised it in my head, but whenever I go back there, I am flooded with these feelings of warmth and nostalgia. I wanted to write a song that captures this feeling and reminds us to treasure the good moments. For me, Golden Hours is a love song written to all the people and places that feel like home. It’s an ode to the moments spent together with your best friends where, for a short while, it feels like time slows down and the world is a little lighter. 

3. Your music combines honest lyricism and ethereal vocals to create dreamy, vulnerable pop compositions. How do you navigate between vulnerability and strength in your songwriting?

Vulnerability is often associated with things like shame and weakness but I think the courage to show up authentically and be seen for who you truly are is, in and of itself, a strength. Researcher Brene Brown talks a lot about this and how when we let our guard down and allow ourselves to embrace vulnerability, we create a space for others to do the same, opening the door to more meaningful connections. It can be scary and, as I’m sure is the case with a lot of songwriters, there are definitely some songs I’ve written that I don’t feel quite brave enough to share right now. But, it is something I am always striving for within my songwriting and I hope that by doing so, others will connect with and feel seen by the songs. 

4. From 'The Ghost' to 'Wanna Go Home' and now 'Golden Hours,' each track on your EP seems to evoke a different emotion. Can you walk us through the thematic journey of the EP and how each song fits into that narrative?

From loneliness and isolation to optimism and friendship, the EP navigates through a series of emotions that reflect a lot of what I was feeling as I entered into my twenties. The opening track ‘The Ghost’ reflects on my experience of being quite a shy and introverted person and the effect this can have on forming new relationships. These themes weave themselves into the next track ‘Wanna Go Home’, a song that comes from a place of isolation and longing for that place or feeling of comfort. Older represents a shift into a slightly more hopeful tone - I wrote it as a reminder that even though so much of life can seem daunting and uncertain, it’s a lot less scary when you remember that we’re all journeying through it together. I wanted to end with Golden Hours as a way to say that despite all the heavy feelings, like those discussed in prior songs, it’s important to remember that there are always things to be celebrated and cherished, however small they may be. It’s almost the opposite of Wanna Go home - with the sentiment being ‘I want to stay in this moment for as long as possible’. 

5. With your sold-out debut headline show approaching, what can fans expect from your live performances, and how do you hope to connect with your audience through your music on stage?

I’m so excited for my headline show! It’s in a lovely intimate venue that I am planning to deck out with candles and fairy lights to create a very cosy atmosphere that invites people to sit back and really listen to the music. I love gigs where artists talk about the songs before they play them, so I look forward to sharing some of the stories behind the songs and inviting the audience into my world. I know it’s not everyone's cup of tea but I do also love getting a room full of strangers to sing along together - so maybe also expect some wholesome audience participation?!