Introducing: Elle Massimo

Rising UK R&B artist Elle Massimo returns with Red Skies—a sultry, late-night reflection on the ghosts of relationships past. Blending soul-drenched vocals with lush, modern production from Conor Seidel and Amelia Rose, the track sees Massimo lean into a deeper, more sensual groove while staying true to the raw honesty that’s made her one to watch. Recorded between Spotify’s Metropolis Studios and creative hubs in East London, Red Skies is a bold step forward for the independent singer-songwriter, whose previous releases have already caught the attention of Wonderland, BBC Introducing, and Spotify’s Ones to Watch. We sat down with Elle to talk emotional late-night musings, the power of live instrumentation, and the journey behind her most intimate release to date.

1. ‘Red Skies’ feels drenched in late-night emotion and nostalgia. Can you tell us about the moment or memory that sparked the track?

I always find in the winter months as it gets darker out earlier and I spend more time alone with my thoughts I tend to enter a more reflective period  vs in summer when I’m distracted with lingering evenings and life generally feels more weightless and flirty. When we initially tracked the first demo for ‘Red Skies’ it was November 2023, winter was creeping in and I’d been reflecting on a past romantic situation with someone that I hadn’t spoken to in a very long time (I’m stubborn), I thought it would be cathartic to write about what it would be like to meet up with her just one last time and that’s where the idea was born, just me sprinkling some salt into old wounds, nothing new to see here xo

2. There’s a real elegance in how ‘Red Skies’ balances live instrumentation with modern R&B textures. What was it like working with Conor Seidel and Amelia Rose to shape that sound? Amelia and I had already done a few intro sessions together and had got our first demo down for ‘Is this really done’ which is also out now btw ;)

However, having completed two back to back sessions on the previous said track we wanted to try creating something new to keep things exciting. Once Amelia had come up with the initial production we both started freestyling melody ideas for the vocals, I like to write in chronological order of the song typically and ‘red skies’ was no exemption, verse 1 came then the hook and so on. We got a rough scratch vocal down on that first session at spotify studios in Metropolis, then I played about with the lyrics at home before session two where we re tracked, Amelia is the queen of melodies so once I was confident with the lyrics and we’d tweaked parts, we had lots of fun with layering and harmonizing. Spending some time to work on other demos I left ‘Red Skies’ alone for a while but later upon reflection decided I wanted to add some extra live infused production, I’d been listening to lots of Canadian artist ‘Katie Tupper’ that autumn and therefore got in touch with Connor who had produced some of these songs to see if we could get some extra production sprinkles added in, I had a feeling his and Amelia's production styles would merge seamlessly and so he started working on it his end, opting for a natural drum approach to create a higher contrast verse to chorus, a vibey little octave up guitar intro was added as well and then little connecting production elements to aid transitions. I love how working with both producers balanced out the live elements with more modern R&B digital textures.

3. You’ve cited artists like Snoh Aalegra and Leon Thomas as inspiration. What is it about their music that resonates with you, and how did they influence your sessions for this latest release?

At the start of every year I make a sound inspo playlist to send to producers i’m collaborating with so that I can share songs as the months go on that are inspiring me sonically, I’m having a look now at my ‘2023 Inspo’ playlist, we’ve got ‘TASTE’ by Miss Aalegra , I think it perfectly encapsulates the moments leading up to those late nights shared and how intoxicating it can be to romanticize that person even though you know the next day when the sun comes up you’ll go back to being somewhat strangers, that concept heavily inspired me to write Red Skies, that entire album ‘Temporary highs in the violet skies’ has been absolutely rinsed in my car, it was the first CD I bought when my aux system stopped working and I have zero regrets, I just wish I could listen to it for the first time again. Next, we’ve got ‘Blessings’ by Leon Thomas. I'm in such awe of Leons writing style. I love how playful he is. The opening lines ‘You’ve be running through my mind my little track star, picked up every single time I ever want to call, you be playing shots like your pappa played ball’ gripped me instantly, I had it stuck in my head for months, I think it’s so liberating to just admit to yourself you’re dangerously into someone and Leon always articulates that feeling of dizziness we can all feel in such a perfect way. The storytelling in that track definitely influenced me to be forthcoming with my feelings of nostalgia and infatuation in ‘red skies’.

4. You’ve had your music championed by platforms like BBC Introducing and Wonderland, and performed at some iconic London spots. How has the London music scene shaped your growth as an artist? 

Being in such close proximity to an array of live venues that include not only larger capacity ones but also smaller places such as Omera, The Lower Third, Lafeyette and so many more has been such a driving force of inspiration for me to be able to go and watch new up & coming artists in their elements and visualise selling out those spaces in the future for myself, it gets me so excited to see so many artists thriving, many of them independent also. In terms of the producer, artist & songwriting scene in London again I think we are in such an exciting space, especially with RnB, neo-soul music, currently I’m listening to lot’s of  Sasha Keable, Tia Gordon, BINA, Humble the Great, Jaz Karis and so so many more artists based in & around the city.

5. There’s a strong visual identity behind ‘Red Skies’—from the styling to the press shots. How involved are you in the visual storytelling around your music, and what vibe were you aiming for this time around?

Thank you! The team who worked on the visuals were the most talented group of women, I'm very proud of what we managed to create. So It all starts off with me scribbling down; thoughts, themes, feelings, anything I associate with the song into my notebook, then once I’ve made sense of my scribbles I like to take things to the mac book where we jump onto google slides to create a branding treatment. For the ‘Red Skies’ key themes I’d written down, intimacy, sensuality, nostalgia & yearning and so I wanted the lighting & styling references to reflect upon these, opting for soft yet moody lighting to create an intimate presence and contoured silhouettes in dress form that stylist Ana Pereira sourced from designer ‘Airlia Four’ for that injection of sensuality. Once I'd pulled references that I felt aligned with my vision the rest of the creative team, Photographer Ella Costache, Stylist Ana Pereia, styling assistant Nicola Morgan, Hair Stylist Tia Feel, Mua Antonia Yiltay and myself began to bounce ideas off one and another before starting to make concrete plans in terms of the final creative direction.

6. You’re performing an acoustic set for “Juke Vibe” in Peckham soon. How does your music translate in a stripped-back setting, and what can fans expect from that performance?

Yes, I am on Thursday 22nd of May! I can’t wait, it's going to be super exciting. I love stripping down my songs to their bones, I typically like to sing live with a just guitarist to create an a super intimate feel where I feel I can really story tell, hold onto notes longer and improve a little with ad libs etc - this will be the set up for my set at Juke Vibe. However I will also be sprinkling a cover into my set, which is currently up for debate!!! DM me if you have a gorgeous suggestion.

7. With ‘Red Skies’ kicking off your 2025 releases, what’s the rest of the year looking like for you? More singles? An EP?

What should we be watching out for? I’m very excited about what's to come this year. I've got lot’s more singles on the way which I'll be dropping consistently throughout the year until I'm ready to drop a wider project which will be with you early 2026! Although this year will be single drops they feel extremely cohesive to me as I've been collaborating with a tight knit team sonically + visually which has been exciting yet comforting.