At the beginning of this year, British-Indonesian singer-songwriter Ella Tobin released her debut EP Favourite Place To Hide, marking the start of a very promising career. The tender, soulful record explores themes of dreaming, haunting and yearning. Seeing as Ella also played her first headline gig this year and is increasingly getting more attention, this seems like the right time to shine the spotlight on this rising talent.
One of the main things that make Ella stand out is her fragile voice and her impressive control thereof. While her original songs highlight the soft side of her voice, some of the cover songs which she has uploaded on her YouTube channel bring out her powerful vocals. The variety of artists whose songs she has covered shows what a versatile musician she is.
Amongst those artists are the likes of Bon Iver, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. This won’t come as a surprise since some of Ella’s original songs are indeed reminiscent of Eilish’s early work, and Bon Iver’s influence is audible too. Ella has been uploading covers on her YouTube channel for a whole decade now and posted her first original song nine years ago, proving that dedication and perseverance go a long way and pay off in the end. In addition to her songwriting and singing skills, Ella is also a seasoned guitar player.
Despite musical similarities to other artists like the ones mentioned, Ella has already managed to carve a spot for herself in the alt-indie scene. Her EP Favourite Place To Hide is definite proof of this. Its first track, which is called ‘The Ghost’, is a melancholic, heavy tune with introspective lyrics. The title is fitting for a song so beautifully haunting.
This mixture of ethereal sounds and deeply moving lyrics is apparent in the entire record, as are the themes of nostalgia and melancholia. The latter is especially prominent in the closing track of the EP which is called ‘Golden Hours’. Overall, Favourite Place To Hide is a strong debut that showcases Ella’s vocal chops as well as her beautiful songwriting abilities.
Another great example of Ella’s brilliant songwriting is a snippet of an unreleased song she recently shared on TikTok, titled ‘Parallel lines’. The track is about growing apart from a friend, a heartbreak almost everyone can relate to but which, as opposed to romantic heartbreak, is not discussed a lot in music. Ella sums this heartbreak up with the line “Our lives were intertwined but now they’re ripping at the seams”, followed by the poignant lyric “Our lives were intertwined but now they’re running parallel”.
At the beginning of this year, Ella presented her work at her first-ever headline gig. More recently, she also partook in the Camden Songwriting Circle, and she regularly secures herself a spot as the opening act for other artists. Additionally, she has been busking all over London for several years now. Judging by the comments on her social media, these efforts pay off as she’s catching the attention of a lot of people by playing on the street.
It’s worth keeping an eye on Ella as she will most definitely go on to make a name for herself in the alternative folk and indie scene.
Written by: Melanie Falkensteiner
Edited by: Ilse Muis
