Q&A: Elujay driven to create, even through “Pandemia”
Prolific 25-year-old Oakland native Elujay is a rising star. Last year, the singer and musician (now based in L.A.) coproduced and scored all the music for the TOMBOGO fashion show with founder Tommy Bogo, in addition to walking in the show as a model. His song “Swing Thru,” from his album Gems in The Corner Store, was also recently featured on “Sweet Life” on HBO Max. Elujay released his new album, Circmvnt, last week. On it, he pushes the boundaries of genre, dipping into alternative, R&B, jazz and soul to create a sound that’s all his own.
Elujay collaborated with the likes of Serpentwithfeet, and got his band involved in the recording and producing process. That made the entire project a full-band effort. The artist said he wants to continue to push boundaries and working outside of his comfort zone. That remained the case during the pandemic.
“I just take my time with stuff. During the pandemic I had some fatigue, sure. But you have to get over it, and that comes with time, figuring out ways to combat it, so that you’re flowing,” he said.
RIFF: Congratulations on the release of Circmvnt! Did you work with collaborators to create it?
Elujay: Yeah, I worked with several collaborators. I wrote most of the songs myself. Sometimes people sent me the stems and I built upon it. Sending files back and forth, working through Zoom, a lot of it was done that way. Very little of it was made in person.
Had you made songs that way before?
Elujay: I had somewhat, but not to this extent; it was definitely influenced by the pandemic.
Was the material itself influenced by the pandemic, or just the way you made it?
Elujay: I’d say both. I wasn’t really in a lovey-dovey mood, I didn’t just want to talk about love. I felt like there’s real shit going on right now. People are dying, there are fires going on, people were losing their homes. That was a serious time. I didn’t want to just talk about love. My relationship is fine, I have a beautiful girlfriend. But I don’t really live in a beautiful world and that got put in my face in such a direct way. I think the music and lyrics got very existential.
You were at home during most of the pandemic. Was that life different for you, since right before you were starting to break out?
Elujay: Yeah, it was a lot different. It was definitely not the same old run of the mill, I couldn’t just do what I wanted to do. I had to learn to adjust. I started to focus on finishing the music, and now that it’s done, I can’t wait to play live. Well, I think we’re going to do some shows, but they might get canceled. Hopefully we’re able to do something this year. I think that’d be awesome. We have some dates locked in, so I don’t want to be pessimistic about it.
Tell us about working with Serpentwithfeet on “Luvaroq.” How did that come about?
Elujay: It was cool, man! I met him on Twitter; he was following me at the time. We connected when I tweeted about the lovers rock genre, it’s kind of a rocksteady, reggae vibe. I said something about how I liked it and then I sent him the song and he jumped on it. Well, it took a while to get it done. We went in to the studio together, which was really nice. Like, I wouldn’t go to a studio for a lot of people, especially somebody who I just heard of. He’s someone I revere, he’s a frickin’ GOAT. One of the best, so fucking talented. So I just thought, I’ll shoot my shot, and now we’re friends and I’m producing some of his stuff, too, so it’s really fucking sick.
Did you produce your own album? And do you do a lot of producing?
Elujay: Yeah, I produced like 75 percent of it. I do a lot of producing, but I’ve learned I have to be selective of who I work with and my time, because a lot of energy goes into producing. But I’m down to work with all kinds of people, I’m very open to collaboration. Producing myself, I can get burned out more easily. It’s a lot easier for me to make bad judgments about how things sound and I don’t know how to let go a lot of the time.
What’s this album about?
Elujay: It’s POV of someone dealing with psychosis. Just mild psychosis, though! It’s existential, in a 21st century world, coming of age. I just wanted to create a world that was mellow and dark, but fun.
When you create this world, are the videos a part of it, too?
Elujay: Yeah, for sure. I think they definitely reflect it. In the “Ratrace” video, I think you can see that’s very much the world I created, encapsulated in the video, which I directed, and I’m very happy about that. I edited it and directed it. I also edited and directed my last one, too—the “Pandemia” video—but that was just me and my homies running around, shooting the shit with a camera during the day. But this was my first big production. This one was, like: set, crew, per diems, all the shit that goes into it, so it was really exciting. That was a big deal for me, and I’m so happy with how it came out.
Do you feel like the visual aspect is part of your approach as an artist?
Elujay: Yeah, I feel like, honestly, if you can create anything from nothing, you can create in any medium. If you can sing, you can sculpt. If you can sculpt, you can play. If you can play, you can dance. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be amazing, but if you have the ability of creativity— not everyone has those natural sensibilities to create.
As an artist who works outside of genre, what’s the sound that you’re trying to make when you go to make a record?
Elujay: It’s more of a feeling than a sound that I’m trying for. Well, more like multiple sounds. Like, on “Pandemia,” I wanted the drum pattern to kind of sound like a Shuggie Otis drum pattern … the chords to sound like Stevie Wonder or like the latest Solange album. The clavs are fire on her latest album. I just take different elements from different stuff and make my own thing. I think it’s all about just taking influences from different stuff and just putting together like a sandwich. I’ll just throw shit at the wall. I’ll be like, “I got a homie that plays flute, let’s see what it sounds like on this record.” If it doesn’t work, I won’t use it, but it does work, it’s like “OK, that’s amazing.”
You play multiple instruments, right? Do you feel like that gives you an advantage when you go to get the sounds in your head out?
Elujay: Yes, bass, guitar and keys. I’ve been taking lessons all my life. I can talk to people, but I don’t know theory. I can play a chord for someone and say, “I want this to sound like this,” or “I want a little bit more of this chord-ish thing.” I don’t know, like, “E minor flat,” though – I’m clueless as hell on that stuff. I’m the dumbest person in the room on that, but I love that because I don’t ever want to be the smartest person in the room. That means I’m not surrounding myself with people who are great. This year I’m planning to learn a lot more, so I can actually have that language. I want to learn music theory. I want to learn drums. I want to get better at guitar. I want to get better at singing. I want to get better at everything that has to do with creating.
Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.