Elijah Woods
COVER STORY
✦
COVER STORY ✦
After amassing more than a billion streams to date, multi-platinum singer-songwriter and producer Elijah Woods has returned with his new EP, Hey There Elijah, masterfully curating an assortment of charismatic alt-pop hits.
From a creative standpoint, the established Canadian pop superstar describes this project as a significant step forward regarding maturity and his previous song concepts, intending to embrace change after discovering his own dedicated audience. “My goal with this project was to just do something that I hadn’t done before, which I feel like I accomplished.” Woods explains, “I’m really excited for Hey There Elijah to be out and I can’t wait to hear what people think!”
Photography: George Pimentel | Cover: Laramie Cheyenne | EIC: Aedan Juvet
The EP features several essential singles including the pristine acoustic-charged pop singles “2 Thousand 10” and its upbeat sibling track “Sunlight!” which showcase Woods’ ever-evolving sound in two similar, yet different lanes. “With ‘Sunlight!’ and ‘2 Thousand 10,’ I wanted to experiment more with electric guitar to create a lighter, more upbeat vibe,” he divulges. “Touring earlier this year really inspired me to write songs with more energy and pace. Performing only ballads can get a bit monotonous for me, so after my tour in Asia, I wanted to create music that’s more dynamic and fun to play live.”
While artists are typically prone to embrace stylistic changes as they evolve, it’s impossible to disregard that a certain degree of wisdom naturally comes with age and life experience — offering Woods a brand-new perspective at the age of 30. “I think turning 30 is both really scary and really amazing,” he candidly admits. “I took inspiration from everything I’ve experienced and just tried to be as honest and transparent as possible with my songwriting. I’ve been through a lot of highs and lows this past year—I got married, lost one of my best friends, I traveled a lot, went on tour, and hit several career milestones. This EP reflects on turning 30, but it also feels like the start of a new chapter of growth and maturity for me.”
Photography: George Pimentel | EIC: Aedan Juvet
To commemorate his recalibrated point of view, Woods’ recent creative endeavor offers listeners a fresh blend of nostalgic pop and indie-rock that feels both carefree and extremely vulnerable given the topics he’s prone to explore. Which was only possible as a result of his ability to work alongside several like-minded creatives. “With Hey There Elijah, I approached it with a more collaborative mindset. I really opened myself up to working with other producers and songwriters, and I was fortunate enough to collaborate with people I really look up to. Having that extra energy in the room pushed me to think about how far we could take the project.”
Outside of the core group of collaborators he trusted with his vision, Woods also drew inspiration from the iconic artists he grew up listening to, including Blink-182, Linkin Park, and Atreyu — paving the way for a full-circle moment. “In a way, this project is also a nod to my childhood.” Woods divulges. “We incorporated a lot more electric guitars, and while the percussion has a similar vibe to bright orange everglow, we pushed it in a slightly new direction as well. I grew up surrounded by live music. My dad’s been in bands all my life, and I love how live drums and guitars can really bring a song to life, which I think also influenced how I approached the project.”
Photography: George Pimentel | Cover: Laramie Cheyenne | EIC: Aedan Juvet
As a widely recognized independent artist with more than 4 million monthly listeners and multiple award nominations, Woods’ career continues to rapidly evolve, which still catches him by surprise. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure!” He explains when asked what he attributes his inspiring trajectory to. Though, upon further consideration, he continues, “But I do think consistency has been a huge factor. It sounds simple, but I believe one of the main reasons I’ve found success is because I just kept creating and releasing music. I’ve been releasing music since I was about 16 or 17, and for the first 8-10 years, no one really paid attention. Things started to click into place when I began making music that I truly cared about and that felt authentic to me.” He then notes, “I also believe that success doesn’t always come to the most talented but often to those who refuse to quit.”
Despite Woods’ uncertainty about why his artistry resonates with audiences, listeners can verify that his personal and sincere storytelling has become one of the singer-songwriter’s biggest strengths. However, bringing that raw sense of connectivity to an artist’s work can also involve opening up about things we hold dear to us. “The most personal song I’ve ever made is my song ‘matthew,’ which is about my older brother who passed away. Initially, I just wrote it as a way to process my feelings.” Woods courageously explains. “I shared it with my family, and they connected with it because we’d all suffered the same loss and lived through the same experience. But sharing it with a wider audience felt really vulnerable and scary. The song is filled with vivid memories of our time together—it was sort of like sharing a diary entry with the world.”
Photography: George Pimentel | EIC: Aedan Juvet
Through the act of wearing his heart on his sleeve, Woods ultimately attained an invaluable connection with listeners by opening up about grief and its ripple effects. He tells us, “At first, I wasn’t sure how people would respond to ‘matthew,’ but the reaction from fans was incredible. It was unlike anything I’d experienced before. While it may not be my most commercially successful song, it resonated deeply with listeners who had lost someone close to them too or had experienced grief. I love how once a song is released it no longer just belongs to me; it becomes something others can connect with and find meaning in.” Woods then goes on to reveal, “I love that ‘matthew’ was born out of such a personal experience to me but evolved into something that could help so many other people as well.”
With the capacity to delve into a wide range of emotions and experiences through music, Woods recently embarked on a well-received tour where fans finally had the opportunity to witness his undeniable spark as a performer. Looking back on his first Canadian headline tour last year, Woods shares, “It was surreal to sell out so many amazing venues and to see people showing up and singing the lyrics to my songs. What made it even more special was the fact that it was in Canada, where I grew up. There’s always that feeling when you play at home or close to home that people might be more judgmental because they know who you are or who you were in the past, but the response was nothing like that. I was met with so much love and excitement, and it felt really special!”
Photography: George Pimentel | EIC: Aedan Juvet
Regarding the tour’s overarching journey, the singer-songwriter notes that everything came together effortlessly to create an unforgettable experience, as Woods explains, “The tour was called the ‘what if it was fun?’ tour, and that mindset summed it up perfectly. I went into it with an open attitude, not overthinking or expecting too much, but allowing for the possibility that it would be an amazing experience. It really taught me how important it is to focus on the positives and to trust that things can turn out great, instead of dreading it and stressing about whether people will show up.”
Before his solo tour, Woods also had the incredible opportunity to play for audiences across Asia, including opening for Niall Horan in Jakarta, performing in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, and even participating in the widely known Seoul Jazz Festival.
When talking about that evolutionary chapter of his career, Woods explains, “There were so many incredible moments in Asia, but opening for Niall Horan in Jakarta was definitely a standout. I don’t usually get anxious before going on stage, but for the first time in a long time, I felt a bit of stage fright during that show. It was wild to look out at a crowd of 15,000 people, and I actually lost my breath a little during my first three songs! On top of that, Niall has been such a huge influence on my music, so I was definitely feeling the pressure to put on a good performance!”
Though, in the case of his pre-show jitters, there might be one other factor at play. “The venue was completely empty but I could see someone sitting in the fourth row, and it turned out to be Niall. He was just listening to me soundcheck and was vibing out to the songs. I remember thinking, ‘wow, this is so crazy… I better crush this performance tonight.’ Overall, that show was an amazing experience, and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity.”
Photography: George Pimentel | EIC: Aedan Juvet
After delving into his new music and past experiences, Woods then makes it clear that he’s currently committed to the idea of living in the present — without any clear decision about what sounds or themes the next era entails. “Right now, I’m really focused on Hey There Elijah and just want to live in the moment with this project and see how it’s received.”
He continues, “It’s funny because when you release music, you’re often removed emotionally from it at the point at which it comes out. Like, you already worked through your emotions when you were working on the songs. I wrote this project from a place of confusion when I was trying to figure things out, but now I feel like I’ve come out of that period and I don’t feel so lost emotionally anymore, which feels great!”
However, while the next steps have yet to be determined, there are a few innate details that we can expect. “Looking ahead, I just want to keep creating music that excites me and move in a direction that feels fresh and fun for me.” He then goes on to conclude, “And I actually have even more music I’m planning to share before the year ends, so stay tuned for that!”
