Melbourne-based songwriting duo Elisha Apurado and Danny Hacket have released their debut single, 'Treading Water',addressing the resilience and focus needed to ‘keep your head up’ and achieve your goals in life.
In 2014, Elisha and Danny started writing whilst working on Danny’s solo project and instantly they formed an undeniable chemistry for writing lyrics and music.
Through the years, they have written songs with numerous local and international artists including X factor finalists Omar Dean and Jordan Rodrigues as well as having worked with multi-platinum awarded, ARIA and Golden Guitar nominated producer Jimi Maroudas.
To commemorate their inaugural release, Eli Dan have shared their top five inspirational songwriting locales.
Fiji
Danny: I think to find inspiration to write you need to find a place that grounds you, somewhere where you can get away from the hustle and bustle, find your centre and just let the emotions flow. Fiji is a place that does this for me! I’ve stayed at the Hideaway resort on the coral coast a few times now and it feels like a home away from home. The Fijian people have a beautiful culture and way of life. They are amazing people and treat you as if you are one of their family. My perfect day would be getting up early and going for a surf out the front of the resort. Letting all the worries of the world wash off me as I take in the picturesque landscape, come in just in time for a big breakfast with the family, then spend the afternoon by the pool writing. Perfect Day!
San Francisco
Elisha: San Francisco was an experience to say the least. It may not have been the experience that I’ve heard people talk about, but nonetheless an experience to remember. Full disclaimer, San Francisco is definitely one of those places that I need to give another go, because not only did 2 days not give it any real justice, but it was definitely not a fair interpretation of this beautiful city. Having caught the overnight bus from LA to San Fran, we were greeted by a shocking sight that I’d never experienced back home let alone in one of the world’s most prosperous countries. The rate of homelessness was confronting. I remember checking into our hotel room and just really missing the safety of home. I wrote a song that night called ‘San Francisco.’ It was just about being thankful that I had a roof over my head that night and was surrounded by people that loved me. Although the experience wasn’t altogether pleasant, there was something there that inspired me to dig deeper than I normally would.
Phillip Island
Danny: My family has a place down at Phillip Island and this is where we go to get away for 5-6 times a year. This is definitely my happy place! It’s like just stepping back in time and watching everything else move all the more slowly down there. Wintertime is my favourite. It’s the perfect time to bust out the winter woolly jacket, beanie, ugg boots and just sit around the fireplace, with pen and paper in hand, and just write some great music. After spending a lovely afternoon chatting over a coffee at the Kilkunda Café, we head down to the look out and check out the surf. Something about the ocean just gives me a sense of clarity and always seems to be calling and inspiring me to write.
Stockholm
Elisha: Being one of the worlds meccas for pop music, I’ve always been super curious to know what Stockholm was all about. To say that I was immediately charmed would be an understatement. I was staying with a friend that I had been writing with since my uni days, and even though I was 16,000 km away from home, something about it felt immediately familiar. Maybe it was because everyone spoke perfect English, or maybe because I just happen to hear John Mayer playing in nearly every shop I walked into, but there was just something really special about Stockholm that urged the creativity in me.
Camping
Danny: This one’s cheating a little because it isn’t a specific destination, but both Elisha and I can emphatically agree that camping, no matter where, is one of the most inspiring places to write. There’s just something magical about getting back to nature, hearing the noises of the wildlife and watching the stars at night in front of the campfire that can bring out the creativity in almost anyone.
