The current recipient of Moshtix and Music SA's Female Music Industry Scholarship, Adelaide musician Elli Belle's indie-folk tunes combine thoughtful lyrics, soulful melodies and an utterly unique voice of exquisite range.
Her newest song, 'Weight Of The World', is a goosebump-inducing ride of emotion; try listening and not getting skin prickles. "The song has quite an interesting story and means a lot to me," Elli says.
"I was in Alice Springs on my way to play at Wide Open Space Festival a few years ago when I woke up to news of the Bali Nine executions, Nepali earthquake and forced closure of Indigenous communities.
"I was also in a long-distance relationship at the time and struggling a bit with this. So I guess it all just hit me hard that morning and I felt really disheartened and sad.
"I picked up my guitar and the song fell out. Sometimes it's a battle to draw a song out of yourself and other times there's no effort at all.
"In this case, it was the latter. I posted a short clip on Facebook and a lot of people wrote to say thank you. In this moment, I was reminded of the power of music and grateful that I had something positive to give to the world."
Ahead of its official release tomorrow (20 July) when Elli performs a special Umbrella: Winter City Sounds show in Adelaide, scenestr is honoured to premiere 'Weight Of The World' today. Take a quick 5-minute break and soak up Elli's wonderful voice.
Elli continues the story of how 'Weight Of The World' evolved organically on the other side of the world. "When I moved to Berlin in 2016, I met a musician called Pavel and we started playing together.
"We resonated musically (and personally) and he really loved this song, so he came up with another guitar line and insisted that we record it, then setup a weekend with his friend (Ashkan Fardost) in Stockholm, Sweden to do so.
"On the day of recording, our host had to drive us into the studio because there was a big neo-Nazi protest in the city, following Trump's election. I remember thinking how ironic it was, that there could be an eruption of violence on the streets nearby to where we were peacefully recording this track, 'Weight Of The World'.
"Sadly, the song remained relevant but it was quite empowering to sing it that day too. Again, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for music and the role it plays in my life.
"Just prior to our stay, Stockholm had experienced their most severe snowfall in 200 years. The city was painted white and there was a huge super moon. I remember taking a snack break from the studio and being blown away by how beautiful it was, and I hoped for some of the magic to find its way into the recording.
"Eventually I got one of my closest friends in Berlin (and regular busking buddy), Lucas Laufen to mix and master the track - and he did a great job.
"It's a simple tune, but it's a big reminder to myself to get up and carry on despite the devastation in the world, and to keep writing and playing and singing and sharing this with people. I hope you enjoy it."
