Artist Spotlight: Ellie Parris

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Rising star Ellie Parris has unveiled her anticipated five track EP Out of Sight, a stunning collection of love-soaked, soulful ballads that shoots the singer straight into the star-laden R&B stratosphere. Cardiff-born and now based in London, the budding soulstress offers ethereal vocals, sumptuous musicality and heartfelt lyricism, joining forces with industry sweetheart and the Prince of Croydon Jords, who steps up to production duties and delivers astutely.

After initially making her name years ago on the gigging circuit, Ellie delved into a period of radio silence as she sharpened her skill set and pinpointed her sound. Now she is back, better than ever, ready to make her mark on the burgeoning R&B scene. The five-pronged EP is a lavish, nostalgic and thoughtful body of work that acts as the perfect introduction to an incredibly exciting newcomer in the alternative R&B space.

I had the pleasuring of sitting down with Ellie to discuss the budding UK R&B scene, the joys of working with Jords, and her dazzling new EP.  

Who has been influencing you lately?

I’m just a big R&B head. I even listening to chilled R&B when I’m getting ready to go out. I’m always listening to UK up omers and going back to the 90s.

Which UK R&B artists are we talking?

Everyone is doing amazing, but the females especially are killing it. I listen to a lot of Bella, Mahalia and Moonchild. My sound feels smack bang in the middle of R&B and Neo-soul.

When did you first begin making music and what was it about the creative process that made you want to write?

I first started making music at about 15/16. After a year of doing that I realised I could do it full time. Thank God I had the confidence when I was younger, I just kind of jumped into it. I don’t have much experience with the sharing side of it but I’ve always made music, I love the process and the comfort in it. 

I think in some ways it’s the best way to do it; to master your craft before you show it to the world.

It’s hard because I believe that too but then I think there is never a right time, it’s like a constant juggle. 

Where has the Jords collaboration come from? 

I met him about five years ago, we were on same bill in a show in Hoxton and since then we’ve been friends and just got closer and closer. In January ’21 we had a session and made ‘Seasons’ and the process felt amazing. There was no structure or pressure and it flowed so well, we felt like we just had to make a project out of it.

That’s cool, I think artistically that allows you to be at your best.

A lot of people don’t like to take that risk, they are worried about getting paid or it not working. It’s rare to have such a natural process, and thank God we did. 

He’s obviously someone who has a wealth of experience in the industry. How has it been working with such a professional and what have you learnt from him?

Oh my gosh - so much! I continue to learn every time we speak. At the beginning, it was about watching his on-stage performance when we were gigging and learning about confidence and performance techniques. As we got into sessions, he taught me a lot about engineering and he had a vocal coach who used to help me. He has basically been a mentor which I’m super grateful for. I’ve never been intimidated by him, but I think that’s down to his character. 

In the future, who would you love to collaborate with? 

Pharrell, Dr. Dre. Vince Staples for a rapper. I haven’t really got into many sessions where I co-write. I have for other people but not for my own songs. 

Within the modern industry, it can be treacherous to box yourself into a genre. Do you feel comfortable in being defined within a genre? What is your opinion on the genre concept and do you think it’s still relevant?

It’s not really as important as it used to be. I feel like everything has creatively opened up. Right now my music is R&B/Soul, but I might want to mix it up in the future and I feel like we should be able to do that. I don’t feel the pressure to though, I feel like everyone is just doing everything they want. 

Yeah so you don’t actively try and fit into a box but your music happily falls into a genre?

Yeah, when you are trying to explain your sound you naturally fall into a genre. It’s just very fluid. A lot of the music that I listen to now has afrobeat production with an R&B singer. I hope it stays this fluid. 

In the last 12/18 months the UK R&B scene has flourished. How do you plan on standing out amongst the masses?

It used to be a heavy worry of mine. That’s why there has been such a long time where I haven’t released. I was worried it was going to get lost, but now it’s not a forefront thought for me. I think people will find your music when they search for certain sounds. I think it’s important to focus on making music that you are happy with. On the other hand, there are moments where I think that I need to do things to make it to where I want to get to. 

Yeah it’s a difficult one. In the modern day, so much revolves around social media personality and all that unartistic stuff that artists generally don’t want to do. I think it’s refreshing to have that attitude. 

Everyday we have that constant pressure of the money side, so I take it as an opportunity to reset and get back to the authentic side. I feel like that’s enough for you to stand out. 

I love the EP! How does it feel to finally be releasing it?

I’ve spent so long thinking about all the different aspects. We put so much pressure on that one day that it’s surreal when it comes around. I’m just excited for everyone to hear it. It’s been a long time coming, one of the songs on there I made in 2018. 

Maybe a little relieved?

Yeah I’m ready to make my mark now, instead of just making it for myself. 

What are the main lyrical themes in the EP?  

It’s so cliched but it’s love. Every song is an emotional journey. People can relate to it but it’s also quite open so people can interpret it themselves. 

What about instrumentally? Is there something that you and Jords want to pinpoint?

I wanted sax for sure. The way it bounces off of my melodies. With Jords, I just wanted something soulful, not too upbeat, lots of funk instrumentation and groovy bass lines. 

What is your typical songwriting process?

I tend to write before I hear the music. I write daily poems and then bring them into sessions. I freestyle with the melodies and see what happens. Sometimes I have to alter it and do it the other way round but that tends to be my comfort space. I think my music is very lyrically driven, I like to know what I’m saying and not just pick things out. 

If you were introducing yourself to a listener who had never heard your music before, what song would you play them.

I would play them ‘Time’ because it’s the only song that brings everything, it has a well rounded representation of what I do. 

What’s to come in 2022?

I think I’m going to have a great year. I feel very comfortable in my sound and also to experiment. I’ve been working with some new producers and trying out some new sounds. You are definitely going to hear a lot of new music from me and maybe a show at the end of the year.