Biography
"A rare and evocative songstress, usually found armed with only a piano and the scars of heartbreak…."
(James Sadler: 'Music Tipping')
"The east Belfast based pianist and songwriter has established real credentials for an assault on a wider audience. It's only a matter of time, hard work and luck; the talent is there…."
(Stephen Dunwoody: 'The Newtownards Chronicle')
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Raised only a few streets from the legendary Van Morrison (although, admittedly several decades later), Elle Stevenson is finally receiving recognition in the Northern Irish music scene and, having won a showcase on the music investment website 'Slicethepie.com', which secured her £15,000 to record her long-awaited debut album, it looks like she's all set to grace more than just the local scene with her talent….
At the centre of the music is her voice - best described by the terms "fragile", "ethereal" and "haunting" - which provides an apt vehicle for songs which betray a rare kind of honesty. Stevenson certainly doesn't shy away from wearing her heart on her sleeve and her songs have, at times, been described as "lyrically raw". Yet, they are so carefully framed by those trademark cascading piano lines that the incongruity of the music and lyrics merely draw the listener to the place where catharsis and redemption finally meet.
While comparisons to other artists reveal little about Elle's unique direction, she does list an impressive range of influences of artists whom she admires, including the likes of: Suzanne Vega, Justin Currie, Crowded House, the Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, Alanis Morisette, Sarah McLachlan, Gillian Welch, Tracy Chapman, Angie Stevens, Sheryl Crow, Ryan Adams, Bill Mallonee, Bryan Adams, Coldplay, Rascal Flatts, Radiohead, Kings of Leon, Editors, The Fray, OneRepublic, The Beautiful South; not to mention a few you might not expect, such as Shirley Bassey and Take That!
To date, Elle has supported many artists on the local Irish music scene, as well as those of international acclaim, such as guitar legends Rodrigo y Gabriela and pop/soul diva, Beverley Knight. With the fast-approaching release date for her debut album, however, Elle is unlikely to be the supporting artist for much longer and the expectation is that it won't be long before you're hearing a lot, lot more from this talented lady….
Elle's debut album "Coming Around" goes on general release Monday 21st September 2009.
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
