Exclusive Premiere // Skela 'Elvis'
LA-based indie-pop artist Skela returns with her latest single Elvis, following her captivating visual album Project 10, a collection of ten songs + ten music videos, in which Skela starred in and wrote, directed + produced. Elvis is accompanied by a stunning video that will completely immerse you in a California summer. Both the video + the track perfectly encapsulate a beautiful sense of desolation, with all-too-relatable lyrics like, ‘didn’t even post it online cause I’m getting tired of that view’ + ‘nothing like it is on screen, friends aren’t always what they seem’. We’re so stoked to bring you an exclusive first listen to the single + look at the video. We caught up with Skela on Elvis + her sound. If you’re like us, you’ll also be obsessing over her collabs with one of our favorite multi-instrumentalists Josh Jacobson.
photo by Rachel Turley
Asymmetric Magazine: Congrats on your recent release! Can you tell us about Elvis and what it means to you?
Skela: Thank you so much! Honestly, Elvis is about being lonely. I was and still feel lonely—even when it doesn't make sense to. I feel that way a lot, and I think a lot of musicians feel that way, too. There's something very isolating about hearing a song in your head all day that no one else can hear.
There's something very isolating about hearing a song in your head all day that no one else can hear.
AM: There's also a music video to accompany the single. Can you tell us about that?
S: Yeah, there are a lot of little Easter eggs in the music video, which is my favorite part. I don't know if people will catch them, but they're there for the taking.
AM: For first time listeners, how do you like to describe your sound?
S: For a long time, I would have said alternative pop, but I don't think that is what this song is. This song feels like a song that could be for everyone. Everyone gets lonely. So, I hope it can be accessible to whoever needs it.
AM: Are there any consistent themes you typically pursue through your music?
S: There is definitely an undercurrent in them I notice. Like a stream of really annoyingly honest consciousness lyrically—like I don't know how to lie or something.
AM: Where is one place that you feel completely in touch with your creative self and your music?
S: In my bed. I wish it were more interesting, but I've written most of my music in bed with my guitar.
AM: What other musicians are you currently listening to?
S: I’ve been digging backwards lately. Aurora and Alex G, a lot of Frank Ocean, Mac Miller, Big Thief.
AM: We’re based in LA, too, so we love to ask: Would you say LA plays a role in your music?
S: I have a choice here: get lost in my art or get lost in other people's art. Right now, I'm choosing my own.
AM: What can we expect to hear from you next?
S: I have no idea. I can promise that it will be interesting though.
