Elyse Saunders Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show

Elyse Saunders Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show

Lamitschka:  Music has many new fans throughout Europe
who may be hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe
yourself and the music you play to someone who has never seen or heard you?

Answer:  Hi all! My name is
Elyse Saunders and I’m a Country singer, songwriter, and entertainer. Playing
live is my fave and when I see my audience engaged – singing along, dancing,
moving and getting excited, that’s when I feel at home! My sound would be
described as Country music that leans on pop hooks with southern soul.

During my show you can expect a performance that is upbeat, engaging, as well
as soulful and personable!

Lamitschka:  How was the last year for you? What were
your highlights?

Answer:  This year has been
so good to me! I’ve been recording new music that I’m super proud of and have
been playing a ton of super cool shows. Every single show is worth a mention
but some of the highlights have been playing with Nice Horse, Kira Isabella
& David James at Rock ‘N‘ Horse Saloon in Toronto as part of Canadian Music
Week, Mississauga’s Waterfront Festival and my recent show on Vancouver Island
ahead of Terri Clark and Jason Aldean at Sunfest Country Music Festival.

Releasing my new single,“Feel
You Leaving“, from my upcoming EP was also super exciting. We created a
beautiful music video for it on the beach and it’s been so much fun putting it
out there and seeing the response.

I also just found out that I’ve
been selected for an official Juried Sound Recording grant from FACTOR (The
Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recording) which is exclusive to
supporting the Canadian music industry across all genres. By having FACTOR’s
support, I can level up my song recordings.

Over the next few months I want
to really zone in on creatively mastering each song for my audience and
releasing it with a thoughtful marketing plan that fits with where I’m
currently at. As we all know, the music business is a tough and sometimes
emotionally hard road so to receive this opportunity is definitely a
celebration and I can’t wait to bring it all together for the new year!

Lamitschka:  What is the difference between your last
CD and your current one?

Answer:  Since my last CD,
I’ve spent a lot more time growing as an artist, vocalist, entertainer, writer,
brand and person. Nothing great in life happens overnight and I would say that
since putting more time in, I’ve organically evolved artistically. I’m proud of
my growth and am able to bring a new professional confidence to my current
direction and music chapter more than ever before! I know what I want to say
and how I want to say it and I’m super excited for my fans to hear where I’m
at.

Lamitschka:  Your current single is being played by
radio. What do you feel is special about this song that makes people want to
hear it?

Answer:  Yes!“Feel You Leaving“
was recently added to Sirius XM here in Canada.

What’s special about this song
is that it feels electric, uplifiting and encouraging. Although it’s about a
breakup, to me it’s more than that, it’s about letting go of your past and
embracing the now. I have listeners telling me how good it makes them feel and
that they love singing along. That’s become my goal for most of my songs… I
want it to be relatable, empowering as well as something they will want to sing
along to and something that feels like their own jam.  

Lamitschka:  How much creative control do you have
over your music?

Answer:  100%! Since the beginning
of my music career, I’ve been an independent artist, like many other artists
out there and have learned how to make that work. By being an independent
artist, I’ve learned how to be the many roles that it requires in the music
business as well as the roles as a creator. Since then, I’ve been adding on
team members that totally understand my vision and bring new strengths that I
totally admire. We’ve been able to see bigger results by collaborating together
but without being independent first, I don’t know if I would understand the
value in that.

Lamitschka:  What do you think about today’s music
scene versus its post and where do you see it going in the future?

Answer:  Today’s music
scene is shifting at a fast rate. It wasn’t long ago that to have a career in
music, you needed to be on a major label or else you may never get heard. Now,
more than ever, boutique labels and indie artists are making an impact and can
be successful. The internet has definitely created a platform where you can be
seen, heard and gain followers and with the right team strategies, the online
world can make an artist.

With that said, I don’t believe
that online is everything as real talent, live show performances and fan
interaction are still huge parts in connecting it all together. With the trend
being to stream music and not buy music, this definitely shifts the old school
plans into a new way of doing things. There’s a lot more marketing,
collaboration and unique strategy that needs to happen now.

I still see the big value in the
distribution, reach and connections that major labels can provide that an indie
artist can’t necessarily find on their own. So, depending on what your goals
are – whether to be a successful indie or successful artist with a major label,
both are possible now, which is pretty cool!

Lamitschka:  As an artist, you do so many tasks such
as recording, touring, interviews. What do you like best, what’s your favorite
activity?

Answer:  I like to say that
I’m both an introvert and extrovert. Off stage, I really enjoy being internally
creative without much social distraction. But at the same time, when I’m on
stage, I am a huge extrovert and the stage is my home. Offstage, I have so much
fun meeting and chatting with all of my fans. So I would say that my favorite
parts of what I like to do are creating, being in the studio and on stage!! The
other parts I’ve learned to enjoy, but I definitely don’t love those parts as
much.

Lamitschka:  Are you doing anything to take music beyond
its current borders or are you happy where it is?

Answer:  I’m proud to call
Canada home but it’s important to me that my music reaches as many fans as I
can. For the past 10 years, I’ve been travelling to Nashville to record music,
network, as well as grow as a songwriter by surrounding myself in the city’s
music hub.

By spending time in Nashville,
it pushes me to be better, to develop professional relationships outside of
Canada, and to become a stronger writer by collaborating. I will continue to
put time into these efforts but have reached a point that I feel is the right
time to play more in the US as well as Europe. It takes a lot of time to make
tours happen outside of my own country, but I really look forward to making the
next steps for this too!

Lamitschka:  What inspired you to become a songwriter?

Answer:  I’ve always been a
songwriter. I remember writing my first “song“ when I was about 7 years old. It
was definitely more of a poem but songwriting has always been a part of my self-expression.
I used to spend a lot of time looking at the lyrics of artists that I admired
and figuring out how the structure fit together. I knew that when I started to
pursue a career in music that I wanted to be a part of creating songs that came
from my personal story and heart. As most songwriters can relate, it’s
important to find your own language and style of writing. I’ve really enjoyed
finding my own voice as a songwriter.

Lamitschka:  What does it take to be a music icon?

Answer:  Talent, confidence,
drive, worth ethic, vision and the right team!! That’s what I believe, anyway.

Lamitschka:  Is there any place you haven’t played
that you would like to?

Answer:  I would love to
spend some time playing for you guys in Europe! One of my goals is to be an
international artist and I would love to see so many parts of Europe and
haven’t had the fortune of visiting or playing any shows that way yet! If I can
see Europe and play shows for new fans while I’m there, I’d be a happy girl! I
will make it happen sooner rather than later.

Lamitschka:  When you’re on tour, do you have time to
play tourist?

Answer:  I love to travel
and see new places so anywhere that I play on tour or go for business, I most
definitely try to fit in some off time to explore. It’s an incredible
experience to create music, perform but also to travel to new places and see
what it’s all about!

Lamitschka:  Many music fans today get their
information about artists online. Do you have your own website and what will
fans find there?

Answer:  Yes I do! ElyseSaunders.com
, I’m also on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter
and Facebook. Thanks so much Christian for the
interview!! I appreciate all of your support very much!

Christian Lamitschka ( Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de
) for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show

 (Photo-Credit-Raven-Kyle-Photography)