Q&A: Eli Jonathan
Photos By Gemma Cross
A SELF-DESCRIBED INDIE POP KID - Eli Jonathan explores the themes of distance in his debut EP Kennedy. The EP, released in mid-2019, provides the perfect dance-able soundtrack, complete with a mix of upbeat and more introspective songs. The project is reminiscent of bands such as The 1975 and The Japanese House. With his new single “Change!” anticipated for release on Jan. 31, Jonathan takes us through his writing and recording process, as well as giving insight into the emotional aspect behind the songs. Keep reading for what inspired Kennedy, the event that got him to hunker down and record and his goals for his music in the future.
LUNA: Can you introduce yourself and what lead to you putting out your first project?
JONATHAN: To start, my name is Eli Jonathan and I’m an artist from the Seattle area. I wrote and produced an EP titled Kennedy throughout 2019 and released it August of that year.
Kennedy really started during a big snowstorm that Washington got in February 2019. I’d become close friends and roommates with some of the most dedicated musicians I’ve ever met. I decided the quickest way to be able to play big shows with my best friends was to write the songs we wanted to be playing, put them out and see if anyone was as excited about it as I was. Everyone around me was snowed in for a couple of weeks so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to keep myself focused on one project.
LUNA: I know there's plenty of elements to it, but what's your "elevator pitch" when it comes to your sound?
JONATHAN: I definitely say “Indie Pop” most of the time. I’m always trying to use inspiration from my favorite artists and that’s the genre I always come back to is really big, stadium, dancey, indie pop. I really just want my sound to make people to feel like they’re in a coming of age movie. I like it to excite people.
LUNA: What was the creative process for Kennedy like?
JONATHAN: Frantic. The first couple of weeks were recording idea after idea and bouncing them off of other musicians as quickly as I could. I was kind of trying to convince myself that I could eventually make something credible. From there it was a lot of taking things step by step. I always felt like I was only working on it when I was extremely excited about it but I’ve since been informed by people close to me that that was essentially all of the time. I’d make giant playlists of music that kept me inspired while I wasn’t working and I’d repeat them for weeks on end. I like to think it had a lot of influence on my hope for the future of the project.
My hugely talented friend Silas Stokes was also a big help. Once I had something concrete I’d usually bring Silas in to continue the production. His input was always amazing. On every occasion I could swing it I would force one of those aforementioned roommates to record a small part of a song so that I could kind of channel the affection I feel towards them into the music.
LUNA: If you could tell people to listen to one song off of the EP which song would you pick? Why?
JONATHAN: Probably “Hold Me Steady.” I wrote it from a quiet, vulnerable place and I wrote it very quickly. I started and couldn’t stop until I felt like the emotion was there and apparent. I don’t usually work that way, but I grew up hearing about the creative stereotype of artists going into creative frenzies and it’s always fun to live that fantasy out for an hour. I think I’ll be able to look back on what I was feeling for a long while and be proud of what came out of it.
LUNA: Do you find yourself having a common theme when it comes to writing? Are you more drawn to narratives or emotions?
JONATHAN: After a project is finished I usually can find one pretty easily. Kennedy had a common theme about distance. I really wanted to write about the contrast of feeling really overwhelmed by the people around you in one second and feeling immense distance between you and anyone else the next. Once the EP was finished I ended up with songs about the upsides and downsides of both and how each really helped influence what I do.
I guess I’m drawn to telling vague stories. I do think it’s an enormous compliment when people hear my music and get a definite emotion from it, but ideally I like to have a response when someone asks what a song of mine is about. I also get so much leeway to mess with how a song makes me feel just with little bits of production and recording so I don’t always feel too worried it won’t embody the emotion I want it to. I think, whether I’m writing or listening to music, that emotions come very easily, but the challenge in the end is to decide what the song is talking about. Or at very least what it means to me.
LUNA: How would you like to see your music grow?
JONATHAN: I’d love to keep developing my own sound and voice. I’d really love to get familiar with making music that says something. I’d love to have new releases coming that people are excited about and old stuff that people feel affection for. At the end of the day I want to share the way I feel experiencing music I love with as many people as possible. I’d like to see it grow into a piece of a giant collective and be part of where the music industry is heading.
LUNA: What do you want 2020 to bring you?
JONATHAN: A lot of success for my friends around me. I know personally so many creatives that deserve every opportunity given to them. It’d be amazing to be brought more opportunities to share my passions about my project and the people that inspire me to make it happen. I want to impress myself as often as I can and be able to translate that excitement well to other people. It feels like its going to be a year of breathability and taking everything in and I’m really looking forward to it.
