Q&A: Ella Collier is Crafting Empowering Anthems from Life's Vulnerabilities through 'Second Arrow'
IN A WORLD OVERFLOWING WITH ARITST VYING FOR THE SPOTLIGHT - Ella Collier, known to her fans as Collier, emerges as a refreshing and authentic voice. Her latest EP, SECOND ARROW, is more than just a collection of songs; it's a deeply personal journey through her first year of sobriety.
This introspective EP explores themes of empowerment and self-discovery, driven by Collier's raw emotional experiences. It's a testament to her belief that music has the power to capture moments and resonate with people on a profound level. She discusses the Buddhist concept that inspired the title track, "SECOND ARROW," and how it encapsulates the process of coping with life's hardships, moving beyond suffering, and embracing growth.
The EP's sonic diversity, encompassing elements of EDM, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Singer-Songwriter, all within the realm of anthemic Pop, reveals Ella Collier's innate ability to weave a rich tapestry of musical styles.
In this interview, we delve deep into the creative mind and heart of Ella Collier, exploring the inspiration, passion, and vulnerability that drive her music.
LUNA: SECOND ARROW is a deeply personal EP, and you mentioned it was written during your first year of sobriety. Can you share what inspired you to create this collection of anthems that focus on empowerment and self-discovery?
COLLIER: I always write my music from a deeply personal place. Sometimes I do it just to get through an uncomfortable feeling, or sometimes I do it to live in an awesome feeling for longer. Regardless of the circumstance, I find it beautiful that a moment can be captured in song & shared with another human for them to resonate with that moment in their own way.
I feel emotions deeply and sensitively. There was no plan for how I wanted these songs to be, in fact, the process of writing this music not only helped me process my patterns, but it helped me rediscover myself my perspective of my reality, and see myself in a new light. I think the best part of this EP is that none of the content within it was planned. When we were writing the music there was no part of us that was like let’s write songs that are empowerment and self-discovery anthems, they just became that way with the evolvement of being vulnerable and true to my emotions and experience in the writing process.
LUNA: The title track, "SECOND ARROW," draws inspiration from a Buddhist concept. Can you elaborate on how this concept influenced the music and lyrics of the EP?
COLLIER: In my experience so far, I’ve learned that the only way for me to stay sober and sane is through a power greater than myself. I have learned a lot from different spiritual practices in sobriety. Sometimes, we aren’t sure where they come from but it so happened that this concept was Buddhist. It really spoke to me & my collaborator Sam Vendig as a reflection of how I was coping with some of the tougher aspects of my character.
The first arrow represents the unfortunate event, whether it’s a physical or emotional event. The second arrow is the rumination and the suffering we cause ourselves by thinking about it past the initial event. Acceptance and surrender create a willingness to let go, move on, and elevate, instead of living in stagnacy, rumination, etc, which is the lesson in the Second Arrow I wanted to emphasize in this project.
We actually decided to name the EP this after all the songs were finished and we realized retrospectively that all of the songs on the EP have a way of reflecting the hard feelings of the Second Arrow in different ways. Many of the songs seem hard on the outside, but upon a deeper listen, the music reflects the self sabotaging thought process from painful events that hardened my shell and motivated my impulsive reactions.
LUNA: Which track is your favorite from this project?
COLLIER: It’s so hard to say. Today, it’s “LIKE A LADY”. I’m just so excited the world gets to finally hear this one. I have never made a song like this in my life. I’m really proud of how “LIKE A LADY”
plays on the constructs of womanhood, and possibly redefines them for the listener, while keeping a cool powerful charisma about it. We are told our whole lives to act like a lady, dress like a lady, sit like a lady, talk like a lady, but what the heck does that even mean? Why is there only one conception of how a woman “should” be? I wanted to show what that means to me and how ladylikeness can be multifaceted. I really hope this song helps anyone who identifies as a woman feel proud and liberated.
I also got to produce on this track, it came from a a dumb beat I was making to cope with a horrible neighbor, and it turned into a powerful anthem of femininity. Kinda funny how life works like that.
LUNA: The EP covers a range of genres, from EDM to Hip-Hop, and R&B to Singer-Songwriter, all under the umbrella of anthemic Pop. How did you and your collaborator, Sam Vendig, approach blending these diverse elements into a cohesive sound?
COLLIER: Yes! I’m so glad you caught that. Once again, I don’t think we tried to do that. All these genres of music are genres I am deeply interested in listening to, so I feel like I have internalized them into the way I create.
To get to this soundscape, I have been really adamant on incorporating heavy production and as I like to call it, “ear candy”. It’s really interesting to me, and I feel like the soundscape of the music is a true reflection of the lyric and story. It’s as important to me as the song itself. I feel blessed to create it with a producer who so deeply understands my obsession with the music matching the sentiment of the song.
A lot of the drums are inspired by hip-hop, with trap elements, while the structure starts from the bones of singer-songwriter, with the intricate lyric of that sort, we have EDM type drops with large electronic dark spundcapes, all while still creating a damn good Pop tune. It gives nostagic 2000s Pop while at the same time, still looking forward to the future with a fresh flare. I think this hodgepodge of sounds is literally just who I am. This sounds help articulate my experiences and help me feel something. Music is beautiful like that.
LUNA: Visual aesthetics seem to play a significant role in your music. Can you discuss your involvement in the visual side of your music, and how do you ensure that your visuals complement the sonic vibes you create?
COLLIER: If you can’t tell by now, I am extremely involved in every single aspect of my artistry. It’s all very important to getting the story across. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who bring their own creativity into executing my vision. I am so thankful for my visual team Cassie Howell, Isaak Kimmell, Christina Spina for creating such beautiful work with me.
I think a huge part of how the visuals have turned out mirrors my music, it’s having people who understand me, my artistic vision, and who I am at my core enough to bring it out of me. I go big or go home, especially in a creative brainstorm. We always start huge then narrow down. I also give my visuals time to develop and breathe, I give myself time to be inspired by the world around me and the music itself before diving into the visuals.
We definitely have a thematic universe going on with this EP. I like to include easter eggs, which includes props, colors, and/or small accessories or wordage that was in a previous song or video. I grew up with Taylor Swift as my main inspiration, so who could blame me! My visuals in my opinion are very cool, cutting edge, and forward thinking, while still creating the allure of nostalgic pop icons, which I really feel like reflects the sound scape. There’s always room to evolve and grow both musically and visually which excites me.
LUNA: "MY BAD" and "LIKE A LADY" are the newest additions to the EP. What inspired these tracks, and what messages or themes do they explore?
COLLIER: I love these two tracks. I touched on “LIKE A LADY” in the previous question. Both songs are extremely unapologetic, like me (haha), and I feel like they redefine the narrative of self & advocate ownership of self in different ways.
“MY BAD” was actually the first song Sam & I made together. “MY BAD” is a fun one. We were so detached from where this song was going in the process of making it, and I think that really shows. We are so honest in this song while also keeping cool and carefree movement within it.
In “MY BAD” I own the way I live my life even if it’s different than the norm, I’m telling people it’s okay to “walk the line between bored & mad” instead of always living inside the lines.
I love “LIKE A LADY” for similar reasons, as it takes ownership over your own womanhood. We didn’t start this song being like “let’s write a feminine anthem!”, we started with my little beat, a freestyle, and a mood, and let it go from there. Our music has grown beautifully because we let it, with no paramentes or rules in the creative process.
LUNA: Could you share any insights into the stripped-back versions of these songs that you plan to share with your listeners in the near future?
COLLIER: Ooooo. Yes. We are definitely planning on sharing more in the world of this EP! For now, go listen to The “SECOND ARROW” acoustic video!
LUNA: What intentions do you have for the rest of the year?
COLLIER: To keep learning, to keep growing, to keep writing through what I experience, with no expectations.
To continue to learn how to open my heart and be vulnerable and willing to share that with who will listen. To give myself grace. To be a light.
To keep going no matter how hard it gets because creating this music, this type of music specifically, fuels me.
