Ellie Madeland is a singer-songwriter from a small village in Småland, Sweden. Her early passion for creativity was nurtured by her father teaching her to play the guitar, and piano and how to write songs. After graduating from a Film and Music program in Sweden, Ellie moved to London in 2015 to continue studying (this time Acting and Directing), and explore the UK music scene.
She became the singer of synth-pop duo Island Empire in 2018, which released the album “Olympian” in 2020. Ellie’s success with the band developed whilst she explored recording and releasing her own songs. She began a writing & production partnership with UK-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Gentle William (The Whiskey Priest, novelist/songwriter Sophie MackIntosh, and the Brighton-based collective Junkboy).
The inspiration for the latest track “Mother Mother” was ignited by Ellie finding a collection of letters between her as a child and her mum, written after her parents announced their divorce. The vocals were recorded in 2021, during the Covid-19 lockdown, from a house in the Swedish countryside. “Mother Mother” documents Ellie’s sense of loss, bewilderment, and desperation as a child, having lost her sense of safety. It also documents her general journey with depression, anxiety, and lack of tools to deal with intense emotions during other times in her life. However, the song casts aside any notions of harbored bitterness. The song instead focuses on letting these trapped emotions go through a cathartic release – and in the end, the hurt gets washed away.
As influences go, Ellie cites the brutalism of Joy Division, The Cure, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds as her go-to artists. GW confesses his fascination with the quiet melancholy of Nick Drake, alongside his love of contemporary adventurers like Sufjan Stevens, Bibio, Fennesz, and Sparklehorse.
For further information on Ellie, visit her website and social media feeds
Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
Image provided by vaporettos.music
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