“Just like Stevie in his bag”

Talk about a sweaty summer—Elmiene has been staying busy with numerous back-to-back releases and an upcoming North American tour to wrap up the madness of this year. The 23-year-old Oxford native has repeatedly enchanted crowds with his mesmerizing, soulful voice. This time taking the stage at Lowlands festival where he feels right at home in the Euro Summer mood. His lyrics flow like water, immediately drawing you in, with each track sweeter than the last. Elmiene gets his distinctive groove from his old-school favourites like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, blending their rhythm with modern production. His overflowing talent has also led him to collaborations with the Big 3: Sampha, Syd and Stormzy. As we explore what the 23rd season of his life has in store – Elmiene reminds us that good things take time and there’s no need to rush talent. 

Lovely to meet you! How’s your summer been so far?

It’s been busy, man. It’s been a lot of this. I feel like I blink, and suddenly I’m looking at a reporter, or I’m on a plane, or I’m eating a pret. And it’s been a lot of sweat. Summer has been sweaty. My armpits are very busy! 

Let’s begin with your musical journey! Your first track, Golden, blew up so much in an instant. How did that moment influence your career up until now?

The main thing about Golden was that we didn’t let the attention we got from it affect us and how we were going to proceed. Instead of rushing to make music and release it, it took a year and a half just for me to write music. I’d never written music before – Golden was like one of the first two songs I’d written. I decided to take the time to basically go to the hyperbolic time chamber like Dragon Ball and just train.

What was that experience like?

That was really good. It was just a lot of speed dating producers, ha-ha. You meet this person, see how that goes. Then it’s like, we had a nice time, but I don’t think we really got along. And you just go to someone else form there. It was basically trying to build a little circle of people that I just got along with and worked well with. Eventually, when it started feeling natural, we released Wine.

And then you actually started releasing a lot! We loved your track Sweetness.

 Thank you! I did Sweetness with DJ Dahi out in LA. It was one of the first songs that I wrote after learning how to play the keys. For a good two years of my career, I didn’t know how to play instruments at all. And then all of a sudden, I got really frustrated by the fact that everything I do is decided by what the producer thinks the chords should be. Chords are very important, it’s like the chords build the whole song. So I decided to learn to play the keys. Sweetness was the first song I wrote by going at it by myself in a piano room, chord to chord… Figuring my ways out around it. The song felt very personal because of that – writing it was so intimate. I wasn’t with anyone else in the room while I was getting the melody down. It took me to a very personal place in my head. The song was about a very good friend of mine that I didn’t see as much anymore, so it was interesting to see how far and deep things can go when it’s just you alone.

The music video was incredible, too. You can tell that you out a lot of time and love into it.

The video was like a two-part with Crystal Tears. The Crystal Tears video was me being outside of a club, not being able to get in. And then the Sweetness video was a follow-up, me getting kicked out of that club and finding myself in an old CCTV studio. There were a lot of screens.

Why the screens?

Just creating the feeling of being watched. I split my life as if it was like a TV show. That was this part of my life, and this is the whole plotline. And then the next season happened. It’s like, wow I’m already on season 23 now.

And in the video, there are a lot of eyes on you…

 Yeah, I feel like this season 23 of my life, there’s a lot of people watching. In the video, there’s also a lot of people watching and seeing what’s going on, and it’s just me inside the thing dancing. I’m thinking about my own personal problems and have nothing to do with the rest of the world. But yet, somehow, my personal things in that world are married together by the fact that I write about it in my music.

Is that reflective of how your musical and personal identities interact as well? 

Elmiene and Abdallah are like synonymous with each other. And it’s me really trying to figure out that relationship between both parts of myself because obviously I use my life as my field to write my music. And then my music is what people outside see, and they’re connecting with a part of me that they don’t even know. It’s just an interesting back and forth, and that’s the sweetest feeling.

That’s beautiful! You’re about to perform, how are you feeling?

I expect a very comfortable set. I love the Netherlands. Whenever I play in the Netherlands, it just feels like a cosy fun little living room. Also, I was born in Frankfurt, so whenever I’m in Europe, it just feels like I get the European mindset. You guys are just so polite. It feels like I’m in a school recital, singing my song to make mum proud.

And what was your most memorable moment when performing live ever?

I was in Atlanta, and they started doing this chant. It was like, ATL, ho! ATL, ho! It was crazy. It was mad. And I was like, yo, what is happening? But it was sick. And suddenly, before I knew it, I was in the show.

Final question! What are you some of your future plans or dreams?

Just release more music. I’m trying to have a run like Stevie did in the 70s. When he did like, Music of My Mind, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, Song In The Key Of Life. Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. Just like Stevie in his bag. Making music is a very fast but intense process for me. And I just am eager to share.

Ha-ha, fun! You’re going on a tour in North America soon, it must be so exciting.

How do you prepare for a big tour like that?

I think you actually need to train physically because it’s just so demanding. I had to make sure I was fit because otherwise I feel like I’d just implode.

Do you then hit the gym, or what?

I actually literally have, ha-ha. The tour was announced, and I went and bought my gym membership. It was at the same time, same day. I was like, “I need to do something because if I do it as I am, I’m dead. I’m screwed.”

And what about being emotionally fit? How do you train for that?

That is by having the right people around. I’ve built a very nice group of people that I tour with. I love all of them. And then it’s just a good time.