Starting out as a jazz trumpeter, House of EL furthered his musicality as he moved into producing and song-writing, quickly gaining credibility working with artists such as Plan B and Paloma Faith before emerging with his own original music. He absolutely knows how to make masterpiece after masterpiece.
Following on from the success of his 2021 singles ‘Something Special’ and ‘Push On’, gaining attention from publications such as Clash, Wonderland Magazine and BBC Radio 1, House of EL treats us all to his mixtape 'BOOK OF EL'.
The mixtape is filled with drum rhythms and exceptional musicianship. Touching on the genres of jazz, soul, hip-hop and pop creating House of EL's signature sound following intimate tales of self-doubt, hope, race and identity.
The lead single 'Ocean Drops’ is about the horror faced during the crisis in Syria. The delicate piano track dives into crescendos which suggests the imitation of devastating bombs dropping. The powerful vulnerability and immense sadness this track brings trademarks House of EL's hope and emotions through lyrics. This single brings home the 'BOOK OF EL' to us all.
“House Of EL knows to strike when the iron is hot” – Clash Magazine
“With more music to come, the artist is set to dominate 2022” – Wonderland Magazine
‘BOOK OF EL’ releases on House of EL’s own label WUNDERKIND and is a taste of what is set to be a dominating year for the Independent artist.
24th January 2022
Updated: Jan 28, 2022
Interviewed By Amy James
Phoebe: Hi! Thanks so much for interviewing me for the Blog! I am 21 and originally from York but I now live and study in Edinburgh. I’d say the music I create is bedroom/indie pop and the lyrics are fairly introspective and explore my identity and relationships with others.
Phoebe: I’m inspired by a lot of artists both lyrically and musically and I really found that helped with the writing of ‘Runaway’ and my other new music to come. I have been writing with a production duo called SOAP. and I created a playlist of inspirations for us to bounce off from drumbeats and lyrics to even just the feelings that some songs provoke. With the projects that are set to drop this year I’d say the main influences have been Japanese House, Holly Humberstone and Maisie Peters from both production and lyrical points of view. Lorde is also always a reference point for me as she is my favourite artist and I think you can hear some of her energy and influence in how I perform and in this new music. I’ve always been inspired by the music I grew up with like Kate Bush and Radiohead and I think they will continue to motivate me - to create anything like them would be a dream!
Phoebe: I have always performed at school in choirs and groups, and I think a big
breakthrough moment for me was when I realised how free and confident this makes me feel and that’s when I decided that this is what I want to do. I think I started to write more seriously when I began to get more anxious at around 16/17 and I found it a really good outlet emotionally. I actually remember writing my first ever full song after I had my first panic attack. I met one of my best friends, Jonny, through music a couple of years ago, and now we perform and often write together. Thanks to him I’ve pushed myself further and my writing is constantly developing.
Phoebe: Honestly it was the most fun experience! I had lots of my friends there and just absolutely loved performing and hearing people sing my songs with me. It was my first ever gig and I’ve definitely got the bug for it! I know Quiet Houses and I’m honoured to have been able to support them as they’re so talented. I have gigs lined up over the next few months including a headline in February which I’m super excited about and I’m planning to do as many as possible as I just want to do it all the time!
Phoebe: So ‘Runaway’ is the first song that I wrote with Karl and Josh at SOAP. (a production duo from Manchester) and we started with a beat and went from there. I’d posted some clips of some new music on my Instagram and Josh reached out and I went to their studio in Manchester and we all just worked so well together.
I sat down with them both and we chatted for ages about musical influences and just what we’re about and we got onto relationships. I sat and rambled about my past relationships and the idea for ‘Runaway’ came from there. I remember we had a whiteboard, and I was just writing down sentences and words that we kept bouncing off. We managed to write pretty much the whole of the song that day which is very cool considering we met that morning! ‘Runaway’ is about knowing a relationship is over and just wanting to get out and not see that person again because you know you’re both better off without each other.
I wanted to explore how it feels to have no hard feelings towards someone but still just wanting and needing to cut all ties and move on.
"I think my queerness has massively influenced this too and there’s hints to this and the often-forbidden quality of many relationships of this kind in the song.
Phoebe: I’d say one of the most important things is to create music you really love, not what you think you should make! This sounds so simple and obvious, but I’ve found that imposter syndrome is definitely real and it’s so important to make sure you’re really loving what you’re doing, otherwise you won’t have the motivation you need to keep going. That said, it’s so fun to work with other people whether that’s writing or production too! For me, I get inspired by how other people’s writing styles, and this improves my own music making.
Phoebe: There have been so many things that have happened that I can’t quite believe! The Quiet Houses gig has to be up there as I really didn’t know I could perform like I did, and I think that’s so freeing and exciting. Starting to write with my mate Jonny has also been very fun and performing with your best friend is just the best. Getting my track ‘Just the Same’ played on the radio was also so exciting, I cried A LOT.
The most surreal moment has been my work with SOAP. and having Josh reach out to me and ask me to write with them. I’ve has the best time with them and hearing the full EP that we made has got me so excited for the year ahead. So, lots of favourite moments, I can’t really pin one down!
Phoebe: Yes! So ‘Runaway’ is set to be part of an EP which I’m hoping to drop later this year. I am so excited for this as it explores some feelings I haven’t expressed before; I just hope people love the songs as much as I do. The new music will be out on all streaming platforms which I will share on my socials. I’d say Instagram and TikTok are the best places to go to get the most up to date information and announcements, but I’ll link all of my other socials as well below!
Instagram: phoebe_emusic
TikTok: phoebe_emusic
SoundCloud: Phoebe Hall
Facebook: phoebehallmusic
Twitter: PhoebeHallmusic
YouTube: Phoebe Music
Phoebe: What a question! I’m not sure if this classes as a joke but my best mate Rachel and I like to refer to the word ‘joking’ as ‘Joe King’…. So, when someone says ‘I’m joking’ we’ll follow with ‘Joe? Joe king? But you’re (insert name)’. It’s not funny at all but it really makes us laugh… I think that’s probably the worst answer you’ve had to that question, but I tried!
28th January 2022
Updated: Jan 24, 2022
Written By Amy James
Introducing SOFY, born in Leicester the 24-year-old is an upcoming artist with three singles out this year (2021). She has rapidly grown in a short space of time kick-starting her career with her song ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ which was listed as Radio 1 Introducing Track of The Week. There is no doubt she is gaining a reputation with her Britpop sound and bright aura.
Hi, welcome to the blog! From your latest music we feel you give off an indie-pop nostalgia sound. What kind of music would you say you create?
SOFY: I would describe my sound as hip-hop inspired indie pop with a big britpop influence in there as well.
Your debut single ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ came out in 2021. Was there an inspiration behind the song? AND can you recommend any places to grab the best milkshake in London or elsewhere?
SOFY: Strawberry Milkshake is all about following your gut and not overthinking things in relationships or just life in general. Basically, if it feels right to you, then f*** what everyone else thinks. As for the milkshake reccs, I’m actually still searching for the best place - so if anyone knows of a good one please slide into my DMs!
We can recommend 'Miki's Paradise' in London... the freakshakes are to die for!
As a talented upcoming artist in COVID times, has this time allowed you to focus more on your music? Almost a blessing in disguise?
SOFY: Definitely, I was furloughed in the first lockdown and that’s what really got me into making music, because I finally had time to sit back and have a think about what really made me happy and what I really wanted to do with my life. Then I started writing songs, fell in love with it and haven’t looked back since!
A lot of artists usually write music based on personal experiences, would you say this is something you do, or do you approach the creative process differently?
SOFY: All of my music is written about real world situations and navigating life in London in your twenties, but I get my inspiration for songs from all over the place to be honest. Some of my music is based on my own experiences and other stuff is based on things I’ve overheard on the tube, conversations with friends and stuff like that. I’m that weirdo taking notes on my phone behind you if you’re arguing with your boyfriend on the bus haha.
Your debut EP is out in February! What part of creating the EP has been the hardest or most challenging thing for you?
SOFY: This is such an annoying answer, but probably narrowing down the songs for the project haha. I’ve made a LOT of music this year and I love it all, so it was quite a challenge to decide which songs were going to make the EP. Other than that, the whole process has just been so much fun, we had such a good time making this record and I think it really shines through when you listen to it.
Has there been any moment in your career where you have felt you need to ‘pinch yourself’?
SOFY: This year has been full of pinch me moments - coming Top Five in the BBC Introducing Live Lounge competition earlier this year was mad, and knowing that artists who I look up to so much like Arlo Parks and Sam Fender had listened to and enjoyed my music was crazy. Also hearing a crowd of strangers sing Lads! Lads! Lads! (my second single) at The Lexington during our first non-socially distanced show was absolutely amazing. The song wasn’t even out, so to hear everyone singing it back and enjoying it was so special.
Are there any artists or songs you feel strongly influenced by for your own music?
SOFY: Imagine Lily Allen in the pub with Easy Life, with Blur behind the bar and OutKast on the jukebox and that’s kind of the SOFY vibe haha.
‘Antifreeze and Chocolate Biscuits’ is your Christmas single. We saw you promoting this song dressed as a Christmas tree with a sign on Oxford street (which was amazing!) Who came up with this idea? Did you have any interactions?
SOFY: Thank you! My manager Harry actually came up with the idea, not sure if it was because he’s a marketing genius or he just wanted to see me make an absolute twat out of myself in public. We definitely got a few weird looks and people asking for photos, the worst part is we shot the content in November so people were very confused
Possibly the best question, what is the most useless talent you have?
SOFY: I know pretty much every single dog breed on the planet because I memorised them all when I was a kid haha. Is that useless though? You tell me!
