Iowa born and raised Ellie Rivers is putting her own twist on Country Music
“LOS ANGELES, CA – Born and raised in the Midwest City of Ames, Iowa, Ellie Rivers couldn’t escape Country music even if she wanted to. Luckily, she couldn’t be happier to be putting her own twist on the sound that has always been close to her heart. While her smoky alto voice has been compared to artists such as Celine Dion, Amy Winehouse and Bobbie Gentrie, her music takes on an untouched aesthetic that others have labeled a “soulful twist on California meets Nashville.”
Rivers’ latest single, “Leavin”, talks about finding your way through the end of a toxic relationship. It’s an empowering track that just cannot be beat. Co-written by Rivers and the artist Page, “Leavin” is what some artists would call ‘a creative download’.
“We actually wrote the bones of the song from scratch in about 8 minutes. We had been working on another song all day, and as we were wrapping up the session, I started playing something on the piano without paying attention to it. We stopped talking for a second because we both tuned into what was being played. We hit record on my iPhone and 8 minutes later, we had the entire first verse, bridge and chorus. We ended up putting it away for a few months and then when I was going through a really toxic breakup, we pulled it back out, finished it up and gave it a little more direction. I guess you could say this song was foreshadowing my future the day we first wrote it.”
When you hear the richness of Rivers’ voice, you may wonder why you just heard of her now. Despite her love of music, she grew up in a home where singing outside of church or school was frowned upon. This did not, however, stop her from practicing what she loved and receiving classical training as a vocalist in school.
“I have been singing since I opened my mouth, but I was only allowed to sing in church and we were only allowed to listen to Christian music, so I don’t have the typical background of growing up listening to different genres of music that a lot of musicians have.”
After high school, Rivers stopped singing completely for several years but deep down she always knew that music was what lights up her soul.
“I’ve decided to do what it takes to put my past behind me and follow my heart, to follow the music.”
Now Rivers hopes to bring her take on Country Pop music to the world. One silver lining of Covid has been the amount of time we’ve had to write and produce new music.
“Virtual sessions with songwriters that have #1 records under their belts and having my debut EP being produced by charting record producer N.O.C.N.Y. has been a dream come true!”
Rivers’ debut EP is set to release early 2021 and you can check out her latest single “Leavin” here: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/YA5M3iCQDJU1mQkV9
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