EP 43 - Elena

This is the flavor podcast network Island Roots Auckland Ways.

This one's for the Brown brothers and sisters who want to be one with themselves, their culture, their identity, their roots. This is Island Roots Auckland Ways.

Oh hi everyone, welcome to Island Roots Auckland.

Wye oy.

Am I up to J Chillen, J Chillen. I have a headache. And the thing is, when you need pennant all the most, you don't have any.

I've got some.

When dot you ask, hey, yeah.

Would you like some crisis averted?

Crisis averted?

I won't turn into the kraken.

Where's the kraken?

A dragon? What?

Anyway?

Okay, Today we have the beautiful Elena on the podcast. Not only is she so talented and so stunning, she's also so young. So fact that we're able to chat with her today was so exciting because it's just an icon. Really, she's icon and she's really an adult.

Listen to it all right now, hey.

Everyone, welcome back to another episode of Island Roots boot Conways. Please welcome to the show, the beautiful talented c A Princess Elina.

What of c A?

But what part of c am from roschol. I'm sure she's from ros School. Everyone we know who's from Roschool.

Very hatty.

I like that. I like that it gives it gives a little bit of self energy.

It does a little bit. Yeah, did you so you've grown up in ros School your whole life?

Yeah? Pretty much? Yeah, I love that.

Wow, what's from school?

Like, I'm like uptown, so it was kind of kind of quiet. People racing up and down the street. Mm hmm, people of their sirens. We hear you.

Very much where we are from, thank you. Yeah. Well, speaking about home every episode, so spe share what we love about home. So whether that as Rascal, we currently live, where you were born, where you feel most grounded, whatever feels like home, what do you love about it? We'll start off first, and what I love about home this week is, Okay, did you guys like have these kind of things that you thought gave rich growing up? Like if you drove past a two story house, you're very that. Well.

I love that.

It's just like a little marker of success. Okay, I made it, I'm gonna TV. I get blast by Spotify. Yeah, and things like that, just stuff to watch thos because also the thing was growing up in a poly household and sometimes when the six scenes come on, that's one of the most Orc's situations ever, Like you can't even sit down and watch Shortland Street because the drama is just too much, and then it's going to be turned

It's just Netflix.

Very that very Ginny and George.

I love that as someone who also has a TV in their room. Used to be the family TV announce my TV. It's the best thing ever.

Love it.

But what I love about home this week, this past weekend, I have this is the difference between Me's and I. MEZ like stay inside.

I like to be outside. I like to be out.

I'll post it up in different places I'm outside, and one of my favorite things about being outside is live music, like being able to experience just a live band somewhere. I have a little boogy little dance every time I go to a gig. I'm like, this is why life is worth living. That's great live music.

Yeah, surviving. So that's what I love about home. Right now, I'm getting my wardrobe redone.

E Standard.

It's giving walk in wardrobe, a lot of room works. Yeah, I should be finished in like a few weeks.

I'm gay.

I don't have a TV, but I have a walking wardrobe and.

You know what, Yeah, must be geeking out because Alsa loves class I love, I.

Love Yeah, it's nice. Yeah, it's so cool.

Sometimes when I watch these TikTokers and I see them do their little walking wardrobe tours, and I'm like to be that person, to have that life.

And that now. That was one of the things for me when I was younger. I was like, have you ever walking wardrobe? Rich money right there?

I love that.

Well, We're so excited to have such talent like you in the studio with us today. Can you please tell us a little bit about your journey into music and how Elena has come to be well.

I grew up in a church household, Christian household. Oh my gosh, my phone is.

Singing girl girl, she's busy people trying to get a hold of that.

But yeah, church household. I did coupas Coupka in primary school, talking representation, went to poly Fast. Yeah, it was cool experience, like in the school when I was at school, and then I went to EXCEL.

Yes, Excel School of Performing Arts.

Yes, where's my phone?

Let me.

At?

Must be Beyonce. Beyonce is like Elena, it's my manager.

Guys, it's any.

If you don't stop right now, because if anyone knows that you're in an innsview right now, it should be the manager. Thanks.

Yeah, I think. Yeah, anyway, I went to EXAU and then yeah, I left school when I was fifteen, and then winter when I was sixteen. Graduated just last year with my music diploma. No n c A or anything but the plomba. Life is great right now. But yeah, my parents sing, you know, It's just always been a part of me, the whole music thing.

Yes, when you made that decision to leave school, how did your parents take it?

They were fine? And that's what I really love about it that they support me no matter what. Yeah, I would do a lot of like mental health in school, which is one of the reasons why I left. You're just found like no one really believed in me for school, you know, everyone had their opinions about me and everything, like you're not gonna make it, you can't sing all of that. And then yeah, I was like, you know, mom, dad, I want to go. I don't want to be here.

And I was like that is beautiful, so beautiful.

Healthy parents. And I was so grateful for them, Like they've just always been there for me. Giving me money is to go buy my outfits for you know, performances, and I get to bring them along with me. Like for homelands, I brought my mom and she's writing her things. She's walking around like get some food, get into it. And like I went to her wreck the other day and I saw she came to the pemade as well.

I was like, I feel like it's little moments like that when you realize you're kind of maybe not financially, but like emotionally or like spiritually giving back to your appearance in somewhere being like the investment was worth it, I promised, like I am making something of this.

Yeah, and I will give back to him. Yeah.

Yeah, we were talking off mic about this, like you just have a passion for music like money aside, Like you're just be keen to rock up to gigs.

Yeah, like even like open mics, Like I just I'm keen to jam anywhere, you know, like one for exposure to like you know, let the people know they're like I do I have some good music out there, you know, Okay, like support your local artists, believe in us because you know, like without them, like we wouldn't make it. Yeah. Like so we need our like our supporters and stuff, and it's it's the one thing to have them, but then it's another thing to like really get to know them

This is about it. So you were very because you are eighteen years older, Lena, Ye, can I take this, Chris, I just don't believe that. When we were eighteen we had the drive that you have.

Like like you just you were able to leave school and then you had a plan and now he were executing the plan like there was There was no plan when we were eighteen, girl, it was just go to Uni, got to sensational chicken and.

As a sensational and raw school. Do you know about.

Or even chickens. I have tried chicken.

I love chicken with the rice and the coastal Yeah, okay, let's move this away.

As well as like your parents and then the people that will show up to your shows, who are some people in the music industry you feel like have really supported you so far because to me, Mas and I, from the outside, it seems like a really at least for a lot of Pacific musicians, like quite a tight post community.

Yeah. I think there's a lot of people who support me, like a lot more than I know, but definitely like my my whole team, like Eddie, sam Hale, sam v is really really been supportive and I'm so grateful for that because I've learned a lot a lot from them, Like Astro, Yeah, that's my main team, Like, yeah, Astro, Eddie, Salm and Hills and then my partner, yeah, my session guitarists. Yes, so it's nice to have a partner who does music as well, because he's introduced me to like a lot

We hear so many I mean, we love Sam just as a friend, but hearing all these incredible ways that he supports young artists, it's so special, Like, yeah, it really is like a kind of like a giving back.

I don't know, it feels.

Really much older than us, but yeah, yeah, he can show you. He opens doors for a lot of people, and that'slutely special.

I think Sam's a fum believer of everyone can eat. Because I hate to say it, but quite often in Pacific spaces there's those gatekeepers who forge their own way, pave their own path. But then I don't want to put words in their mouth, but it's almost like it stops of them, and so anyone who comes after them, it's kind of like, oh, well either that first.

So yeah, well I went through the struggle, so you have to struggle to h not too much so.

I love people like Sam who encourage up and coming talent and give them the tools to actually realize for themselves their full potentially love love love love.

Well, you are only eighteen, so so young. We can't get over how young you are. But you're creating such amazing music. What has anyone ever given you, like some crazy good advice that you're like, oh, yes, this has helped me, helped me so much on my music journey.

I do not know they have, but I cannot remember. We're the same girl. I can say.

It's one thing to perform live and you do your covers girl, and you know, get them flowers that way. But to write, produce your own music whole game. So take us through that. What is it like being in the studio doing your own thing?

Right? Well, I'm in the studio. Salmon Hills write for me. Yeah, with them, I would write. But I'm very like, that's that's great. Yeah, it's just that they write for me. But I think I need to believe in myself a bit more when it comes to writing. I do want to write my own stuff. Belief is there also.

We're writers as well, and sometimes when we're looking at our obviously it's not songs.

If only we could read songwriters.

Sometimes I read my own stuff back and I'm like they're disgusted or like you read it back a week later and be like what the hell?

Thing? Like that is so basic? Yeah, what's it?

Buzzy? When you step foot inside a studio for the first time, just taking it back to when you had decided to leave school at fifteen, and then fast forward to the point you walk inside a studio, it feels like your dreams are becoming a reality.

Yeah. The first time I was in a studio, it was very nerve wracking because I was really young. I was young, and I was like, I can sing, but.

Yeah, you're listening to yourself.

People in the room, and I'm like, damn they can hear me raw, Like can I hear the orts blind? But I I recorded a song with if you guys know Xander Pierre, Yes, I know her. Yeah, I have a song with him, And that was like my kind of my first like real studio time. And yeah, like even like even from back then, they always believe like you know, like she's shy, like but she'll come out. Yeah, and now that like my own music and stuff like they hit me up. One of the producers. He was like,

Yes exactly. Their energy is there the Piers Store making music. Wow. Oh we gotta know when was that?

This was like twenty twenty.

Oh wow, they are so buzzy. Yeah, you're so cool.

Yeah, you're so cool. That song was really like that song here song slept. I'm kind of said that. We didn't release anything, but I think he used his verse for another song that he already released, which is fine.

Yea, yeah, I first believe little Cook.

Do you have any other songs of yours where you're like, I really, I mean every song you're probably like yeah, I really ate with that one, but they're like especially one where you're like, this is so mey, this is so late.

Now. I think my first song your vibe. Yeah, I love my first song I ever released. Yeah, that's so cool. It's just always special. Please.

Is that one of your favorites to perform live as well?

There's so many bbs No yeah, yeah yeah, I'm going to be performing at my shot Yeah yeah, yeah, I think when it comes to live music, like the band like they can switch it up and make it more like like wow, like there's there's the extra song and there's like the live version. Yeah, we love some live live music, yes we do.

Well, I mean this will be released after the show, but please tell us about how this lineup came to be.

How I'm just so excited for you girl, looks I'm so excited line up.

She is the.

The winner of the oh stand up stand out period not I'm not caught up with that. But then we have Spider Town baby. Yeah, she's so cool. And we have Kitty Ducks yes, and yeah he's a hustler, he really is.

And he's called Kitty Docks because he's kitty.

Amazing.

Yeah you don't hear about that everything, you.

Girl, And it was cool like meeting him and stuff. Yeah, I think he's he's going to go far. Yeah, yeah, he really like you know, he's got it.

He has the X factor. Do you don't you have the expector? Katy Dogs. If you're listening, shout out to you, bro. So yeah, let's go. Are you excited for it?

Yes, I'm so excited.

Yeah, is this like the first headline. Yeah, Oh my gosh, that's so excited.

Headline show.

Yeah, and you're dropping a new song during the show, please tell us about.

It's called show Me Me and Hailes on the song my eyes watering? What what's going on? But yeah, we we wrote the song like, oh, I can't even remember. It was like a while ago.

Okay, yeah, but what's it about?

Show me? It's like you say that you love me, well, then show me.

Oh a lot of people what the lyrics? You're really like?

Yeah, oh.

Okay, So so that's the show. Also, what happened recently was the pm AS, the Pacific Music Awards. Let's break that down. So PMAs, how did it feel to be recognized and then amongst all these talented musicians at the PMAs, Oh, it's buzzy.

Absolutely yep, no big words, but it's buzzy. I think just being so young, like you know, like seeing like Shane Walker, he's thirty seven, just turned thirty seven, period, and you know he got his award.

I'm so happy he got his flowers. Yeah, because Shane's been working, Yeah exactly, And like.

That's what I mean, like, you know people, Oh, I'm not calling anyone old, but you know, like it takes time to get those awards very beas and like for me being eighteen, like just to be nominated and stuff, it's like that's such a big thing for me that I don't even realized it's a big thing, but it's a big thing.

Yeah.

But yeah, it's just like not everything comes just like that, Like it takes time. Yeah, so who knows when I'll get an award, but hopefully next year.

But you know, yeah, I like that mindset. I think if you have have put out your intentions and they are out there, and you just continue to apply yourself towards your goals, then eventually you'll get to that point.

So it's more worth it in the end.

Yeah, you know, And I think you'll look back in a few years and you'll be like, man, I was really eighteen. A few years ago I was nominated for a pm A. That's wild. That's an achievement and itself.

Truly, and it's like it's not impossible for my Youngion's out there to another message, Yeah, like you don't need to be all that, you just need to be yourself.

I love that you don't need to finish school, you don't need to take this conventional path that is prescribed for you. You can do your own thing.

Yeah, yeah, I think it's just there's so many standards, and especially when it comes to like families, the strict, so not all of us are like you know, I can't just get it that easy with your parents. Yeah.

Yeah, I think a lot of parents are starting to open their eyes to different career paths. So hopefully we move more in that direction.

Yeah, and just hopefully they stay consistent and you know, like get somewhere.

How was pm a's night for you? You said you bought your whole family, which are so cool. I love that they got to celebrate with you.

That strings to get my sister on the table, We had.

Some strings to get a lesson there and then give me home that night, enjoying the night though, Yeah it's a long night. The pms are renowned for their links speech.

We love the speeches.

Your parents are there, that's so cool.

Yeah, they were like they've never been to anything like that. My parents are very like old school. But yeah, to bring them along like even to like homelands, like to my shows and stuff, I'm like, are you guys are right? Like it's all right.

To go.

Headphones. They're just like, to me, they're not getting old, but you know they won't be here forever. So I'm like, I really want to, you know, give back to them and just make them have fun, you know, like my life. It was probably once in your lives too.

I love that.

They really enjoyed it.

It was long, but it was a very good night.

Chelly.

For me, it was buying me a lot of drinks out side, and then there was a whole bottle of wine that somehow disappeared from the table inside. So I don't really know how long the night was.

But she got home and I got home thanks to Marina.

I did I did that? Can I just say I got her.

I was like, why are we leaving? Marna was like, it's one thirty, girlless girl.

I took her from the menu to the after party, and I was like, you have to come. Oh my gosh. I did not want to go to the after party because by that point I was like twelve thirty, yeah, and I wanted. I wanted to do a gym class that morning, but I'm like, I need to hold my soss down because I just don't know these all sorts. Yeah, at a music industry under the influence. So I was like, okay, let's just make sure, oh girl it's okay.

Maybe leave her with someone there.

Yeah, but then I wasn't giving that, so I was like, let's go. But we at the after party, I'm away. There was food, they brought out food.

Yeah, we left before that, okay because we got there early, so early on arrival, p and.

And I want to love a Reagan.

What are you doing.

Talking to the d j oh, I really want to go to the p M as next. We're going to find our way there.

We'll find out way there, we know. Yeah, sure, you guys, just do you know who we are?

And everyone's like, no, we're not. We'll just be like we're Elena's body. Are you guys doing We're ready to protect that little security? Actually security? Get out with the new.

Yeah you're done?

What else next for Elena? So you've got the show coming up this week as a time of recording. We are team at the moment. So what are you wanting to knock out before we hit Christmas? Yeah?

Literally, I guess I'll just see what happens. I mean, planning to do EP maybe my r and B lover say yeah, yes, yes, yes, I really want to do a project where I get like the underground artists, like on a EP or something, you know, yeah, like like shed some light on them. But yeah, that's pretty much about it. Maybe maybe an album I will start writing.

Yeah.

Music, Yeah, since I can't like meet all you guys and just tell you my whole life story but in the DMC meaningful conversations with everyone, but yeah, try and do that for music.

And so stunning. Have you been held up for any fistival? Okay, so this is an open per for Elena. We are her agents, yes, id come La, don't kill me please job oh me. And as we said, you are still so young, like I cannot wait to see what you achieved in the year. It's going to be a ride before we move on to our rapid fire game. Who are your influencers when it comes to R and B any faiths? And do you like old school R and B or new school R and B? Or Mexic. Both both love.

Old school R and B because I feel like you like as much as you want to bring it back, like you can't.

No, I cannot be replicated unfortunately.

Yeah, but it's always going to be old school R and B.

Any people in particular.

Oh, I think old school.

I like Erica.

Oh yes, I like her tiny desk as well.

Yes, yes, yes, speaking of.

Tiny disks like Jasmine Sullivan. Yeah, ba I love the tiny desk. Yes, yes, even usher kind of slight.

The tiny disks have eating so good.

S w vaka can Nellie for Tato.

Nellie forty babyface. Yeah, they've been in Elena's nicks.

That's like my goal. One day I'm gonna be on that tiny desk.

I'd love to see like a poly version of tiny discs. Yeah, like somewhere for especially our up and comers to come through. I feel like we just need to give some space to your generations. Yeah, take that idea. Okay, let's move on to our rapid fire. Now this is called Guess Who's Trill? So we're gonna play you a little trill trill, a little run run, and you just need a guess who is behind it?

You will need your headphones.

You'll need your headphone? Yes, yes, yes, okay, So for our second song, I forgot to put in the audio. I'm gonna play it straight off.

Okay, cool?

Uh are you ready? Okay, let's see if she's got the good.

Man?

Who was that? You want to listen to it again? Yes?

Please?

Okay? Man?

Oh, I am not an iron bea girly, so I wouldn't know either. So I am fortunately cannot help.

You any guesses. Yeah, let's play it one more time. Man, m hm, can your partner hear it?

Do you want to try?

I guess. Come, we're gonna bring a leader's partner onto the This is like phone of friends, Welcome to who wants to be a millionaire? Okay, I can't play this round. Just tell me who is a man? I don't know? And that was missus Tony Brexton was behind that trek. That was he wasn't man enough. That's okay, girl, So you may get this one. I think you will. I think you will.

Immediately. Yes, I loved to concerts.

Really, I really don't like maybe because you do enough life performing yourself.

You don't want you know, I feel like I want to I just wouldn't spend like heaps of money. That's so fair. Also, the tickets for that were crazy.

I was lucky. I got mine in the pre sale. I think it was to eighty but when they did the full release was four hundred bucks.

Yeah, I reckon. I would only pay that much if I were going to meet them.

True.

Yeah, because I mean you can like watch watch them for free on your phone outside and yeah, but that's just my that's just me.

Okay, one more song, Elena. Let's see if you get this. You should.

Beyonce?

Beyonce, do you know the song that she's singing. I'm gonna play it to you again just so you can get a little ro should hang?

I don't know?

Wait? Oh listen, wait, do you know what's crazy?

I've never heard that song before, but I know it's Beyonce. Have you actually know? Like I would only know the chorus a song like that. I don't really listen to Beyonce, you know what? Okay?

This is I I listened to Beyonce for some reason. She's always in mes's top five. MES does not listen to me.

She's got a killer voice, one of the best, like like up with Mariah carey and all that.

Very we wouldn't like sit down and listen and that is so fair like some.

Of her songs. Yeah yeah, yeah, she's not really like a go to like yeah, I only listen to her when it comes to like the riff challenges. Oh yeah, challenge like plastic off the sofa, Yeah challenge. So you guys can check out my little challenges.

Okay, speaking of socials, where can we find you?

A later? You can find you Instagram. I'm pretty much more active on this a girl. When it comes to posting and stuff. I go live on TikTok Okay, yeah, so I actually like do my makeup, so like for the girls who want to watch me do my makeup and the like you live and I'll like come talk to you guys nice, or me and my partner will like jam some songs and you guys can request the song and we'll you know it for you.

Wow, that's what I mean.

Okay, Well, we'll put all your up on our socials at Island Roots Aukland Way, so you can go find our sister and Elena thank you so much for joining us. What a dope young woman you have a Yeah, Elena has such a refreshing energy.

Yeah, and she's like one of the girls. Our slag was her slag truly I felt. Yeah, I was like, Okay.

At the start of the podcast, we were talking about the kraken scary, it's not a.

Dragon, that's an octopus. Where is the kraken from? I have no idea any cracking monster right now?

Cracking monster?

Uh, Norway girls, it's like the North Sea, is it?

Do you know what I do? Yes, even that sounds scary, scary, I'm scared enough about the.

Oh yeah, Elena's not scary. She's stunning. She's gorgeous, she's so talented. Find her on the socials. I think it's like listen to the number two Elena, and you also find us on the socials at Island Roots, Walk and ways.

All right, until next week, We'll catch you later.

Hy