A Chat with Eloise

By: Sydney Hise

Eloise has a lot under her belt - a leading role in the British film Broken, a Damon Albarn collaboration for that film’s soundtrack, two EPs, and upwards of 100 million streams online - now, she can add a debut record to her repertoire. Drunk On A Flight chronicles a breakup from start to finish, taking you on a sonic journey through the many, sometimes fleeting, emotions that come with the end of a relationship. I got the chance to shoot some questions Eloise’s way - we chatted about jazz, films, and more.  

777 Collective: How did you choose what singles you wanted to put out from this album?

Eloise: To be truthful, releasing singles isn’t really a creative part of the journey. You have to put out however many of your songs to best excite people and show them what to look forward to. They serve as a trailer so I made sure the singles were a balance of the songs I loved and the songs that will excite people.

You made, essentially, a cohesive breakup album. You did an excellent job of making each song sound completely different from the last. How did you write/record so many breakup songs without sounding redundant or repetitive?

E: Well it's always a fear of mine. I don’t want to make a bleak album and I think the key or at least MY key to that is by finding the optimism in the sadness. Even if there’s only a sliver of it. I think amongst all the sadness in my songs, there’s a sense of “this too shall pass” which is the only thing someone going through heartbreak should know. So maybe that’s why… In terms of why they all sound different, Conor is simply a wizard.

Is there a song on the album that you could see in a film? If so, which film?

E: I reckon “Friends Who Kiss.” I have no idea what film though! Maybe a deleted scene from La La Land?

What colorscape does this album live in for you/if this album was a color, what would it be?

 E: Grey blue! It’s always been crystal clear to me. The colour of the clouds when a storm is coming.

There are very obvious jazz and singer-songwriter influences on this record. Do you have a favorite jazz singer or jazz track? 

 E: My favourite jazz singers are Julie London and Blossom Dearie. Julie London singing “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey” feels like cigarettes and martinis.

Is there a song on the record that you are most excited for listeners to hear?

E: I think the songs I was more excited about people hearing are out already but I’m very curious to see if people like ‘In Another Year’.

What albums or songs were you listening to from other artists during the production of this album?

E: Annoyingly, I was just listening to the radio a lot. I was so on this pop hype, writing-wise, that I just wanted to keep my finger on the pulse. I guess that meant loads of Holly Humberston and Jonas Brothers.

Finally, what plans do you have for the rest of your 2023 musically? 

E: Take a little bit of time to rejuvenate and then get started on album 2! I already have the name and sound pallet so I just wanna dive in.