Elli Moore: Women Breaking Boundaries in Music Production
Female music producers can almost be considered an anomaly. An alarming gender gap exists, with only an estimated 1 in 47 music producers being female. However, there is an emerging group of women altering norms, composing authentic, innovative melodies.
Elli Moore, one half of the pop female writing/production duo, LYRE, along with music partner Alina Smith, is creating an international buzz in the music scene. The LYRE produced tracks such as Gabbie Hanna's, "Honestly".
In addition to her work as a producer, Elli partners with the organization "She Writes", teaching other young aspiring women how to write and produce music.
Elli has branched out as a solo artist, with her most recent single "OK". Her debut EP, "Confections" is out now. Please read our exclusive interview to learn more about Elli.
Where are you based?
Thanks for having me! I’m currently based in Los Angeles, CA.
As an LA based artist, do you feel your sound is influenced by your region? Who or what would you say are your greatest musical inspirations?
I would definitely say that my music is influenced by the LA scene. There are so many amazing pop songwriters and producers here that keep pushing the boundaries and making super cool, unique music. My biggest inspirations though come from the early 2000’s. I loved Hilary Duff and Britney Spears growing up. They were great performers and had bright fun music I could dance to.
What inspired you to start producing music? What was your first music related memory?
My first time creating music was just me at a piano in my childhood home writing about someone I had a crush on. It was the first time I really felt so many emotions that I needed a way to express everything and, since I had been taking piano lessons, I just tinkered with chords until words started to flow out.
Can you talk about “LYRE"? How did your production partnership with Alina Smith begin? Why is it so important that you two are a female production company?
I’d love to talk about LYRE! Alina is my best friend of eight years and we are so incredibly fortunate to have each other not only as business partners, but as best friends. We felt like, on our own, we were each missing a piece of the puzzle and whenever we worked together life seemed to make a bit more sense; so we started working with each other everyday, writing and recording songs. I think female representation in music production is so important because we are so often underrepresented in the space. We want to let women of all ages know that music production is a viable career for them if they so choose and that nothing or no one should stop them!
I would think that most female vocalists would resonate more with female writers and producers. Why do you think we don’t see more of this?
Great question. I’ve always thought this too, since my best work as an artist and as a writer has always come from having another female in the room. I think this is especially apparent with younger artists. It can be pretty confusing to me when a 13 year old female artist is paired with a 52 year old male music producer. Not saying they won’t do an amazing job, but I know that he has never been a 13 year old girl or gone through what she has. I just think it’s been such a male dominated industry for so long, but now we are seeing strides towards giving more female producers opportunities in the space.
Only an estimated 1 in 47 music producers are female. Why do you feel that ratio is so small?
Like I mentioned before, unfortunately, that’s just the way it’s been. Recently, we’ve really seen the conversation opening up and I think that number is rapidly rising. Personally, we know so many amazing female music producers out there who are doing incredible things. I think it’s time for the industry to catch up. I feel so fortunate that the work Alina and I do can inspire other women to know that they can be in the music industry and not feel excluded because of their gender. It can be intimidating trying to learn all the technicalities, but I think it looks scarier than it actually is.
Do you have any advice for any aspiring female music producers?
Learn how to record vocals first. You’ll want to be able to have the key commands so second nature that you can listen to the vocals and actually focus on the performance the artist is giving you, to give accurate notes.
What, if any, changes would you like to see in the music industry to encourage more female producers?
I’d love to see more women winning awards. I’d love to see more women hosting seminars, panels, camps. All things that are happening now, I just want to see more of it.
How are you working towards creating safe spaces for women in the music industry?
Making music is an incredibly vulnerable experience and unfortunately we’ve heard from many young artists that they haven’t felt like the studio was the safest space for them. For us, it’s all about making our artists feel heard, safe and understood. We listen to our artists, encourage their creativity and give a shoulder to lean on. It also helps that we provide yummy snacks and fuzzy socks!
Congrats! Your accolades are extremely impressive, having 100 million streams, written number 1 singles (like Gabbie Hanna's Honestly). Can you describe your approach to creating a new project? What thoughts go through your mind before you begin creating a song?
Thank you very much! It depends on the artist and what their creative process is. When it’s just me creating with Alina in our free time, I like to have an idea ready that I want to write a song about. But in some cases, like Gabbie Hanna’s, from time to time she will come in with a chorus she has written on her own and we will tweak and help finish the song.
You recently took a shift from producer to popstar with the release of your most recent EP, Confections. What sparked this transition?
I did, thanks so much! I’ve always been an artist. I just took some time to focus on others and really hone my craft of songwriting before I took the stage again. It’s where I feel most comfortable and confident. I’m so happy to be putting out my original music, and even happier that the fans have really connected to the EP and resonated with it’s message of self-love.
How do you balance being a producer and a pop star? How do you decide which songs you want to use for you?
Another awesome question. I’m very thankful for shared calendars. I’m always trying to find holes of time in between different projects to make room for other stuff, so a lot of the time it’s me playing tetris with the calendar. Typically when choosing songs for me, we set aside days to specifically write for my project, but other times we will write songs with, and for, another artist and their team may not pick it up. If I love it too much, I’ll put it out myself; that’s actually what happened with my single “Somebody To Talk To”.
Can you talk about the organization "She Writes" and your work with them? Why is this cause important to you?
She Writes is a fantastic group of talented female creatives in the music space, who put together opportunities in the music industry for women by hosting all female songwriting camps and show line ups. I’m really excited to see what more they do and be a part of it.
How has shelter in place changed your life?
I’m definitely a social butterfly, so I do miss seeing people and connecting by hanging out or going to meetings, but it is really important that everyone stays home. I’m lucky that I live with Alina so we can continue to write songs and keep the hustle.
How is it affecting your music production?
We are actually finishing some songs with our artists over iPhone recordings which is the wackiest thing, but works better than I imagined it would. It’s fun trying to find ways to be even more creative while still keeping everyone safe.
How do you think it will change the industry?
Like I said, we are all just trying to get creative with things like FaceTime writing sessions and at home recording; it’s been more successful than you’d think! We are really fortunate to have the technology we do at this time for a situation like this, but the biggest thing we are trying to implement is urging our artists to stay home and not go out to sessions so we can flatten the curve.
Is there anything new you are planning on learning during this time?
I’m currently trying to learn how to do a split. I’m not a flexible person so I felt like it was the right time. But mostly a lot of baking and tie dying!
What is your motto in life?
“Do not go gentle into the night.”
To learn more about Elli Moore please follow her via the below platforms:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC06YmNjz8RtCWDmQyJ_svoQ?view_as=subscriber
Instagram: @ElliMoore
Twitter: @ElliMooreMusic
Photographer: Raen Badua
