Elena Rogers and “I Feel Alive”
One look at the cover of the new Elena Rogers single and it becomes abundantly clear. You’re looking at the new face of pop. A gifted singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist well beyond her years (she’s only 20), Rogers signed an exclusive, world-wide publishing deal with Gilda Music and will soon release her second full length album.
Elena has one of the more imaginative minds in pop music today. Give her first album, opus one, a spin and that becomes immediately evident. Having just released a brand spankin’ new single, “I Feel Alive”, this feels like a good time to speak with her about this and the future of pop music from someone young enough to “get it”.
PPN: Hey Elena. On your debut album, 2022’s Opus One, there are tracks that are both radio friendly and compositionally adventurous. It was great fun to listen to. What did you learn from the experience – both as an artist and as a working musician?
Elena: The creation of this album has been a really fun and rewarding experience. I’ve learned a lot about not only testing the limits of what defines a good song, but also about what goes into the making of an album from a promotional standpoint. The songs themselves are only the tip of the iceberg, and the rest of the process is a detailed and occasionally complicated puzzle that lies below the surface.
PPN: When I hear your work, I immediately think of They Might Be Giants and perhaps Laurie Anderson. Some say Zappa, XTC or Oingo Boingo. What do you hear?
Elena: I think you totally nailed it! Everyone you listed are major inspirations to me, and I pretty much listen to them on a daily basis. I spend a lot of time in my life listening to music and trying to analyze what I hear. Anytime I’m in my car, I’m exploring a new album or revisiting one I already love. If mixtapes were still popular, I believe I would have lots and lots of them. I just get a lot of satisfaction out of collecting songs and compiling many playlists that I frequently organize and add on to.
PPN: With your new single, “I Feel Alive”, you employ elements of Baroque pop, ska and even Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles. There’s a lot to unpack here. Tell us a little about it.
Elena: this single is a prime example of what I like to call “brain spill”. When I write music, it’s almost as if the song just falls out of my ears and turns into a tangible thing. It’s like it already existed and I’m just arranging it as it is taught to me by some invisible friend. “I Feel Alive” is authentically me, and I’m charmed by the elements you’ve associated it with. I’m a huge fan of ska, in any form, so when I was playing the guitar on this track -that guitar being my prized Jackson CDX22, of course- I was definitely channeling that genre.
PPN: You have a new LP, entitled Prelude to Whatever, set for release later this year. Its title begs the question: What excites you most about the future of pop music and in particular, your work? What surprises await us on Prelude?
Elena: Prelude to Whatever is a journey, or at least it is for me. My hope is that the deeper you dive into the album, the more fun you have discovering each track! The future of pop music is going to be shaped by what’s fun to listen to as well as what’s fun to analyze. You may have noticed that the name of this album as well as my previous album , “Opus One”, both give a nod to titles of classical music. I’m extremely affected by classical music, and lots of the music theory I have picked up along the way has integrated itself into my craft. I write everything one note at a time , one leading to another until presto- an album is born!
PPN: Finally, if you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be?
Elena: I would most certainly be Kashi GO- the peanut butter crunch kind. With oat milk, a cup of coffee and a glass of water.
Get Elena Rogers’ “I Feel Alive”
Click HERE to get your very own (digital) copy of Elena Rogers’ “I Feel Alive”. Look for her full length album, Prelude to Whatever, will be available later this year. It, to will be available thru Distrokid and all major digital outlets.
