On the radar: Get yourself connected with Eli Smart.
He’s only 23 years old, but this kid from Kauai is building a promising career in pop music, that kept the attention from people like Elton John and Paul McCartney. The smart Eli Smart tells us about his life, philosophy and ambitions (and why he made up the label ‘Aloha Soul’ to define his music) in this conversation.
Interview: David Saavedra Photography: JC Verona
Where do you spend most of your time?
Well, I’m currently living in Southeast London in a town called Lewisham. I moved here in March to be closer to this new world of music I find myself in. I go up to Liverpool often though, it was always be my adopted home. I’m hoping to get back over to Kauai for winter time. I miss my cats and my family!
You’ve gone to study to Liverpool LIPA school, that was founded by Paul McCartney, going after the Beatle dream?
I did indeed, I’m shamelessly the biggest Beatles fan in the world. It was so surreal to move there and walk around the same street they did. It’s such an evocative environment. Playing The Cavern for the first time was a total dream.
Have you actually met Paul McCartney?
Yes, I just recently met Sir Paul briefly at our graduation! We bumped fists and I went completely blank, tried to say something cool, but I honestly have no idea what came out of my mouth. I think I called him “mate”. Not cool at all, Eli!
I think you have very peculiar musical antecedents in your family. Your grandparents played with Duke Ellington and Jimi Hendrix. How did each one of them influenced your life and your musical career?
I feel very fortunate to have grown up in such a nurturing musical environment. My whole family plays music and have always been the most supportive of me doing my thing. Growing up, it was really cool to see how each member of my family had developed their own passion for music, it inspired me to find out what I loved about it. For me that ended up being a deep infatuation with songwriting, playing live and listening to music. My dad taught me how to play guitar, and my mom got me into writing songs. My grandma comes from a rock and roll background, and my grandpa is a hard-core jazz wizard. Everyone would just show me what they were into, and I began to form my own musical world based upon what was laid out in front of me. Everything I do and love musically now is a direct result of the beautiful space they created.
In your social media you show yourself very deeply connected with your family, friends and environment. You show many things about you. You like to be candid and transparent for your fans, don’t keep any secrets, no mystery?
It’s funny to hear you say that because social media is tough for me! I feel like I struggle with being open and actually feel quite reserved on social media for whatever reason. I’d like to be more casual and open with it, though. I’m working on it.
The overall feeling in your songs, in the way you present them and the way you express yourself in public is always good feeling, positivity. Would you say this is kind of a political statement?
I never actually mean to preach only good vibes, don’t ever wanna be toxically positive, ha ha. Real life is not just good vibes for sure. I care most importantly about being as real as I can through my music and in life whether I'm feeling proper low or on a high, you have to acknowledge reality. At the same time, it never hurts to try air on the bright side of things, like honestly, why not? I just try to pass this on through my tunes with the hope that whatever the mood of the song or the message is that it may help someone feel understood in what they’re feeling, good vibes or bad!
“Everything I do and love musically now is a direct result of the beautiful space they created.”
I’ve read you took part in an action consisting in the gift of 700 ukuleles to young graduates in Kauai. How did you get that idea and in what senses would you say music can contribute to fight injustice?
Ah, yeah!, that was a really cool thing to be a part of. I can take zero credit for coming up with that idea though, as it was all my mom who was the force behind it. I’ve never tuned some many ukulele, haha! My family has a ukulele shop on the north shore of Kauai called Hanalei Strings, so it was easy to gather the resources to pull it off. It was meant as an encouraging gift to the graduating classes of 2020 who’s plans were massively impacted by Covid. When I graduated from High School it was a daunting thought to imagine leaving Kauai to study in Liverpool, I luckily had the support of my family and friends who were the most encouraging through such a transition. To imagine leaving Kauai to study and make such a leap of faith while a global pandemic is going on is a whole other level of challenge, this was our way of trying to make sure that students felt supported through this and recognized for their hard work. I think music has a unifying power like nothing else, it makes me feel connected to people and parts of the world. Feeling genuine connection in life is what it’s all about, music for me has the power to forge that connection.
What’s music for you? What role does it play in your life?
Kinda like I was just talking about, music for me is connection. Connection with people I love, different environments and connection with myself. It’s always been a very grounding element in my life, it definitely gives me a feeling of purpose and home. It’s this thing that connects me to my family, grounds me in where I came from and propels me forward to wherever I’m going.
Listening to your songs, I always feel they’re ideal for listening in the open air. Did they are created with that spirit?
100%. My most cozy activity is to listen to music on headphones at night in my yard back home on Kauai. There’s almost no light pollution and the conditions are often so clear that you can see the Milky Way and loads of shootings stars, that’s where I listen to most music, comb through demos of mine and then ultimately give a finished song I’ve been working on the listening test. Open air lets the tunes drift to wherever it is they belong.
I’ve seen you’re a surf lover? How do you feel when surfing?
I love the ocean so much. I grew up around it, so it’s therefor become a real comfort to connect with nature by jumping in the ocean. I more recently developed an affinity for surfing, always messed around growing up, but it wasn’t until Covid that I was stuck at home and really caught the bug, thanks to all my boys and my grandma who would always drag me out of bed to jump in the water. It brings me a feeling of deep awareness as you gotta be on it when you’re in the water, it makes all the petty stuff fall away and get replaced with a fulfilling connection with nature. Nothing like it.
What do you mean by Aloha Soul? At this stage, do you still feel related to that label or are you feeling tired of it?
Making music under the loose genre of Aloha Soul is my way of paying homage to the many different kinds of music, cultures and environments that have inspired me and guided me through my journey as a human. Music is very deeply rooted and present in Hawaiian culture, with that comes a beautiful strong sense of community which I have been fortunate enough to grow up around. Coming up with a loose genre as a music creator also helps me understand how to filter my influences and make the music I truly wanna make. I’ve always been infatuated with soul music and any music where you can hear the soul in it. Aloha Soul as a label has never been too prescriptive, so I feel relatively free from it anyway, but I do deeply care about what it represents for me, the intention I put behind my tunes and where I’m pulling inspiration from.
“Feeling genuine connection in life is what it’s all about, music for me has the power to forge that connection.”
Which clichés about Hawaii would you say are true, and what would you say are the most unexpected things in that archipelago?
It really is an insanely beautiful place, Google Images don’t lie. It’s a much more evocative environment than displayed on a postcard though with a much deeper history than many people are probably aware of. I’m grateful for having grown up in such a deep place.
Your song ‘Cruella Deville’ was championed by Elton John. Any other of your musical hero has declared love to your music?
That was the coolest thing EVER. Couldn’t believe it. Apparently, Paul McCartney said he liked a guitar solo of mine I played on my mates tune, I really hope it’s true! I’ve got to spend quite a bit of time with Taj Mahal, who is a blues legend and all around badass, hero of mine for sure. I don’t really think he knows much if any of my music, but it’s still a really special thing for me to be able to connect with someone so steeped in knowledge and experience of another magical era of music and download whatever wisdom he has to offer. We’ve had some great chats.
Which song would you recommend for starting to a listener that don’t know you yet?
I’d say ‘No Destination’! It’s one chord and you can have a boogie to it! Thank you for having me :)
The new Eli Smart single, ‘Cry At The Comedy’, is released by Polydor/ Universal Music
Credits: Interview David Saavedra | Photography JC Verona | Hair Hiro Kikato | Make up Dakota Blacklaws-Lacy | Set design MJ TolloREAD NEXT
