We were lucky to catch up with Elif Geris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elif, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have always wanted to be a performer in the music space. Always. I trained in classical piano and practiced sometimes starting at 7am before school in preparation for piano competitions my mom signed me up for. But I realized I wanted to do this as a living only about three years ago. I was the executive producer of the number 1 news and talk station in Chicago on WGN Radio. But I noticed that I became less passionate about being the support in someone else’s story and wanted to be my own boss of my own art. I started writing songs 11 years ago but got serious about 6 years ago, and noticed for the first time that I had something really good there, that people were telling me they connected with. That’s when I wanted to take it to LA and bring my music to more people I didn’t know, go to open mics and find a producer who produced for a living.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been playing piano since I was just four years old. I was classically trained until the age of 22 and focused in compositions by Bach, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Liszt and the list goes on. Influenced in large part by those composers and the classical genre, I started to write actual songs when I was about 19 or 20. However, I didn’t believe in my songwriting until I was about 25. Now, at 31, I’ve released 10 self-written, self-performed songs and they are available on all streaming platforms. It’s been a slow burn due to finances, but my proudest moments have actually been when I’ve performed for others. That doesn’t just mean playing full sets on a bill, but also playing a song or two at open mics. I always admired great performers like Kate Bush or Marina, who built their brands and songs from the ground up, but now I’m doing exactly the same thing. I get to go up on stages and sing about what matters to me, and in turn, hear from listeners in the room who relate to my words and the feelings I evoke in the notes. What makes my music unique from other female-identifying singer/songwriter/performers is the way I play into my deep vocals and switch back to my high register, and how I sprinkle notes from my Turkish background into every song.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Go to shows. Go to local artists’ shows, go to local musicians’ shows, participate in podcast discussion boards, watch local filmmakers’ work. Bottom line – try to support as much as you can, whether by buying tickets to these shows or just giving an ear. Most of all, I wish there were federally funded, easily accessible resources for artists, so I wouldn’t have to ask my family to pool together money for a song’s production on my birthday each year. Or to help pay for songwriting classes, a sync licensing lesson, etc.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

To be honest, I think most people are creative, whether they’re making art or improvising a solution to a problem. But what non-artists probably grapple with is what keeps artists making art in the face of so many challenges. I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. A lot of times, I wish I wasn’t an artist, that I could be happy working a high-paying job – whatever the hours may be – and going home when I’m done for the day. I even have a song called “Should We Be Dead”, which is about this very thing. But the grass is always greener on the other side; if I hadn’t discovered this passion in music-making, I don’t think I’d be happy. I tend to err on the side of emotional, and I get to embrace that in my songwriting and performances, where I can embody to my audience through my movements, my clothing, my facial expressions and tone changes, the power of such emotions. I have a big voice that travels, and an energy that can’t sit behind a desk all day and be happy. Before I got serious with my music and networking with other artists, I couldn’t have wrapped my head around the number of hours I put into my art and the lack of sleep. I work an 8-5 job that helps make ends meet, and then I run home to get my 88-key keyboard that weighs about 1000 lbs, and sit in traffic to play 2 songs at an open mic across town. I used to have to remind myself but now I just know that this will pay off somehow, some time. And I don’t mean with fame. I mean my music will earn the right ears and the love of people who resonate with my art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QJfdDBLeLI7uFfj6n7XBS?si=fSWIwa1qSfesySVP6cT15A
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elifgerismusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elifgerismusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpK7ICVOx8OPb_qpH1jobUw

Image Credits

Victor Jimenez
Julian Ramirez
Mark Rzepka
Sara Sensoy
Tina Loume