We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ellen Hinton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ellen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Music has always been my passion, but pursuing it full time seemed risky. I had a full time job that I enjoyed, but it wasn’t chasing my dreams. I also had bills and responsibilities that made me afraid to step outside of my comfort zone. One of the first songs that I released was about leaving that job and facing my fears. My first songs did nothing for the first few years. I was wondering if I made a mistake. Then boom! One of those songs that I wrote was in a national commercial. Over the years, several songs have been on tv shows, movies, and commercials, and I was making a living doing what I love. Last year, I made TikTok’s top ten list as one of most duetted music artists and one of my songs on that platform is currently trending. If I had given up after the first year, I would have missed this. Of course there have been lows, but the highs outweigh them. For anyone chasing a dream, my advice is to bet on yourself. It’s not going to always but perfect, but it will definitely be worth it
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?
My stage name is Ellen Once Again. I’m a sunshine-soul singer and songwriter whose songs have been featured on several television shows, movies, and commercials. My songs are about hope, love, and overcoming. I grew up in a musical family. Playing the piano was the first bargain that I made with my parents. Although I grew up playing the piano and singing, I didn’t start writing my own songs until college. One of my first breaks in the industry was through my song being in a national Hershey’s campaign. I was, and still am, an independent artist and that experience convinced me that I could pursue my music dreams full time. The thing that I am the most proud of is my perseverance. As an independent artist, I’ve accomplished a lot of goals including making a living doing what I love. If you’re currently in the process of dream catching, keep going, keep working, and believing. If you don’t give up, you actually catch some of them.
: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The main goal driving my creative journey is to spread love through music. Writing songs help me embody my motto “peace, love, and purpose.” I hope that hearing my story and uplifting lyrics can help someone else. These last few years during the pandemic, most of my performances have moved online. I really got a chance to connect with other people in a way that I hadn’t previously been able to through duets on TikTok. At the end of 2021, TikTok released a list of the most duetted artist on their platform, I was honored to be in the top 10.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
As an independent music artist, NFTS have been peaking my interest. I like that it’s introducing another way to connect directly with your audience. It also allows for more control over your art, and allows you and the fans to create a community together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellenonceagain.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenonceagain/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllenOnceAgain/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellenonceagain
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ellenonceagain
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenonceagain