Elen Levon Dancing to the Same Song Interview

Elen Levon Dancing to the Same Song Interview

To be 18, with the world at your feet.

To have a record deal with one of Australia's leading record labels inked before your 17th birthday, and ride out the last of your teenage years as a pop-star. To watch your first single work its way across the world, while you fly into South-East Asia to film the video for your second. To see your second single become an electro-pop anthem, while sitting in a studio in Los Angeles, working with some of the greatest producers on your third.

It's the dream of most, if not every, teenage girl: but the life of Elen Levon.

Signed to Ministry of Sound at 16, her debut single 'Naughty' was an electric introduction to the starlet, which worked its way through highest rotation across all broadcast formats and into the iPods and music libraries of the nation. At 17, Elen unveiled her sophomore release 'Like A Girl In Love' which lived upon the dance floors of the world, crossing over to the radio-waves, the interwebs and beyond, with its enslaving vocal refrain.

Now 18, and hatching the release of her latest single 'Dancing To The Same Song', Elen is set to affirm her position atop of the artists to watch in 2012. 'Dancing To The Same Song' is one of her own compositions, co-written with pop-electro outfit 3Oh!3 and producer Mark Maxwell in Los Angeles. It's an electric tale of precluded love, the yearning of the heart, and the connectivity of souls through separation.

Bouncing between studios along the sunset strip, writing with super-producers John Levine (Nelly Furtado, Selena Gomez), Rami Afuni (LMFAO, Pixie Lott) and Brian Kennedy (Rihanna, Chris Brown, Jesse McCartney, Brandy, Cheryl Cole), it was a California adventure like no other. It was undoubtedly hard to leave the gated house in 'the Hills', Elen has returned to Australia with a superfluity of sounds - and a discographic dossier penned with what is likely to be her first number one record.

Only a year since her live debut at Supafest alongside Snoop Dogg, Taio Cruz and Nelly, Elen has gone on to share stages with LMFAO, Afrojack, Marvin Priest, and Sneaky Sound System. Touring consecutive single launches nationally, rocking Channel [V]'s Youth Week celebrations and jetting to Beijing to perform at the annual Gala World Music Festival, it's the dream of most, if not every, recording artist: but the life of Elen Levon.

With her next record cued and choreographed, Elen's focus is international - a teenage girl on a mission to have the world dancing to the same song. Although sounding like a starry-eyed big city dream, a better teenager for the job there is not.

Interview with Elen Levon

Question: Tell us about Dancing to the Same Song, how would you describe it?

Elen Levon: Dancing to the Same Song is about a long distance relationship which I wrote about my best friend with the 3Oh!3 guys over in the U.S. and I think it's a really awesome song.

Being in the States was amazing as it's such a good place for writing and it's perfect for production and dancers.


Question: How did it feel to perform at Superfest?

Elen Levon: It was incredible to perform before Snoop Dogg, Taio Cruz and Nelly. It was definitely very inspirational and motivational which made me want to kill this career!


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Elen Levon: Yes, I am inspired by daily life. I love hearing about people's stories and what people have gone through; it doesn't necessarily have to be what I have experienced, myself. Like a lot of artists, my life ends up becoming one big storyboard and everyone is a character on that board. Artists inspire me to write too such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Elen Levon: Over the next couple of months I will be touring with Jay Sean on his tour which I'm very excited about and after that I'll be focusing on song writing and collaborations. I hope there will be an album, later on.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Elen Levon: I think everyone has to have that moment not necessarily to walk away but for the reassurance that this career is really what you want for the rest of your life because it's a very hard industry and you have to be very dedicated whilst also having patience and a good team surrounding you. I've had the 'reassurance moment' but not the moment where I would walk away, I left school for this career and I am now home-schooled.

Home-schooling is definitely quiet hard especially when I'm trying to think about what show is next; sometimes schooling can put a toll on working and make it that tad bit harder because I am constantly thinking about doing a little bit of school work as well. I know I have to finish year 12 because education is really important.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Elen Levon: I haven't had a challenge as such but a learning process and that is due to being young I am still learning every day. Performances are the best thing in the world for me and when I get on stage all of the difficulties disappear.


Question: What inspired you to create your own video for Dancing to the Same Song?

Elen Levon: We had a little viral video that we put on the net for Dancing to the Same Song which received 300,000 views in two weeks.

I've shot a video for Dancing to the Same Song in Tokyo, Japan which involves me running around the streets of Tokyo and the video features a male lead. The video showcases Melbourne and Tokyo in terms of a long distance relationship and without giving too much away we both start on a rooftop and in a flash I end up in Tokyo - imagine how easy it would be if you had something that would zap you to another place?! To view the video go to YouTube


Question: Tell us something most people probably don't know about you?

Elen Levon: I actually really enjoy prawning when I go to the coast with my family and friends as well as surfing and skating. When you prawn you go out with a torch and a net to catch prawns as the prawns swim up to the light in the water and I find it all very relaxing and grounding.


Question: What do you see, for your future?

Elen Levon: I have no idea! I do hope that I am a little more advanced than I am now… I want to still be doing exactly what I am doing on a bigger scale - I want to be writing, creating, collaborating and releasing music.