Eli Greeneyes 21 Interview

Eccentric and brash, Eli Greeneyes has releaseded his deeply confessional new single 21, a chaotic yet content exploration into getting older and losing control, out now. The moving single is accompanied by a scenic video clip, filmed in collaboration with the artist's closest friends. After a relocation back home due to COVID-19, the release of 21 feels poignant – a young person wondering what on earth is going to happen next.

Evocative of exciting artists such as YUNGBLUD and DMAs, but also with clear influences from the classics – Oasis, ­The Verve – 21 has that instant-classic feel; like a song you already know, but can't place. It feels ready-made for summer, roadtrips, lazy afternoon swims and drinks in the backyard. Guitars glisten, percussion rambles along at a reassuring pace – but the real star is Eli Greeneyes' ear-catching vocal. Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Eli explains, "I wrote it in about 15 minutes about how depressed and scared I was about living my life the way I truly wanted to at 21 years old…I was becoming my own person and for some reason the thought of that was terrifying. A lot of this song is about figuring out who I am and feeling like I realised it too late, looking back at wasted time and how I wasn't sucking the marrow out of life like I should've been. I was so pent up with childhood trauma and all that bullshit that I wasn't seeing and enjoying all the positive things in front of me."

The clip for 21 feels as warm as the track itself, perfectly set in a deeply saturated lawn with a knowing nod towards the 90s influences behind the song with the use of a fisheye lens. The clip was made in collaboration with his close friend Connor Maher and partner Alex Maher, as Eli reflects, "I have never made a multi shot video before (only one shots), so the video is basically me not knowing what I'm doing and trying a whole bunch of angles and speeds of shooting. Just singing the song at the lens around the farm. I did have the shots planned-ish in terms of being slowed down or sped up, but that's about as much planning that went into it…just a cool clip! I really like learning by just doing things I guess and getting my girlfriend or my mate to just point and shoot and see what happens."

Mixed by Andy Lawson (Little Birdy, Eskimo Joe, Gyroscope) and mastered by William Bowden (Gotye, The Middle East, Miami Horror), 21 feels like a time capsule, something to look back on to remember what you were feeling during a particular time in your life. Personalities, thoughts, beliefs – these are all things that are subject to change, as Eli concludes, "At that age, I did the best I could, and will always be figuring it out. No one person is 100 percent buddha with all the answers. We're all bit of a mess sometimes but I feel on the other side of that mess is a power that can't be taught by being scared or worried all the time."

Interview with Eli Greeneyes

Question: How would you describe your music?

Eli Greeneyes: MEGA!


Question: Can you tell us about 21?

Eli Greeneyes: 21 is about changing and growing into yourself as an individual and young adult, and being bloody terrified in the process.

I also realised that I had been idling at 150 percent of my energy my whole life out of trauma and anxiety of things that happened to me as a child, not really out of excitement! I was just depressed and quite a careful almost jumpy kid...

I wrote this one in about 15 minutes in its entirety and usually I would spend so long trying to perfect it all but now more often than not I just try get the feeling out and then trim a few bits and pieces and just leave it alone until I record it :)


Question: What inspired the video?

Eli Greeneyes: Learning about making a multi shot video really…. I'd never made one before so for me it was all about different angles, lenses, speeds of filming. I really like learning about stuff that inspires me and what goes on behind the finished product of a song or video. A lot of it was just spontaneous filming when the weather was nice and my girlfriend (Alex Maher) and mate (Connor Maher) weren't too busy and didn't mind getting bothered. Kinda how I like these things to be just experimental and free!


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Eli Greeneyes: You're not alone and we are the same one way or another. I try and be as honest as possible in my songs and as descriptive as I can so that the listener can be transported to the moment I'm in and how it is making me feel.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Eli Greeneyes: I enjoy both really for completely different reasons. Live I love seeing people connect with the songs I've written cause that's what it's about! And recording I just really like getting my shit out! Laying it all on the line with no filter at all! It helps me understand myself so much when I write songs and don't think about it. The vocal is where I really try to rinse myself in the performance as a way of releasing my feelings physically! I think that's why I often sing so loud ahahah!


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Eli Greeneyes: At the moment I'd say it would be LATELY, which was the last single. I showed that song to a couple of people when I first wrote it and actually didn't think a huge amount of it, thought of it as more of an album track when it comes time for that. The more and more I showed people that song the more it surprised me how much they liked it. Now playing it I actually get it, it's mega! I love performing it live!

Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Eli Greeneyes: BASIL ZEMPILAS. I'd play him a song called PEOPLE, to remind him of what he should be concerned about. THE PEOPLE BAZ! All of them!


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Eli Greeneyes: I think that it's always been the same thing. I started writing because it was a distraction from the things that were going on around me as a young child. I experienced a bit of abuse and emotional torture as a child at one point in my life which eventually turned into quite a bit of nervous energy that I was carrying around with me. It's something that up until now has circulated my mind often, So I started writing as a distraction for my brain to feel like I was someone else that wasn't going through those things.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Eli Greeneyes: I don't really listen to music anymore to be honest! I can't really afford to. Part of that feeling of me always wanting to be someone else became me being so obsessed with other artists when I started writing songs that I wouldn't just be influenced by them, I would BE them. I originally wanted to be an actor as a kid, I was like "oh what? you can be someone else every movie". Now I'm a lot more settled in who I am and that's ELI! I also wrote so many songs that I basically just listen to what I need to fix in them before I record and release them!


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Eli Greeneyes: I just love writing songs and connecting with people over our roller coaster lives. I also can sing and figured well that's it for me! That's my life!


Question: What was your first performance?
Eli Greeneyes: It was a singing competition. You know one of those lame show pony kid things. I was absolutely terrified to be honest. I sang a maroon 5 song, I think this love or something which my mum was horrified by the words when she heard me sing it! A bit raunchy for a 6 year old really haha! I had no idea though obviously!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Eli Greeneyes: With every song I get to understand more about myself and who I am becoming! And being able to share that with the world is pretty amazing!


Question: What's a typical day like?

Eli Greeneyes: Coffee! Pick up a guitar or play piano write some ideas or a whole song or produce a finished one. Probably do a bit of yoga and the same work out that I do every day and I won't bore you with the details of that…. Haha! And usually I will paint something during the week, which I haven't done in a while and I really should!


Question: What's next, for you?

Eli Greeneyes: Just writing more songs and getting better at communicating who I am and how I feel about life and all that in my songs. Releasing more mad music and becoming more and more MEGA! I'm not good at much apart from music and singing so you gotta go with the shit you're most confident with and I'm shooting for the sky!


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Eli Greeneyes: Facebook  
ONYA! appreciate the support! xx E


Interview by Gwen van Montfort