Elaine is ready to drop her long-anticipated debut album and has reflected on her budding career, touching on her mental health, comparison to other musicians and possibly venturing into amapiano.
Fans of the R&B chanteuse will get a taste of her new album this Friday with the release of her single Waiting on You.
It's been five years since the 25-year-old singer from Pretoria broke into the music scene with her chart-topping hit You're the One.
"I’ve been in the industry for five years and I’ve learnt to know my place as an artist," she said.
"I’ve learnt how important it is to be honest with my music and to be free. I was told a lot of dos and don'ts when I first got into the industry but somehow God made sure to place me in such a way that I know what my purpose is... which I plan to live to my fullest potential."
The album will drop in September.
In 2020, she received a huge breakthrough after being signed to US record label Columbia Records.
“I am on top of the world, usually I’m so nervous [before release]. I don’t want to talk about it nor do I want to leave the house or even talk about it but this time around, I’m grateful to release something solid,” she said.
“I’m operating from a place of gratitude and not a place of fear like I did years ago.
"Back then, I was concerned about whether people were going to receive my music but now I’ve grown past the ‘what if?’ that I used to ask myself. I have faith that whatever happens is meant for me.”
Elaine was yesterday named one of Apple Music’s history-makers and game-changers, alongside Nomfundo Moh, Uncle Waffles and Nanette ahead of Women's Month.
“I couldn’t fully register what was going on when I first broke out in the industry. I was going through so much. Being a law student plus suffering from imposter syndrome. I couldn’t fully take in nor did I believe all that was happening,” she said.
“I had to thoroughly work on myself and believe in myself. I didn’t want to be the person standing in my own way."
Elaine is now ready to let fans into her world through music.
But why did it take so long to drop her debut album?
“I have been releasing music in the past couple of years. However, it takes long to produce a decent body of work. I felt like, of late, I haven’t been telling the full story and that’s unlike me. Hence I saw it articulate what it is that I’ve been through.
“I suffered from depression and even though I was making music, I wasn’t ready to share it until now. I have been sitting on this album for quite some time because I was constantly adding and changing things. I even decided to go independent half-way in the completion of this album.”
Elaine also championed for women making genre-fluid music.
“There’s so many genres I’ve been exposed to. I love amapiano, I mean, I’m from Pretoria. Yes, people were upset when I did a piano song but unlike before, I am making music with no fear or boundaries,” she said.
“Women get a lot of flack for no reason. It’s a really beautiful thing that there are so many people that can make it out of the country. I don’t know what people were expecting because if one person can make it out, surely a plethora of us can… isn’t that the whole point of ‘Africa to the World?’
“So, I battle to understand why so many people tend to compare musicians. People fail to understand or see that we as artists do completely different things. I don’t do what anyone does nor do I look like anyone, so why am I compared?"
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