Q&A: Eliezer

London-born Auckland-raised rapper, singer, songwriter Eliezer is one to watch, with his latest EP "Her" gaining over 80,000 streams since its release in August!

He chats to us about his latest EP, his latest track “Young Pablo”, his upcoming album due to drop in November, what he would change about the current music industry and more.

We’d love to know a little bit about your musical journey so far!

Well I’ve been making music for almost 3 years now, started off recording in my bedroom until I moved to Canada midway 2018 where me and my best friend Jake (aka Ten.Oh) started making music together. I slept in his garage on a mattress that was sitting on a bunch of boxes, recording in his dad's closet because it had the best acoustics. We made a bunch of music and then I ended up coming back to NZ after about 7 months. Early 2019 I started studying audio production at SAE studios, they have amazing facilities and I’ve been living and creating in their studios ever since. 

We’re obsessed with your latest EP “Her”! Filled with super groovy, jazzy R&B beats like in “Down” mixed with hip hop tracks like “Playboy Mansion”, what would you say is the overall theme of this EP?

Thank you! The theme of this EP was inspired by female energy. It’s kind of an ode to the divine feminine with a more modern delivery. 

Your latest track “Young Pablo” is a completely different sound, being more heavy, powerful and trap-inspired! What inspired the concept of this track?

This was my way of venting and empowering myself to feel like despite where I am on my journey I know I’m going to be great. The title “Young Pablo" is a reference to Picasso because I feel like I’m in the early stages of becoming an iconic artist.

What can you tell us about your upcoming album set to be released at the end of November, and will this album sit in a similar genre to “Young Pablo”?

This album is my best work by far and it’s completely different to “Young Pablo”. It’s called “Love Me”. It’s really experimental, blends a bunch of genres, the best way to describe it is like psychedelic hip hop.

Being a songwriter is one thing, but producing and engineering your own music is very impressive! How long have you been producing and engineering for?

I actually don’t produce much these days, most of my beats are done by my producer Ten.Oh (Jake Lepp) - I love his sound and he works incredibly hard. We work on everything together via Facebook calls because he’s over in Canada. I engineer everything myself though, been doing that for almost 2 years. Ten.Oh’s been producing for around the same time, we made our first song together in 2018, a week after that I produced my first release.

Who are your biggest inspirations in music, and biggest influences on your sound?

I’m super inspired by Mac Miller, J. Cole, Ed Sheeran, Russ, U2, Kanye just to name a few. I listen to a variety of genres, I just love good music. I think that's why my music is so diverse.

If there’s anything you could change about the current music industry, what would it be and why

The biggest thing I would change is how much major record labels take advantage of their artists. They have so much power over what does and doesn’t get heard, we’re definitely seeing a big shift in that thanks to the internet and streaming but they still have so much influence. As a musician all you want is for your music to be heard and for you to be able to make a living off doing what you love, some artists are just looking for a way out of their current life situation, the labels know this and contract artists into horrible deals.

Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you love or connect with?

In the hip hop scene I listen to some Melodownz, Church & AP, SWIDT and Homebrew. I also really like SIX60 - “Only To Be” is a beautiful song.

What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

New Zealand’s just so beautiful, I lived in London until I was 13 so I really appreciate how much green there is here. I travelled the South Island and it was unreal, that place is like a whole other world. I’ve been to Whangamata a few times and had some great times there so it's definitely a favourite for a getaway.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt in your career so far?

Honestly there’s been so many. There is no destination, so embrace the journey. Don’t get caught up in the pursuit of numbers, it’s about having a positive impact on people. Doing what you love is the purpose of life.

Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?

It may sound corny, but love is the answer.

Make sure to keep an eye out for Eliezer’s new album “Love Me” and keep up with him on Instagram (@eliezer_111), Facebook, Spotify & Apple Music.