Between the dark and the light, a confident balance occurs. Estonia-born and Los Angeles-based pop songstress Elysa thrives in the centre of a similar spectrum. On one side, her emotionally charged delivery carries explosive, yet tender ballads. On the other, she comes to life as an independent and powerful provocateur whose crazy and sexy fearlessness immediately inspires high levels of energy and spirit. This can even happen within the span of the same song, cementing her as fresh force for popular music and culture.

“There are definitely two sides of me,” she exclaims. “Sometimes, I’m on the darker side. Other times, I’m on the lighter side. My songs show both. I’ll sing from my soul about my emotions, and then I’ll turn up and go completely crazy. I’ll jump from one extreme to the other. Those two opposites really attract.”

Her story itself hinges on such a dichotomy as it begins 5,753 miles away from L.A. in her native Estonia. Growing up in a tiny country of 1.3 million residents, she retreated into music at a young age, obsessing over the likes of Rihanna… Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Céline Dion. After music school at just eight-years-old, she began penning songs in junior high. Making a name for herself locally, 2015 saw her enter the national pre-selection for the world-renowned Eurovision Song Contest. Placing third, she rose to immense popularity in Estonia in addition to touring all over the country. She also started to make a name for herself throughout Europe.

Initially singing in both English and Estonian, she decided to focus on the former in order to “speak to the biggest audience possible.” In between, songs like “Famous” [feat. Jq], “Amora,” and “Green Light” each racked up over 100K Spotify streams independently. Another late 2018 single “Hunter” amassed 1.6 million views on YouTube in only two months’ time. By the end of the year, ELYSA had spent two years traveling back and forth to Los Angeles in order to write and record music. So, she finally chose to relocate permanently. “I remember sitting in my room and just thinking, ‘What am I doing?’,” she admits. “I knew I had to move. I spent about two years trying and hustling for this career I had dreamed about. I was in the studio every day, networking like crazy, and sending my music everywhere. Nothing really panned out. My personal life was very complicated, and I felt like everything fell apart. I needed time to rest and think about life.

I never thought I’d go to America. Three days after, I was invited to Los Angeles. I got to Beverly Hills, and my dreams started coming true. Sometimes, you have to let your wishes go and clear your energies. When you do, beautiful things can happen.” That’s exactly what she did, and her 2019 single “Dark of the Night” proves it. Over unpredictable nocturnal production, Elysa’s voice stretches from breathy verses into a show-stopping and stunning hook that’s as bold as it is bright. 2020 saw the release of her powerful single “Real Girls” and also her latest single titled “Undercover”.

“I always channel the energy around me,” she goes on. “It’s dark and sad, because I put all of this stress into it. It was a rough day, and I wasn’t afraid to pull from that. However, ‘Dark of the Night’ makes a connection. That’s what I want to do.” In the end, Elysa undoubtedly will with every piece of music she delivers. “I want people to feel emotions and relate,” she leaves off. “You’re going to get the sad songs, but you’re also going to get the fun songs. It’s always going to be both of those two sides. I feel like I’m a beautiful creature on this planet whose mission is to make music and uplift humanity through it all.”