15-Year Old Phenom, Elan Suave is Aiming to Put His Stamp on the Music Industry
Elan Suave @ Quad Studios, NYC
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Elan Suave
We recently had the pleasure of catching up and speaking with 15-year old phenom artist, Elan Suave.
Elan is aiming to put his stamp on the music industry and we’re excited to present this artist feature where you will learn more about this emerging artist.
StreamLINE : You currently reside in the Bronx. Were you were born and raised in New York City?
ELAN SUAVE : Yes. I was born and raised in the Bronx.
StreamLINE : What first got you into music and what made you decide to pursue it professionally?
ELAN SUAVE : My parents got me into music from about age 5. They enrolled me in piano and keyboard classes until I was about 13. I got even voice lessons up to that age. In addition to that, singing on my church’s choir played a major role.
When I turned 13, I entered the studio to emulate my older brother, Nellz Supreme. I wanted to do what he was doing. I discovered that I loved being in the studio and creating music. It was natural for me. Therefore, by age 14, I decided to pursue it professionally.
StreamLINE : What artists/producers have influenced you musically?
ELAN SUAVE : I would say Drake, Tory Lanez, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and lately, Roddy Rich.
StreamLINE : How would you describe the music that you typically create?
ELAN SUAVE : Chill and melodic. My music is also clean as I want people everywhere and all ages to be able to listen to my music.
StreamLINE : What is your creative process like?
ELAN SUAVE : Well, I’m just 15 and in high school at Fordham Preparatory School, so I have to juggle both school and music. Usually, I hear a beat and if I like it, I start writing. I get an idea for a song depending on the beat. Once I have an idea, I begin to write lyrics for the song.
I write almost anywhere. I’ve written songs on the bus to school, in my bedroom, on vacation in Jamaica and in my home studio in the basement at home.
Nowadays, I’m completing lyrics for my songs while freestyling in the studio while tracking as I record a song. I typically write the hook beforehand, then freestyle the verses. I write, arrange, and record my songs on my own.
StreamLINE : When you have spare time outside of music and school, what other activities do you enjoy?
ELAN SUAVE : I love playing video games with my friends and I play basketball as well. Lately, I’ve not been playing basketball as much as I used to when I played for my high school’s basketball team. I try to spend more time in my school’s gym just working out. I also like to hang out with my friends at the mall.
StreamLINE : How do you balance music and your obligations as a student?
ELAN SUAVE : I normally record music after I finish my homework. Sometimes, I record multiple songs in one sitting so I can focus totally on school for the next couple of days. So far, I’ve been balancing school and music well. I have an A- average in school and I still keep up with the things I have to do as an artist.
StreamLINE : Are you into sports? If so, what teams do you root for or players that you admire?
ELAN SUAVE : I love basketball. I use to root for the New York Knicks and have gone to games with my family, but the Knicks are terrible now. I don’t really have a team that I love now. Stephen Curry is one of my favorites. I also like Kyrie Irving and Lebron James.
StreamLINE : The “Hundreds” remix video looked like a blast for everyone involved! How was it shooting the video?
ELAN SUAVE : It was great. I was with family and friends, some of whom, like Kai and Laden, have been my friends from elementary school.
The video was shot in Brooklyn in a studio for that purpose. We used Nimi Hendrix for the shoot, and he did a great job. The other artist on the track, Captain Dmac, was great to work with. He’s a family friend who has been very encouraging of my music.
Some of the scenes for the video were done on the rooftop of the building in which most of the video shoot was done. Getting to the roof was a little scary, but once there it was a blast.
StreamLINE : Can you describe how the track “Moving Mountains” came about? It’s doing extremely well with over 300,000 streams to date on Spotify.
ELAN SUAVE : Moving Mountains came about naturally. I knew that I wanted to make a song about people who doubted my ability to make good music and eventually become successful. I started with the line ” ‘cuz they doubted on me”, and never looked back. I kept writing and it turned into what it is today.
StreamLINE : What do you enjoy most about performing live? Any things you dislike about it?
ELAN SUAVE : I love performing live. I feel in control, especially when the audience is responding positively. It’s crazy! I haven’t had any bad experiences while performing so I don’t think there’s anything I dislike about it.
StreamLINE : What are some countries you would love to visit? What is the best advice you’ve been given so far?
ELAN SUAVE : I’d love to visit Egypt, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and England. Hopefully, my career allows me to see these parts of the world. The best advice I’ve been given so far is by my late grandfather. He told me, “whatever you have to do, do it when you’re young”. I cherish this advice because the day after he told this to me and my brother, he died.
StreamLINE : The recording process can be a grind. Are there any funny studio stories or challenging moments that you have experienced while voicing a track?
ELAN SUAVE : When I record music, I am normally by myself in my home studio. The most funny studio story I have is when I was on the phone with a girl trying to get her to say something in the beginning of my song, but she chose not to.
When I first started making music, studio sessions were much harder and longer. Now, I record songs faster and go about things in a more efficient way.
StreamLINE : Please tell us what’s up next for you?….any upcoming releases, videos, shows?
ELAN SUAVE : My next single, “Butterflies”, will be released in November. After that, I will follow it up with a single from my next EP, “$uave $eason” in December. I am currently working on a music video for Moving Mountains because of the success it is receiving through streaming right now.
Editor’s Note
StreamLINE Music Blog would like to thank Elan for taking the time to speak with us and we wish him continued success on his aspirations in the music industry. Learn more about Elan Suave below. Please make sure to support and follow him on the various media platforms listed.
Elan Suave Social Media
Press/Blog Posts
https://skopemag.com/2018/12/20/new-video-elan-suave-ft-nellz-supreme-one-on-one
https://medium.com/@rivevideo/elan-suave-ft-nellz-supreme-one-on-one-19a19004a6af
https://thatbuzzingsound.com/2018/12/23/new-video-elan-suave-one-on-one-ft-nellz-supreme/
https://www.freshhiphoprnb.com/diamond-in-the-rough-elan-suave-feat-nellz-supreme-one-on-one/
https://itshiphopmusic.com/elan-suave-elans-world/
http://indienationblog.com/elan-suave-hundreds/
https://artistrack.com/elan-suave-testimony-freestyle/
https://www.rapstarvidz.com/elan-suave-feat-captain-dmac-hundreds-remix/
Elan Suave Biography
Elan Suave (“Elan”), whose real name is Ethan Griffiths, is an American singer/rapper born in the Bronx on January 11, 2004. He is of Jamaican descent. He has an older brother, Dornell Henriques, AKA Nellz Supreme (“Nellz”), with whom Elan has collaborated on several tracks.
From age 4, Elan began playing the piano and singing on the church’s choir. In 2014, Elan, at age of 10, participated in a talent competition for singing and playing the keyboard. He won both categories. In 2016, he participated in another competition and won the Male Solo Vocalist category.
When he became 13, Elan developed a keen interest in rapping. He demonstrated a knack for “spitting bars” and eventually fell in love with it. By the Summer of 2017, he was in the studio recording his first collaboration with Nellz, a freestyle of Travis Scott’s Butterfly Effect. In December of 2017, Elan, at age 13, recorded his first single, “Really Mad,” which was released on March 31, 2018.
He also participated in another collaboration with his brother on a single named “Weekend”, which was released on April 20, 2018. The brothers collaborated again on the song “One On One”, the video for which was premiered on YouTube on November 30, 2018 and has appeared on over 80 media, entertainment, and/or lifestyle outlets, including BetJams and Footlocker.
“One on One” was released officially as one of five songs on Elan’s EP, Elan’s World, which was released on December 21, 2018. All of the songs on the EP were written, arranged, and recorded by Elan. To date, the EP has accumulated over 428,000 streams on Spotify, with the second track on the EP, “Hundreds”, now on Spotify’s Discover Weekly Playlist. On May 24, 2019, Elan released a remix of “Hundreds” featuring another artist, Captain Dmac, and the remix has over 112,000 Spotify streams and is also on Spotify’s Discovery Weekly. They released a music video for the remix on YouTube.
On August 9, 2019, Elan released a single, “Moving Mountains”, which has accumulated over 340,000 streams on Spotify to date and is now on Spotify’s Discovery Weekly. He released another single, “Count On Me”, on October 18, 2019, and has one more, “Butterflies”, scheduled for release on November 15, 2019. Butterflies will be followed by another single, “Jealousy” in December 2019 then an EP, $uave $eason, with seven songs, on January 1, 2020.
Elan’s talents, word wizardry, and artistry will only get better as he ages and can draw more from life’s experiences for inspiration. Today, he’s motivated by rap artists such as A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Pnb Rock, and Tory Lanez. He is especially inspired by A Boogie who is from the Bronx. Aside from music, Elan likes to play basketball and is a 11th grader at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, NY. At only 15 years of age, Elan understands that his education is important and has maintained a GPA of 3.70. His goal is to balance his academic achievements with his love for music. He plans on being an educated artist with longevity in the music industry. He is definitely a young artist to watch.
Kevin James has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry in various facets. He has worked as a recording artist, songwriter, producer, on-air radio personality, background actor and film director. Kevin is a Member of the National Writer's Union.
🔥🔥🔥 lots of promise, young talent! Reminds me a lot of some youths I know here in Leicester go after the big time