House Call with Ella Woolsey
We met Ella Woolsey at her home in LA just a few days before the release of her latest EP, Super Special Outing. We talked inspiration, working with friends and family, and the backstory behind her new music.
Who are you?
My real name is Ella Carlson, but people shouldn't call me that. Woolsey is my grandma's maiden name, so I’m Ella Woolsey.
I'm from Los Angeles, I’m 20 and I make music.
First song you’re playing on aux?
Almost A Threat by Snow Strippers.
Go-to coffee spot & order?
Definitely where I work in New York, Felix Roasting Co. I always get an iced oat latte.
Most overrated thing?
Vaping.
Most underrated thing?
Vaping. [Laughs]
Last thing you bought?
A vape… [Laughs] No, no, that’s not true… Wait. I actually think the last thing I bought was a vape, is that embarrassing?
Let me change it, I bought an everything bagel with cream cheese from the airport.
Was it good?
It was so good. I felt really happy. I felt blissful after I ate it.
Ella in her backyard.
Who was your top artist last year on Spotify?
Andy Shauf, he's from Canada. His voice is really peculiar, his vowels are very rounded.
LA or New York?
New York for school but I would like to have a family in LA. I would not raise kids in New York.
What makes LA special?
It’s just slower and prettier, sorry New York.
Friend that inspires you?
Awe, Camille [Roth]. She does her own thing. She's really honest. She's really creative. She's really tough. We’ve been working together since my first EP. I’ve known her since I was a baby, our moms knew each other when they were pregnant.
What’s your go-to spot when you’re here in LA?
I haven’t been here in so long, I just post up in my backyard honestly. I hang out, sit in the sun, listen to the sounds.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been taking it seriously since I was 15. I did musical theater, but acting is not my strong suit and I like to sing.
I also really like to write, so I just combined the two.
What’s the best part about making music?
When you make something that you really like and that other people connect with.
What’s the worst part?
It sucks to make music right now because it's just so oversaturated. Like everyone's trying to do it. It just becomes so non creator friendly. Especially with the apps, such as TikTok and those kinds of things. Labels won't even talk to you if you don't have a certain amount of followers or momentum on socials.
Ella at home in LA.
How would you describe the genre of music you make?
I would say alternative rock, dream rock, and indie pop. I don't love classifying things as pop, but it is what it is.
Your younger brother Kerry makes music too, did he get that from you?
I think we definitely came into it on our own, especially 'cause we make such different kinds of music. But I mean I've lent him a lot of my gear and I've given him a hand in certain ways, but he's definitely doing his own thing. We’re actually working on a song together right now.
When you’re working on a song, who's the first person you send it to?
Honestly, Kerry, a lot of the time. Kerry and Camille, just 'cause I know that they won't bullshit me. I can totally read through it when somebody's like, “Oh yeah, this is so good,” and they just don't want to give me criticism 'cause they're scared of how I'll react. Which, not to say I take criticism easily, [Laughs] but yeah, I'd say they're definitely the most honest with me.
You released three singles over the past few months, how long have you been working on those?
I made the demos for the EP last year, literally exactly a year ago in Joshua Tree. I had been in contact with this producer, Jorge Elbrecht and he worked on one demo with me and I really wanted to work with him. He randomly texted me like, “Oh my God, I'm gonna be in LA, are you here?” And I was like, “No, but I'll fly out next week if you're gonna be there.” We recorded the EP in a week. It’s coming out on Friday [5.17.24] and it’s called Super Special Outing.
I love the name of the EP, what’s the story behind that?
The concept is from when I was little and I really just wanted to hang out with my mom 'cause she works all the time. All I would talk about in therapy was how I just wanted to hang out with my mom, so we would plan these little dates every week. That's where the concept originally came from, but it turned into being about me trying to be super good at everything and people pleasing and then in the end not making people happy. A lot of the EP is me trying to not take myself so seriously. I feel like I just took myself way too seriously when I first started making music and looking back I cringe so hard because of it. Some of the lyrics on this EP are just so funny to me and that's because I just tried to not put too much pressure on myself. But a lot of the songs are just about fucking up and not doing things right all the time.
Tell me about your process when making a song, how do you get the idea in your head to the finished product?
Usually I start with a lyric idea and just write for a while and then it'll make its way to the guitar. But sometimes it's the other way around, it really depends. If I come up with a guitar part that I really like, I'll just force myself to write something even if I don't have any ideas. I’m always writing in my room, usually in my bed. I have a really hard time even writing with other people 'cause I get so nervous to share my ideas, but that's something I'm trying to do more of. And I usually record it in my bedroom or at school. Up until this EP, I was self recording, self-producing, doing everything myself. I played all the instruments on all my other stuff, but on the EP my producer did like the bass and my old drummer did all the drums.
Are you working with a label?
I have this interesting deal with Good Boy Records. It's a funding deal. Basically they're just investing in me, so they don't own the rights to my music. They just handle distribution and I still have complete creative control, which is awesome.
How long have you been releasing music on your own before that came to be?
Four years. My friend Lily, who I go to school with, just sent my music to this guy John, who founded the label. He just really fucked with it and he was like, I want to talk to her. And yeah, he was really passionate about this project.
Has it helped you out so far?
Yeah, well, I was just tired of doing it all by myself. I love to do it all by myself and I still come up with all my music video ideas and everything, but it's so hard to be your only critic and being the only person having an eye on your art.
Who inspires you musically?
I would say Andy Shauf again. I feel like I've started writing songs in a totally different way, I've developed a more storytelling writing style. Before I was writing a lot from experience but I find it way more fun to just make stuff up now.
What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired?
Force myself to be inspired. [Laughs] I'll look through old stuff that I've written. Like if I can't think of a song to write, sometimes I'll look in my journal for ideas to start with and then I'll start from a personal experience and then embellish it or totally make something up from that point.
What does success mean to you?
Honestly, just liking my own work. Being 100 percent proud of what I have out and totally not caring how it's received. Just getting to a point where I can just be happy with my own perception of my music and not other people's.
More of Ella at home.
Dream scenario in five years?
Definitely opening for somebody on a US tour. Someone like Warpaint or some female-led band in the rock world.
How are you going to get there?
Playing more shows, writing more songs, posting more of my music. I feel like I finally reached the point where I just don't give a fuck anymore. I'm just kind of testing everything out and sharing as much as I can, seeing what sticks and what doesn't.
What are you most proud of?
Staying in school. And the EP, I worked really hard on it. I feel slightly disconnected from it just because I wrote it so long ago and I'm so eager to share my new music. There's like two phases of excitement when you make something. It's right after you make it and then the interim where it's like, wait a second, I don't even know what this is. I don't know why I did this. And then after that you're like, okay wait, actually this is really cool.
How do you get through that interim phase when you don't really know what's going on? What do you do to stay on track?
I just try to distract myself by making new things. Like, recently when I've been struggling with that, I'll compare my newer songs that I really, really love to my older ones. I try to think about how the older songs have helped me get to where my new ones are, it’s rewarding.
What’s a piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
I kinda already said this, but just not to take myself too seriously and care so much about what I'm doing. Also to not be scared to switch up what I'm doing. Especially 'cause this EP is so different from what I've released in the past. I was so scared that people would be like, what the hell is she trying to do? [Laughs] But I'm totally allowed to change what I'm doing and I have to remind myself of that a lot.
What’s next for you?
I'm working on a new album that will hopefully come out next year, making some new music videos this summer and playing more shows.
I have a show in LA in July that I'm excited for.
@ellawoolseyy
ellawoolsey.com
May 2024
Los Angeles, CA
Photography & Interview by Isaac Barnett
@iebcam