INTERVIEW: Folk Singer Simon Elijah Releases His Debut LP Ahead of Graduation
“I try to make songs about struggles that I've gone through, struggles that people I know have gone through…”
It was 3:00 on a weekday afternoon, and Simon Elijah was sitting in a classroom at his Burnt Hills high school when we connected over Zoom. The wall behind him was adorned with a tapestry and at least two guitars—signs of a cool teacher, if you ask me.
Our chat coincided with not only his debut album, Fly Out, but also his 18th birthday. He was quick to cite a number of atypical Gen-Z influences, from Jason Isbell to Pete Seeger to Woody Guthrie, which he wears proudly on his sleeve throughout the track listing.
“I grew up with my dad washing dishes with Jason Isbell playing in the kitchen,” Simon recalled. “Neither of my parents are musicians, but they definitely have good taste in music. They introduced me to a lot of my favorite artists. I'm inspired by their ability to make music that makes an impact and a difference in the world. I think music is a really powerful tool for activism, and that's what I appreciate.”
Simon’s approach to songwriting is a bit different from outright activism. Although it’s something that’s top of mind, in these early days of his career, he has found that focusing on more personal messaging within his songs is proving to be more impactful for him. It’s basically the “write what you know” approach.
“There is definitely a place for songs that are very directly spreading a message. But I like to think that songs can have bigger impacts on people's lives just by making them relatable and something that people can turn to in difficult times. I try to make songs about struggles that I've gone through, struggles that people I know have gone through. And I hope that other people can relate to that, and it can make their lives better in some way.”
This desire to create meaning for others came from discovering new music and realizing the impact that it had on his own life. He’s grown up in the Capital Region with parents that sought to keep him engaged with music, despite having little interest at first. He spent a few elementary school years playing the clarinet, only to discover he didn’t like Band and quickly moved on.
“My parents really wanted me to still have music in my life,” Simon said. “I think they saw some type of spark, some sort of potential, and they encouraged me to start taking guitar lessons. Even for the first couple years of learning guitar, I didn't really enjoy it. It wasn't my thing.”
Things really clicked for Simon during his freshman year. Without any songs under his belt, the idea of recording an album lit a fire in him. He set out to not only begin writing songs, but to learn the entire process from beginning to end.
“I had no idea how recording worked. I had no idea about the music industry. I'd never played on a stage before. But as I continued to explore my own songwriting, the album started to take shape.”
This past summer, Simon even took an Audio Production class at SUNY Schenectady and learned how to use the recording software Pro Tools. He bought some microphones and got to work on self-recording his entire first record, an impressive feat for someone about to graduate high school.
“It's definitely been a learning process, and I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but it's been really exciting what I've been able to do.”
Fly Out is a self-proclaimed coming-of-age album. Not unlike his biggest influences, Simon proves himself an adept storyteller with a keen sense for earnestness. His lyrics tend to be youthfully poetic, conjuring up nostalgic imagery of places both familiar and unknown. “9,632” details an intense, ruminative hike whereas “Childhood Home” looks around fondly at a scene he’s known his whole life. “Now I drive down the same suburban roads / Past the bridge over the stream / With the flowers and the toads / Park in front by our house with its big ol' maple tree / Though I'm older and I've grown so much / It still looks like home to me,” he writes with the wisdom of someone young about to embark on a new life chapter—Simon heads to Wesleyan University this Fall, something he details in the album’s experimental second track, “Get Lost”.
“I wrote that song at the end of last year,” he told me. “It felt like I had senioritis, even though I was a junior. I was just kind of really fed up, both with the social scene and with school itself. So I was ready to get out. That was when I was starting to think about colleges and all that. I applied early decision to Wesleyan, and the day I was awaiting my college decision was the day I ended up recording [“Get Lost”] so I was able to channel my anxiety from that. I just kept reloading the portal and in between getting up to reload it, I was laying down tracks.”
Another highlight is “Whale Watching in Maine”, which was endearingly co-written with his mother.
“My mom is a poet, so she’s able to bring that aspect. It’s been really meaningful to work with her on some songs.”
Their songwriting partnership precedes this work on Fly Out though. Before this record came into fruition, the two of them worked on a one-off single that not only garnered a lot of attention, but really jump started Simon’s plunge into music. The song was “Can Opener Bridge”, a humorous nod to the infamous Glenville bridge that tends to take down unsuspecting trucks. (“Against any kind of big rig, the Glenville bridge always wins…”) At first, it was a throwaway song—Simon even told me he hated it!—but starting from scratch with his mother penning the verses redeemed the whole idea, and it became a big deal for him locally.
“I played it at my school's talent show last year, and the response I got was absolutely incredible for my community. That song kind of blew up on Facebook in my school district, people kept reposting it and sharing it, and then I ended up getting interviewed and going on TV with it. That kind of made me think, ‘oh, I might have something here.’ People were just really supportive and I decided to keep going and pursuing my songwriting.”
Although he jokes that the Glenville Bridge is to thank for all of this, what it really comes down to is Simon's natural talent. Years from now, I suspect people could look back on Fly Out as the humble beginnings of a revered folk singer. The irony of this being – other than the fact that obviously no one can predict what the future holds – that Simon’s plans are indeed about as humble as you can get. Most young musicians dream big. Simon, it seems to me, dreams sensibly.
“I just really like sharing my music with people. I'm not looking for fame or wealth or glory. I'm trying to make songs that make a difference in people's lives and that people can relate to. It really means something to me when someone will message me or tell me, like, “Hey, this song really did something for me…”, or, “This song had a lot of meaning to me…” That's really validating.“
Fly Out is available now on all major streaming services. To learn more about Simon, visit www.simonelijah.com, and be sure to catch him live this Friday, April 11, at Paper Moon in Troy.
