From tiktok to sold-out tours: the unexpected rise of eli
Twenty-five-year-old musician Eli is rewriting the rules of pop, one glitter-dusted lyric at a time. Her journey from a small-town bedroom producer to a burgeoning star is as chaotic and compelling as her Music itself.
A sudden shift & a moment of clarity
Just weeks after releasing her debut album, Stage Girl, Eli nearly walked away from it all. ‘I did think, Maybe I’m just going to be a songwriter,’ she admitted during a recent Zoom call from her Los Angeles home, a space filled with Y2K-core highlights. ‘I’d forgotten about the things that I was doing it for, like loving writing songs and truly believing in the power of pop Music.’ The pressure of expectation, fueled by viral success, had become overwhelming. ‘My grip around all of those things start to loosen, and I felt other people gripping onto it,’ she explained, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.
The crowd saved her
But a return to her roots—specifically, the visceral joy of performing—offered a lifeline. ‘I was fully reminded that the biggest part of doing this, and why I’ve been dreaming of doing this—and why I wrote an album called Stage Girl—is to be on a stage, in front of people,’ she said, twirling a strand of her platinum blonde hair. ‘It re-instilled my faith in pop and in Music and in my songwriting abilities.’ The response from her growing fanbase, a testament to her unique blend of nostalgic sound and sharp, honest lyrics, solidified her path forward.
A diy dream realized
Eli’s rise has been astonishingly rapid. Starting with snippets of her songs posted on TikTok under the handle @JournalOfADoll, she quickly gained traction with her meticulously crafted, Y2K-inspired visuals—a deliberate homage to the singing competition shows of her youth. She signed with Mark Ronson’s label, RCA, and her debut album exploded onto the scene, earning her a sold-out tour featuring appearances from stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Addison Rae, and Troye Sivan in the audience. Now, with the deluxe edition of Stage Girl on the horizon – featuring tracks like the infectious ‘Glitter’ and the emotionally resonant ‘Feel Your Rain’ – Eli is poised to further cement her place in the pop landscape.
Beyond the stage
This next phase sees Eli venturing beyond the immediate spotlight, exploring sonic territories that include R&B, gospel, and even club Music. ‘I want to write about falling in love,’ she declared, with a mischievous glint in her eye. ‘And what else? Oh, duh. I want to make fucking club Music too. I want to make Christian music, and Adele music, to sing to the woman in Walmart who thinks that trans people don’t deserve to be alive. And then I’ll bring her backstage, and we’ll have such a ki.’ She laughed, a genuine and infectious sound. It’s a vision as ambitious and delightfully unconstrained as her music itself.
A new direction, a bold voice
Despite her success, Eli remains grounded, drawing inspiration from her personal journey as a trans woman. ‘It really was aligned with my opening the floodgates for my ability to express myself after 20 years of pushing it all down and living in a state of dissociation and repression,’ she revealed. ‘I feel very fortunate that, as terrifying as it was, I said, I’m going to just go full-throttle in trusting my truth and showing up in the world, even when it’s in a time where I’m scared.’ Eli’s music, infused with a raw honesty and a defiant spirit, is a powerful testament to that courage.