“Live is when people get the closest most real glimpse of me.
That’s the one time I bare all. I’m free when I am performing.”

It’s no secret. Los Angeles based electro-pop artist, Elohim, is destined for big things, and big things very soon. Using her art, and only her art, as her identity, the classically-trained songstress has remained anonymous, even cloaking her identity when performing live. The world may not know her yet, and may never, but the clock’s ticking, and behind the mask is a mastermind.

Interview by Andy Gorel
Photography by Chase O’Black

Andy: At what age did you start playing music, and was it always something you wanted to pursue?

Elohim: I started learning piano when I was 5 years old. Throughout my studies, there were times when it became so overwhelmingly difficult that as a child it was almost impossible to not want to quit. I had a very intense teacher who constantly pushed me but I had parents dedicated to loving and inspiring me. I am forever grateful for my parents persistence and knowledge to know that as a parent it was ok to push their child towards greatness.
When I musically started to come into my own, the pursuit remained in my system and I couldn’t function without it.

Andy: So you’re a classically trained pianist, but your music involves very modern production techniques and sampling. What made you want to create the type of music you do, which is almost opposite of where your roots are?

Elohim: Surprisingly, there is so much classical embedded in what I do. I wasn’t the average kid at a conservative piano recital or competition. I studied classical but listened to alternative music. My warm up gloves had skeletons on them. Everyone else was in frilly dresses. My parents were constantly educating me on music whether it was Miles Davis or Pink Floyd, Bach or Muddy Waters. I started listening to bands like Radiohead and became obsessed with sounds. Creating them finding them deconstructing them. That’s what inspires me. It has been a natural evolution. I aim to continuously evolve.

Andy: Elohim is a Hebrew name for God, but what does the name mean to you as an artist using it as your pen name?

Elohim: It is strength and confidence. It is beauty and love. To me this word is special. I have my own unique definition. Biblically it does mean god but to my heart it represents a time in my life when I found myself and exactly what I wanted. As a woman in music it feels powerful to embody this name. Music is god-like it’s spiritual it can move you like nothing else. It is nearly inexplainable.

“Elohim? It is strength and confidence. It is beauty and love. To me this word is special. I have my own unique definition.”

Andy: You have remained anonymous since creating music under the moniker Elohim, even when playing shows. What made you want to conceal your identity, and what is it like singing your songs to an audience who doesn’t know what you actually look like?

Elohim: In fact, it’s actually quite the opposite. Live is when people get the closest most real glimpse of me.
That’s the one time I bare all. I’m free when I am performing.
It wasn’t a conscious decision to remain anonymous, it ended up working out that way when I took the masked photo. It felt right. For the first time, what I created sonically had a visual representation to go along with it. I love the idea of people listening with their own interpretation, or no interpretation at all. Just listening, truly listening. I hope to speak enough truth in my music that people feel like they know me.

Andy: Before the internet, most artists maintained a sense of mystique without even trying. Social media and has allowed artists to become more accessible to their fans, and give a glimpse of their personal lives, which are usually pretty ordinary when not on tour. In a time where authenticity as both a person and artist is trending, do you feel that mystique can be that much more effective for an artist, because it goes against the current?

Elohim: It is more in my nature to keep a lower profile. My personal life is just that, very personal. I don’t want to shove myself in anyones face, I want to glide into their ears. I have turned social media and the interactions it contains into something I find fulfillment in. Through these various lines of communication I have been able to have one on conversations with people from all over the world who suffer from anxiety or just want a friend to talk to.

Andy: You created a buzz in 2015 by releasing “She Talks Too Much”, “Xanax”, and “Bridge and the Wall” on B3SCI Records. What has it been like keeping a low profile while being approached by industry people or the press?

Elohim: It’s challenging to navigate the industry at times, but I’ve maintained it by staying busy. I am constantly creating while staying true to myself and standing by what I believe. I surround myself with loving kind hearted authentic hard working individuals. I love connecting with people that want to engage in a very real connection, the industry can be daunting but having a solid and true identity makes all the difference.