Humming can be heard from behind a closed door where musician Ellie LeBar sits writing a new piece. She looks peaceful in her element: this is her happy place.
Ellie has had a long-standing dream to share her music and is currently on the track to make this dream a reality. She is currently studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston after putting in many hours to get there.
“Music brings me happiness, so I’ve been chasing that … ” said Ellie. “In a year I want to have grown. I’m very hesitant and I’m hoping being forced to be independent will help me lose some of that hesitance and take some more risks.”
Ellie has been making music since she could remember. As a child, She was constantly making noises.
“I was always making music,” said Ellie. “My parents say I was making noises constantly as a child, I assume they mean trying to sing but who knows what I was doing really, I could have been attempting to cuss them out.” Ellie paused for a minute, laughing softly before continuing her train of thought. “Just kidding, I think I was probably singing.”
Her parents often compared her to a bird and eventually decided to enroll her in choir and piano. Growing up, Ellie loved the attention she would get when singing at church. Ellie said that in high school she had a reputation as “the music kid” and she was fine with it. At age 15, Ellie had a mental breakdown that put her plans into motion.
She realized that she had not done anything to get what she wanted in life. After that realization, she began songwriting to quell the guilt of inaction.
After experiencing the joy of having her own music she continued writing- this time for herself. To get her voice and name out there, Ellie would spend hours on Mass Street busking on the corners and at the farmers market. Her parents would always stop by to show their support and pride in their daughter. In 2018 she locked down her first regular gig at a little coffee shop called S&S.
“That’s what kind of launched my career,” said Ellie. “After S&S I was able to get gigs at other places such as Kaw Valley Public House. I’ve played at so many places around town and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Throughout her senior year of high school, Ellie would spend gigs with her guitar case open at her feet to accept tips. These tips would go on to fund her education at the Berklee College of Music alongside a scholarship that covers her tuition for the next four years.
Throughout her career, Ellie has released 11 singles and an EP with more projects in the works. Writing about her own life experiences she hopes to relate to her listeners and provide a safe space.
“It’s not exactly anyone else’s style,” said Ellie. “My music is a convolution of everything I listen to and experience, along with my personal thoughts and musical intuition … The difference is, I made it. It has my personal fingerprints all over it which nobody else can replicate.”
Since moving to Boston and beginning her studies at Berklee, Ellie has been hard at work stockpiling music for future release. Spending hours in the studio and learning the ins-and-outs of the music industry, Ellie is well on her way to achieving her childhood dreams.
Source: ellielebarmgmt@gmail.com