Ellis May: “I remember visiting a neighbor, MTV was on, “Thriller” started and my mind exploded.”

Photo: Søren Rønholt

Who are you? (How did the band get together / when did you start, what is your musical background?)

Singing has always been an almost holy practice to me, and it has taken courage to share my songs with my audience. I have no training in music, besides from all the experiments I’ve done. I chose to study sound design at the National Film School of Denmark and I use the tools gained there to produce my own music.

What type of music do you play – genre, expression, mood?

I don´t know about genres. To me it’s all expression, I feel like a blues singer, though one could hardly call my music blues. My aim is to move people – physically and mentally – Dancing, crying or silently observing.

What was your first musical experience?

When I was a kid, we lived in the woods farming the land. We had no television but I had a ghetto-blaster and a tape with Michael Jackson, and I didn’t know if MJ was a boy or a girl or how he looked like but I knew all the songs. I remember visiting a neighbor, MTV was on, “Thriller” started and my mind exploded.

What are your sources of inspiration – other bands, people, experiences?

Nature and daily life – life in some kind of a dark, holistic view is my main inspiration. Jim Morrison, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Portishead, The Prodigy, Faithless and Scott Walker have especially meant a lot to me. When I heard Scott Walkers “The Drift” I saw this vision of how I could make my own music.

What is your ambition playing at SPOT?

We had our debut show at lille sal (Small Hall) in The Concert Hall at SPOT 17, so this time around, one year after, I hope to have grown out of the technical stage of performing and that my band and I are able to be more present in the experience together with our audience.

Have you ever played abroad? – If yes, where and how was it different?

We played at Eurosonic Noorderslag this January, but it being a huge showcase festival with more than 300 bands it’s hard to compare to regular gigs… I remember being quite busy…

What is your dream as a musician?

To be authentic and generous.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned so far?

To trust my own gut feeling.

Where do see yourself in five years?

Down the rabbit hole…