Q&A: Sheva Elliot on "Birds of a Feather" and the Freedom of Following Your Gut
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
SHEVA ELLIOT HAS NEVER BEEN INTERESTED IN THE SAFE CHOICE. The Los Angeles-born singer, songwriter and producer has built her reputation on music that refuses to look away - songs rooted in lived experience, emotional honesty and what she calls "the truth of the human experience." With her new single "Birds of a Feather," she turns that lens on one of the most universal human tensions there is: the gap between what you're supposed to do and what your gut is screaming at you to do instead.
Twangy, upbeat and impossible to shake, "Birds of a Feather" is a roots-rock shot of adrenaline: the sound of someone deciding, finally, to stop apologizing for what they want. "Ultimately, this song is about saying 'to hell with it,'" Elliot says, "going for the person who makes your heart flutter, and not worrying about the consequences." It's bolder and more mischievous than anything she's released before, and it arrives as a preview of her forthcoming full-length album, a roots-driven record tracing the arc of her becoming - grief giving way to acceptance, acceptance giving way to freedom.
Drawing on Aretha Franklin, Chris Stapleton, Grace Potter, Lainey Wilson and The Red Clay Strays, Elliot has carved out a sound that feels both classic and completely her own: gritty, soulful, and emotionally fearless. We sat down with her to talk desire, instinct and what it means to make music that doesn't flinch.
LUNA: "Birds of a Feather" is described as being about choosing desire over approval. Was there a specific moment or experience that cracked this song open for you?
ELLIOT: A past relationship.
LUNA: The song has this tension between doing what's "right" and doing what's right for you. Do you think most people know the difference, or is that the hard part?
ELLIOT: I think everyone has intuition, but not everyone is able to follow it for a variety of reasons. Fear of judgment from others, judgment of self, clouded by others' expectations etc.
LUNA: What's your favorite lyric from the track?
ELLIOT: "Maybe hell can wait forever, angels laugh at God's go-getter."
LUNA: You've described it as "bolder, freer, and more mischievous" than your previous work. What did it feel like in the studio when you knew you'd captured that energy?
ELLIOT: It was just so much fun to play it back and dance to it right there at the soundboard.
LUNA: You've described your upcoming album as tracing "the arc of your becoming." Tell us more about the making of the project.
ELLIOT: Each track of this album was written at different times in my life. There was a lot of grief that gave way to acceptance and ultimate freedom. It's the version of me between the last chapter and the next chapter. Not quite grown, but way more grown than before.
LUNA: The record pulls from Americana, gospel, roots rock, and soul. Was there a moment in the process where those influences locked into a cohesive sound, or was it more intuitive than that?
ELLIOT: Each track pulls a little more from one genre than the other. It was nice to let myself do that, not try to make this a concept album or wrestle with the songs to make them something they don't wanna be.
LUNA: Who have you been listening to lately?
ELLIOT: I recently discovered Kassi Ashton and she's such a badass.
LUNA: What do you want someone to walk away feeling after hearing this record for the first time?
ELLIOT: Fierce, tender, empowered, sentimental. All the things this wild and messy life has to offer us.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for this summer?
ELLIOT: I'd love to be laying on a beach in the Mediterranean somewhere but alas, I'll probably be working on the next album, between LA and Nashville.
