Elijah Woods (Courtesy of George Pimentel / Tallulah PR) Watch Part 1 of Elijah Woods ‘s interview here!
Hot off his July single “2 thousand 10”, multi-platinum artist Elijah Woods is ready for a new era. His upcoming EP, Hey There Elijah, out September 27, brims with an electrifying pop-rock, and his latest single, “Sunlight!” is no exception. The new single is classic Elijah—it pulses equal parts with bombastic bass and introspective depth that pulls listeners into his ever-evolving world.
Hey There Elijah is a six-track reflection on turning 30, navigating love, and confronting life’s twists and turns. “It’s everything I’ve been through in the last few years,” Elijah says. “This EP is my quest for maturity.” Seamlessly blending nostalgic pop with edgy indie-rock undertones, the project is another sonic evolution for the Toronto-based artist yet still captures that familiar Woods magic with a fresh, mature twist.
Fresh off his sold-out Canadian headline tour and international shows across Asia, where he even opened for Niall Horan (one of his “impossible” goals from his 2024 journal), Elijah’s journey has been nothing short of meteoric. With four JUNO Award nominations, a SOCAN Pop Award, and over 1 billion streams, he’s on a fast track to global stardom.
Ahead, Elijah Woods chats with Music Daily ahead of June’s Asia tour, offering a glimpse at new music and his favorite artists. Also as he prepared for his July wedding, Music Daily asks about everything love– a glimpse of the person underneath the rockstar. Watch and read below!
MUSIC DAILY: I saw that you’re going to play a show opening for Niall Horan, a former One Direction member. Were you a Directioner in your past life?
Elijah Woods: On January 1st, I usually write out goals for myself. This year, I had a journal entry saying, ‘I will open for one of the members of One Direction.’ I didn’t know how or when, but not even two months later, my agent hit me up saying, ‘Hey, we got an offer to open for Niall Horan. Do you want to do it?’ I was like, ‘I will do anything to do that.’ Growing up, it was tough to be anything that wasn’t a big tough guy with a truck, but as an adult, I look at what they did culturally, and I have so much respect and admiration for them. They’re all super talented.”
MD: Besides your [June] tour and [silver lining] EP, are there any plans for 2024 that are locked in for the rest of the year?
EW: More music. I don’t want to say an album, but I want to say an album. It’s not gatekeeping—it’s just that I need to make sure it’s what I want sonically. Also, I’m getting married in July, so that’s pretty exciting.
MD: Do you remember any crazy fan interactions you’ve had?
EW: I’ve had a couple of weird ones. One time a lady tried to give me a dog—a puppy—and I was like, ‘Yo, I cannot take this dog.’ Another time, a lady painted a picture of me, and it was pretty graphic. That was a lot. I try to take it with a grain of salt unless someone’s doing something really offensive. Some things come across a little too much, but they’re genuinely stoked, and I think about the love and attention that went into it. They want to make a good impression. But if someone walks up with a picture, I’m like, ‘Whoa, okay, that’s almost assault.'”
MD: Is there a chance you’ll play a song at your wedding?
EW: “Absolutely not. Zero chance. That’s my greatest fear—playing my own songs at my wedding. She hears them every day, and I think it’s gone past the point of being cute. It’s more like, ‘Yeah, well, no, it’s paying for the wedding, that’s for sure.’
MD: Do you have a favorite love song?
EW: Definitely “Slow Burn” by Kacey Musgraves. But actually, my all-time favorite love song is “Faithfully” by Journey. Have you heard the Miley Cyrus cover of that?
MD: Let’s talk about your song “24/7, 365,” which literally blew up last year. I was listening to it this morning, and it really sounded like a love song. I’m guessing it’s about your fiancée [now wife].
EW: Yes, it is. It’s loud, and going back to one of your first points about going to Asia, one of the reasons is that this song has performed so well there. The demand is crazy for me to perform it. When you make a song, no matter how special it is to you, when you’re done with it and put it out, it stops being yours. After that, it’s just up to the universe. Seeing it come back and be this amazing thing doesn’t make me go, ‘Wow, look what I did.’ It’s more like, ‘Wow, look what I get to participate in for the rest of my life.’ Then millions of people relate to it, and I think that’s so wild. I just made this stuff up in my head, and then people say, ‘Oh, I really feel that.’ I think that’s so, so wild.
MD: Is there an unsung hero song in your discography that you think deserves more attention?
EW: If I could pick another song that I’d be really happy to perform for the rest of my life at the scale of “24/7,” it would be a song called “Last Girl.” It’s so special to me. It was the last song I wrote for Bright Orange Everglow, and I was with Jack Lafrance and Jason Salido. Jason’s done a bunch of stuff; he’s in a band called Sir Sly, an unbelievable producer.
We were in the studio at the end of the day, and Jack picked up the guitar and started noodling around. I heard these chords and just started singing the chorus melody of “Last Girl.” The whole chorus came up in about four and a half minutes, and I was sobbing, just crying. When I write a lyric that I really care about or feel emotionally attached to, I cry. That’s how I know a lyric is really good.
MD: Do you look to any permanent music inspirations when creating a record?
EW: Definitely. I really look to Dominic Fike. He’s doing really cool things, and though he’s had a wild journey personally, I love what he’s doing musically. It’s nonchalant, and he just makes music when he wants. I think that’s a fun way to look at making art. I also really like Benson Boone. He’s an unbelievable singer, and just the sweetest guy. People like David (D4VD) and Artemis are experimenting with different musical types, pitching their voices in unique ways. That stuff keeps me inspired as a producer.
MD: Is there a dream collaboration you’re thinking of with a dream artist?
EW: I would love a Stevie Nicks collab, but I don’t know if that would happen in my lifetime. I’d die. That’d be pretty cool. I’d also love to do something with Kacey Musgraves; that would be really cool. If I could get a Tori Kelly sample or something like that, I’d be over the moon. She’s my favorite singer of all time. I’d never want to be on a song with her because I’d just sit there like, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ I can’t sing like that.
