The only woman featured on Worldwide FM’s Sydney broadcast, and having recently produced her first old out all-femme-identifying showcase featuring musicians, visual artists, poets and DJs, 20-year-old Ella Haber has worked toward her debut for 15 years.
Shocked by a hushed crowd reaction at her first public performance, Ella’s realisation her voice could halt and occupy an audience’s thoughts bleeds into all aspects of her life. With early demos of her debut EP, CLAY, reaching the ears of Brisbane-raised, London-based musician Jordan Rakei, the recent Ninja Tune signee - impressed with her vibrant songwriting and compositions - lent his production chops to the project, arranging and recording live instrumentation at Old Paradise Audio in London, while Ella worked on vocal recordings in Sydney.
“Ella's timeless vocals and mature songwriting sensibility was the reason I wanted to work with her on this project. In a climate where artists often take shortcuts, Ella's determination and strong vision will make her stand out from the rest. It was a pleasure bringing her songwriting to life and I can't wait for the world to hear her music!” - Jordan Rakei
A multi-lingual multi-instrumentalist deftly weaving her songwriting prowess with trumpet, piano, spoken word, fresh lyricism and powerful jazz/soul performance, Ella’s ease within music is in stark contrast to her feeling for every other established structure. Set to release her debut single, Old Friends, written when Haber was only 17, she reflects on the impact Amy Winehouse’s debut album, Frank, had on her songwriting: “I had been writing music since I was a kid, but listening to Frank just gave me permission to write about love and all its pains and confusions in this way of transparency and brutal honesty I never had before. Old Friends was actually the first track I wrote from the EP, and, the first song I ever really felt proud of”
In a genre, and society, where identity is increasingly scrutinised, Ella Haber resists, comfortable only in the confines of music composition. Challenging, with full colour love and intelligence, she's not letting anyone off lightly. Her debut EP, CLAY, released April 26 on Soul Has No Tempo.
Clay - EP
Ella Haber
Released April 26, 2019
Format: 12” Vinyl / Digital
Credits:
All songs written by Ella Haber
All songs produced by Jordan Rakei
Music performed by:
Ella Haber: Vocals, Trumpet on ‘Old Friends’
Jordan Rakei: Guitar, Piano, Rhodes, Synths, Drum Programming, Percussion
Tom Guy: Bass
Jim Macrae: Drums
Imraan Paleker: Guitar on ‘Old Friends’
Sam Weiss: Saxophone on ‘Old Friends’
Tobie Tripp: Strings on ‘Behind Closed Eyes’
Mixed by Jim Macrae at Old Paradise Audio
Mastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis Mastering
℗ & © 2019 Soul Has No Tempo