SARABI is here.
The album I've been working on for 3 years and that YOU HAVE ALL MADE POSSIBLE, is here.
This album was a labor of love and a labor of deep, meaningful friendships.
(warning: this is a long email telling the story of this album. if you'd like to read the TL:DR version, just check out my instagram post here.)
Most of the songs on this album were written during the lockdown of 2020, when Covid changed many of our lives forever–forcing me to take a good look at myself. It also forced me to reflect on my identity, on the state of society and my responsibility to it, and on mortality itself.
A big reason why I moved here in October 2019 from sunny California was the caliber of musicianship, the emphasis on community and connection, and the value people put on the craft of songwriting. I did not expect to move here and then be faced with a global pandemic just 5 months later. Through the tumultuous years of 2020 and early 2021, I was actually on the verge of moving back to my home state of California. But I knew I wanted to record something and put out a music project out into the world before leaving.
It started out as a 4 or 5 song EP. I had no budget, and I just wanted to put something out in the world backed by and created with Nashville musicians & songwriters. But Just like the shock of the pandemic, I found myself facing the biggest heartbreak of my life later in 2021. A relationship ended that deep down I knew wasn’t meant to be forever. So as I sat with the grief of losing this incredibly important person and essentially starting over in Nashville, I began to build my own self esteem–or at least try to. I returned to the idea of the music I wanted to record, and I dared to daydream. I thought maybe this 4 song EP could be something bigger. As I began to dream about what this album could be I was met with my inner critic. How was I going to successfully achieve this?
I had successfully done a Kickstarter campaign many years ago for my very first album. And as much shame as I had around asking for money again, luckily I had a lot of support and encouragement from friends, not to mention a campaign manager who helped so much (shoutout to Haley Combs)!
So in 2022, What resulted was not only a fully funded album but a need to raise my funding goal to higher than I expected. I am still shocked by the amount of support and love I received from you all.
This was not meant to be a ‘breakup album’ (and in fact only 2 of the 8 songs are about that breakup), but it sort of came out that way. The feelings I experience when listening to this album include sadness and loss, but also a sweet hopefulness. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart my co-producer Connor Gehlert, who helped to achieve a sound that encompasses these emotions. He has been there through the creation, recreation, analysis, deletion, rewinding, replaying, re-recording, tearing out my hair, then crying in joy at each individual song.
Some of these songs were written in solitude, and others were co-written with other songwriters in town and even across the country/world. Shoutout to my dear friend who’s been through EVERYTHING with me Emily Ronna who helped me write Stupid Little Things and Masterpiece, Nik Lizcano writing on Stupid Little Things, Kenzie Kates and Tina Lanelle who wrote Who Knew with me, Emily Otnes here in Nashville who helped produced Play Along, and Quinn Devoux in the Bay Area who helped me polish the lyrics of Play Along.
I'd also like to send love to folks who have been not only great friends but also helped with the creation of this album: Mimi Speyer who created the gorgeous t-shirt and album art, Becky Levi who contributed psychic readings and Ian DePriest who contributed tarot readings for the campaign, Audrey Jane who contributed trumpet in addition to the lovely Julia Cannon, Misty Dawn, Emily Ronna and Monica Guardado who provided the sassy gang vocals on Who Knew.
This album had not one, not two, but THREE drummers. So in addition to the amazing Aaron Lawson, shoutout to John Venezia and Justin Vorp, who contributed their mad drumming skills. HUGE thanks to George Russell III for his keys and Michael Lindo for lead guitar.
I’m also so grateful to my OG friend and bass player Rye Jackson, who played my very first show with me when I first moved to Nashville and continued to support my musical journey over the past 5 years, and big shoutout to OG friend Michael Beckhart who was our recording engineer for half the songs on the album all the way back in November 2021, planting the seeds of the EP that later became the album.
HUGE thanks to Jeremy Bernstein for mixing, Piper Payne for mastering, Eva Cassel on background vocals, Alex Stradal on cello, Jake Ohlbaum on keys, Casey Brefka on trumpet, Holy Nguyen for the gorgeous photoshoots, and Oceanna Colgan for the beautiful video content.
In closing, I want to thank ya'll again for making this possible, especially my mom Debbie Sun and stepdad Bill Beebe, Cathy Quist Brisbin, Jerry Tokunaga, Eugene Joseph, Harold Hotellling, and everyone who’s coming to the album release party!
I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do and so grateful to everyone who has believed in me and empowered me along this journey.
Love,
Ellisa
P.S. There are still tickets available for the big ALBUM RELEASE PARTY in Nashville at the City Winery Lounge tomorrow. Get tickets here!