Recently, I got to ask the incredibly talented, multi-instrumentalist/ singer-songwriter, Elise Trouw, some questions regarding her songwriting process, musicianship, and the music business out on the west coast.

First off, what is your name, how old are you and where do you hail from?

My full name is Elise Ashlyn Trouw. I’m seventeen years old and have lived around Southern California my entire life. I was born in Newport Beach, but currently live in San Diego.

No, I’m the first musician in my family.

I started out on classical piano lessons when I was six, after deciding I wanted to be able to play “My Immortal” by Evanescence on piano (which I never actually ended up learning…). After messing around on the video game Rockband when I was ten, I was inspired to play real drums and began formal lessons with Dave Blackburn. I also learned some guitar from him and have also picked up bass since then. As for singing, I only started about 2 years ago after I began songwriting.

Thank you! I never really planned on being a singer and actually began by taking classical vocal lessons with a singer named Sara Perez. She helped me a lot with my technique, which was beneficial when I ventured into pop singing. I currently take contemporary voice lessons with Jody Bagley.

I almost always write my songs on piano, beginning with either a melody or a lyric phrase. Typically, the chorus comes first, because I see that as the song’s “thesis”, which the verse lyrics all point to.

Almost all of the tracks on my album were mixed and mastered by Alan Sanderson, though my most recent single, “Burn,” was mixed and mastered by Christopher Hoffee. On songs like “She Talking” and “Burn,” I record and produce the tracks at home, then take them to the studio for mixing. On less electronic songs, I record in the studio with Alan and my producer Gary Hyde.

Yes, my producer is also the cowriter on most of my songs, so a lot of the work we do is a collaborative effort.

That’s a tough one to answer. I’d probably choose to collaborate with Thom Yorke from Radiohead.

Definitely Sting from The Police.

Sting writes a lot of beautiful verse melodies that perfectly frame his lyrics. The way his songs flow, creating a story, is the tell of an amazing songwriter.

Most of my music falls under the category of Alternative Pop. By this I mean that the songs are written with pop forms, but the recordings have alternative arrangements.

“Burn” was filmed in South Africa with a production company called The Grand•Kids Collective. It was shot over two long (13-15 hour) days. Everyone involved was a pleasure to work with, and I have plans for future videos with them. You can find behind-the-scenes photos on my Facebook page, along with little stories from the two days shooting.

Thank you and yes, all four of my singles are part of my debut album, which will be released before the end of the year. The style of each single is quite different from the last, which reflects the sound of the album as a whole. There are about eleven songs on the album, and it’d be hard to classify them all under on genre.

I have been a part of a couple of other projects as a songwriter and vocalist, and a few as a session drummer. However, my main focus is on my album right now.

Reggatta de Blanc (The Police), In Rainbows (Radiohead), The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd), Aja (Steely Dan), and Sylva (Snarky Puppy)

Songwriting will always continue to be a part of my life. I’m interested in collaborating with other artists, songwriters and producers as I continue with my own projects. Other than that, I will always be a drummer at heart and I will go where music takes me.

Collaborate. After a while I sometimes find myself starting to write songs the same way repeatedly, which can lose its excitement. Just writing one song with another person can show you a whole different approach that will bring a new perspective to your creativity.

Many thanks to the super talented Elise Trouw. Please check out her music and pick up her singles on Itunes!

Watch her debut MV, "Burn" here:

You can also follow her here:

https://soundcloud.com/elisetrouw

https://www.instagram.com/elisetrouw/

https://www.youtube.com/user/drummergirl11010

https://www.facebook.com/elisetrouwmusic/