We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.
Calling all music fans: It would be “smart” to get to know London-based, Kauaʻi-born artist Eli Smart. Currently on tour with Declan McKenna and set to open for The 1975 in Waikiki, HI later this summer, Eli is destined for big things—but don’t just take it from me. He was recently tapped as one of BBC’s Future Artists and has masterfully melded his surf-rock and Northern Soul influences into his own growing brand of Aloha Soul. Your next chance to hear that sound come to life is on Eli’s forthcoming summer single, “Fiesta 99.9FM,” out this Thursday (July 20), with more singles to follow ahead of his debut album in 2024.
SHOW REVIEW | Declan McKenna with Eli Smart, The Danforth Music Hall [July 11, 2023]
For English alt-indie singer-songwriter Declan McKenna, The Big Return Tour doesn’t just represent a long-awaited return to live music coming out of the pandemic, but also his first major North American tour since 2017. Performing songs from his 2020 album ‘Zeros’ and new singles “My House” and “Sympathy” for the first time, the latest run of dates kicked off with a sold-out show at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto.
Declan’s loyal, high-energy fans are music fans before anything else, and they showed up in droves to fill the room as Eli Smart, the opener for the second leg of the tour, hit the stage early in the night. With Eli’s band unable to make it to the sole Canadian date on the tour, fans were treated to a captivating one-man show. “We’ll try some sh!t,” he joked, setting the tone for an intimate set that felt like the most polished dress rehearsal you had ever witnessed.
Eli performed songs from across his already-extensive repertoire, including his debut release “Come On, Come On, Come On” and his biggest single “Highschool Steady.” But no moment resonated more with the crowd than his final song—a cover of “Queen Bee” by Taj Mahal—when he invited his grandma, a former touring musician herself, to join him on stage playing harmonica. Together, they won over everyone’s hearts and left hundreds of new fans looking forward to a future headlining show in the city.
In Conversation with Eli Smart
Learn more about Eli through our chat about paying homage to your roots, touring with your grandma, and living life “AM to PM” on the road.
Eli, welcome to Love at First Listen! How excited are you for a summer filled with shows?
It’s a really cool and new experience for me. Night one of Declan’s tour in Toronto was a total blast. It was definitely slightly out of my comfort zone to play solo because I haven’t done that much. I usually play with a band, which it’s going to be for the rest of the shows, but in that respect performing solo is a good challenge for me to feel like I’m getting this tour started on a strong personal level. And it was really wonderful for me to wrap up the set by playing a tune with my grandma. It created a lovely tone for the tour moving forward.
You first connected with Declan when he visited you in Kauaʻi to jam and collaborate on music. Has any of that music been released or should fans still be on the lookout?
Nothing’s come out yet, and I would love to get a chance to revisit what we’ve done and do more. When we met, we started a couple of tracks in a very casual way. We were doing what felt right and breaking the ice of knowing each other. So, I would love to approach music again now that we know each other more — especially after this tour!
How did growing up in Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi influence your artistry?
Hawaiʻi’s passion for music is so intertwined with community, which was a big theme in my own upbringing with my family. Calling my music Aloha Soul is me paying respect to and referencing that environment and those tones and sounds I admired growing up and then trying to synthesize them in my own way through my music.
Now based in London, I’m back and forth as much as I can. This all revolves around live music opportunities and just trying to do it in a manageable way. There are a bunch of new artists totally doing their thing in London and it’s an inspiring ecosystem to be around and observe.
You have your grandma on the road with you, not just for support but as part of your band. What does it mean to share an experience as monumental for an artist as touring America is with her?
It means everything to me. It also really worked out by chance that this happened and that she was available. I was looking for a bass player and it hit us that we should totally do this together. It’s total comfort, like you said, to be with family on the road, especially because this is the first time I’ve done a tour of this magnitude and feeling supported is huge. But in addition to that, getting the chance to spend this time together is the most important thing. It’s easy to lose track of what you have, so this is an act of grounding myself in what matters the most to me, which is family and community. I’m just so excited.
What’s your grandma’s favourite part of all this? Seeing new cities, meeting your fans (and her newest fans!), watching you from on stage…?
My grandma has been playing music her whole life. I think that as much as it’s a dream of mine to be able to play with her, she feels a similar way about getting this chance for us to play together. In addition to my grandma, we have really close friends of mine joining us for this tour, so we all go way back and it’s a communal, beautiful thing.
One of your songs (and my personal favourites) is called “AM to PM.” Can you run us through a typical morning to night schedule for an artist on the road?
I’ll have a much better answer after this tour! I start with getting as much sleep as possible. Then, starting the morning fresh, I try to get some breakfast to charge me for the day. Sometimes all you have around is a gas station, so a banana or croissant will do, but caffeine of some sort is a must. We’re going to be doing a lot of driving, so getting the proper soundtrack either for yourself in your headphones or on the stereo for everybody will be the vibe. I think AM to PM on tour will realistically be a combination of mealtime, alone time, group time, times of high adrenaline during the show, and then the logistical part of packing up, getting back to a motel on time, and setting an alarm for the next one.
Since this series is called Love at First Listen, please share some of the artists, albums, or songs you’ve recently loved at first listen!
I’m going to take a quick scan of my Spotify to give you an accurate answer — don’t mind me. So, I love Brazilian music from the ‘60s to ‘70s. David Byrne from the band Talking Heads did a compilation record of Brazilian music called ‘Beleza Tropicale.’ My family had the ‘Brazil Classics 1‘ record growing up, and I always go back to it as it helped introduce me to the whole world of Brazilian music. They’re the most timeless, beautiful songs.
