Interview with Ella Prieto

By: Finn Wentz

Ella Prieto is an aspiring artist who has brought her admiration for American folk and insightful lyricism into her first year at St Andrews. A lifetime musician, Prieto has taken the town’s growing music scene by storm as she performs at open mics and pubs solo or with her newly formed band, Leland. I saw Ella’s first performance back in September at the Union and was recently able to catch up with her as we discussed her love for music and her experiences with the increasingly popular music scene in St Andrews.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Hearing Aid (Finn Wentz): How long have you been playing music, and what initially got you into the music scene? 

Ella Prieto: So, I've been playing music for around 10-12 years. Since the moment I could talk, I was singing and listening to music. My dad was a huge music fan, so instead of listening to nursery rhymes or anything, he was playing U2, The Strokes, and Michael Jackson. My parents recognized that I loved music, so they got me into piano lessons when I was a little kid. I started singing too and was in musicals. It wasn't until my freshman year of high school that I started playing guitar and folk, rock, and all that stuff. I picked up the violin for a minute, but it was horrific. I just saw it and wanted to play the fiddle. 

HA: Who are your biggest influences? When you're up there performing, who are you channeling? 

Ella: Sound-wise it’s Blind Pilot. My seventh-grade history teacher introduced me to that band. The moment I listened to it, I knew it was my music. I’ve loved them for years since then, but they weren't touring. This past summer they released a new album and I went to their show in Chicago. There were like 150 people. They could easily sell out more than that, but they wanted to have an intimate show before the album release. The demographics were quite old, but it was a great show. Their lyrics are really meaningful, and their sound is folk-rock and indie. My dad raised me on U2. Noah Kahn's great, but honestly I’m not a huge country fan. I don't think I'm channeling someone when I'm on stage, It's a collection of influences. I went to high school for acting, and they told us if you’re trying to be like someone else, you’re not going to do well. If you take influences from other people’s art and make it your own, you’ll stand out.

HA: Has music always been a passion of yours or was it ever more of a hobby?

Ella: It's a passion now. I used to be very insecure about my voice because it was lower. As I  grew into what I enjoyed singing and started playing my own music, it became more of a passion. Halfway through high school, I started wishing I had gone to school for music, so I got involved with the music program. 

HA: Was there a music scene outside of school that you were involved with? 

Ella: I didn't do my own gigs, but I started playing my church’s folk-rock band. It's exclusively men over 40 and a few women. I was just this 14-year-old kid that started playing with them. That's what taught me how to play in a band. You learn how to have a cohesive sound and how to learn new songs every week. Just playing with these professionals was an incredible experience that taught me not only how to play music well, but also the camaraderie that develops in a group. You just work together and find something. I remember the first time I ever played with them. I was so nervous, I wasn't even singing, I was just playing piano. After that first song, I can't even describe how I felt. After that, I knew it was what I wanted to do.

HA: Can you speak to your experience with your band here? Do you prefer performing solo or with a group? 

Ella Prieto: [I] love playing with bands. Performing solo can be fun because you have to be creative as to how you're going to get a full sound. I think there's something that you just really can't replicate when more than one person is coming together to make music. The band that I'm in here is called Leland. We love the same music, but we've only played one gig. When we started playing my own songs with a full band it felt really cool. I think I prefer that. Not only because of the sound but because of the camaraderie and the fun we have.

HA: Are you sticking to the folk-rock sound, and where have you guys played? 

Ella Prieto: We're doing more rock, but we definitely have folk. For a few of our gigs they want folk, so we'll do that. We played at The Rule for Signpost. I can't say which ones, but we might be doing some balls next semester. 

HA: What has been your experience with the music scene here, and how does it compare to the one back home?

Ella Prieto: At home in Dallas, there's a lot of live music but I’ve never really had access to the smaller bands. I think there's something really cool about student bands because you're not searching to be a huge name. You're just having fun and playing music together. I think I prefer it here. I didn’t expect to find such a thriving music community. There are so many bands and any night of the week you can go out and see live music. 

HA: If there's one thing you can improve about the music scene, what would it be?

Ella Prieto: There's not a lot of folk. It's a lot of punk and indie. I'm not fully sure what we could improve. There are so many people who go out and see the bands. Maybe more diversity of sound?. 

HA: What do you get out of playing music? 

Ella Prieto: It's really an outlet. It used to be theater for me because you get to feel emotions through a character. When I play music, whether it's happiness or sadness, I get to share it with people. Especially when the lyrics are meaningful, we're all sharing a common human experience through the music. 

The friendship that you get by playing music with people and other people sharing the music with you, I Just love it. I think you’re empathizing with other people, it forms connections.

HA: If everything in your musical journey went according to plan, where would you be? 

Ella Prieto: My goal isn’t to be super rich and famous. I want to be able to release my music and have people listen and relate to it. Blind Pilot isn’t the biggest band in the world, but they get to make a living off of making their music and sharing it with people. The people who listen relate to it, and I think it would be cool to do that. Just being able to play consistently is something that I would be happy with. 

HA: How often are you writing music, and is it more fulfilling than performing covers?

Ella: When it's in your work there's no competition. I only started writing music this past summer. I love covers, and there's music that speaks to me, but if it’s your music, words, and melodies, it’s hard to describe how cool that is. I spend my summers in Michigan. Sitting outside on the porch in front of the lake writing music, that's the kind of environment you want. We have family friends on the lake who would invite me over to perform for them, so I’d write a song and then go that night and play it. It’s kind of terrifying because you have no idea if it's good or bad, but having them say, ‘That line spoke to me’ was a great experience. 

HA: How much have you written? 

Ella: I've written bits and pieces of a lot of songs. I think I have three or four full songs, and a lot more that just need some tweaks. I've been writing short stories and novels since I was a kid so that muscle comes easily. My guitarist Sam has a lot of cool riffs but he doesn't like to write lyrics. I'm hoping that we can collaborate when we have time next semester and create some songs.

HA: What inspires you in the writing process?

Ella: This past summer was the summer before going to college. That was very emotional. I was able to combine my excitement for college with the sadness of saying goodbye to my childhood. That's why a lot of my songs are about growing up. One of my songs is called, ‘Where’d You Go?’, and it talks about the cycle of life. That's kind of the inspiration from this past summer. But more recently it's been about friendships and the relationships you have as you grow into a young adult. Again, I take a lot of inspiration from Blind Pilot. I find their lyrics so introspective and beautiful. I have a song I call in the deep wind which is more environmental. It’s about the safari I went on in South Africa and the poaching that we saw there. 

HA: What is your favorite album and album cover of all time?

Ella: Songs of Innocence by U2. That’s important to me because it came out when I was in second grade and we had just moved to Dallas from a suburb. Listening to those songs is really how I remember my childhood. Achtung Baby is another. It’s my dad's favorite album, so we bond over that. Also, I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers. I play a lot of their music. Then Blind Pilot’s And Then Like Lions. I think that's my favorite album cover as well. If I were to get a tattoo it would be of the lion in that picture. The last song is ‘Like Lions’, and I think it's probably one of the most beautiful songs ever.