Start Listening To: Eleanor and the Dream

We caught up with Eleanor and the Dream and spoke to her about the release of her debut single I Don't Need Somebody To Love Me.

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to speak with us. If you don’t mind, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your music for the uninitiated?

Hey, no worries - good to chat with you. I’m Eleanor Neish-Melling, behind the solo project of ‘Eleanor and the Dream’. I’m a London-based singer/songwriter and have my debut single ‘I Don’t Need Somebody To Love Me’ coming out on Friday 5th February. My music is a mixture of melancholic lyrics with an upbeat, dream-like feel sonically.

‘I Don’t Need Somebody to Love Me’ is upbeat, it’s perfect for dancing on your bed, but it also has a melancholic vibe. Could you tell us more about how this track came about?

I wrote the track when I was going through a pretty dark spell. I was dealing with losing someone and feeling incredibly isolated, and instead of admitting how I was feeling, I created a barrier around me and convinced myself that I didn’t need anybody to love me. The track is definitely supposed to have an empowering and upbeat feel to it, but it does also have an underlying tone of melancholy because of what was actually going on in my head at the time.

How was the track produced?

It was produced in a studio after recording a demo of it myself in my basic home studio. It was really great watching it grow into what it is now, layering it up with synths and guitars and hearing it become how I had sonically imagined.

What is your creative process like?

My creative process normally always starts in the same way - playing around on the guitar until I find a chord progression that really excites me. Then I’ll look in my notebook at phrases or words that I’ve written down and build the song from there. I usually have a really clear vision of how a song is going to sound pretty much straight away, so it’s just about me trying to bring it to life as much as possible in a demo at home before heading into the studio.

What are your main inspirations as an artist?

I’m mainly inspired by my relationships with people and the relationship I have with myself, there’s always so much to explore and writing about it always feels like a good way of working through things in my head.

If you could collaborate with any artists, who would it be and why?

I’d love to collaborate with Phoebe Bridgers. I find her songs so enchanting and

she writes with a beautifully dark, witty tone that really resonates with me.

What artists are you still listening to from when you were a kid?

The Smiths. I remember my Dad repeatedly playing them when I was a kid and becoming obsessed with them from an early age. I still listen to them a lot now, Morrissey’s songwriting style is so unique.

What do you hate right now?

Covid, obviously.

What do you love right now?

In the current state we’re in I think one of things I’m loving most is being able to go running outside. It’s great for clarity of the mind and feels so good to breathe in fresh air after being stuck inside all day.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

To be true to yourself and believe in what you do, and definitely care less about how others perceive you.

What do you enjoy most about being a musician?

Being able to have a creative outlet for how I’m feeling is probably what I enjoy most. And for people to be able to listen to my music that’s often come from a painful experience and be able to relate and feel a sense of solace with it.

What were some of your favourite releases from 2020?

One of my favourite releases was definitely ‘Held Down’ by Laura Marling off her latest album ‘Song for Our Daughter’ - I remember it came out in April in the first lockdown and I just played it endlessly. Another was a track called ‘Blue’ by a

a new band I discovered called NewDad. I also fell in love with Adrianne Lenker’s album ‘songs’ - my favourites off it were ‘ingydar’ and ‘anything’ but the whole album is so deeply moving and beautiful.

What’s next for you in 2021?

I’ll be releasing new music throughout 2021 and I’m also currently working on a new EP which I’m really excited about.