Lindsay Ell is a twenty-five year old singer-songwriter, and incredible guitar player, from Calgary, Canada and she very well could be one of the biggest names in country music in the next couple years. Speaking with Lindsay, it is obvious that she has compelling charm and personality to go along with her unmatched beauty and unlimited musical talent. Lindsay recently took some time to chat with New England Country Music and answer some questions.
As a little girl, Lindsay’s idol was Shania Twain. She knew every word to every one of Shania’s songs and would run around the house singing those songs. But Ell wasn’t just influenced by country musicians- she was also influenced by some of the best guitar players in the music industry. When she was thirteen, Randy Bachman introduced her to the music and sounds of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Tommy Emmanuel. She simply loved music and over the years she pulled elements that she learned from these musicians into her own music. Lindsay mixes in some rock, some blues, and pop into her contemporary country sound and describes her sound as “country with all of those nuances pulled in,” and also described herself as a mix of Keith Urban, John Mayer, and Sheryl Crow.
Lindsay first started playing the piano when she was six years old and a few years later, she picked up the guitar because that is the instrument that her dad played. And there was no turning back. She tells me that she had no social life when she was younger; she would sit in her room and just play guitar all day. Ell describes herself as a “guitar nerd.” She loved it. The instrument practically became another limb on her body, she just couldn’t put it down. Lindsay says that, “I felt so connected to it, everything about it just interested me.”
Four years ago, she chased her dream to the Music City. Lindsay describes, “The Canadian music industry is different than the country music industry in the United States because no country has another city like Nashville. Nashville is so special and unique and that’s why I came here four years ago. It was such an eye opening experience. The Canadian music industry is a big family but it’s nothing like Nashville. It’s one of a kind.”
Lindsay recently got to tour with one well known country music family- Kimberly, Reid, and Neil Perry, which we know collectively as The Band Perry. The country music superstar trio took Lindsay out on their We Are Pioneers World Tour which took her to Europe for the first time in her life during the 50 show tour. She says, “The three of them are so talented and dedicated to what they do, let alone the sweetest people ever. I will never forget it and those memories. I felt so welcomed into their family and can’t thank them enough for it.” The singer has also supported tours for Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Ronnie Dunn, and others. But there may be one artist that she has opened up for that has had the most impact on her life: Keith Urban. Lindsay looks up to Keith, as an artist, and how he has constructed his style and his performance on stage and also believes that Urban is the best guitarist in country music.
“He’s an amazing guitar player, songwriter, performer, and great person behind all of it. He can sit up there on stage with an acoustic guitar and have an audience in the palm of his hand. And then he can stand up there with a full band and production and wail with a guitar solo. So that dynamic is the reason that I have looked up to him for a long, long time. As well as being able to take the world of blues and rock guitar, which has influenced me so much as a kid growing up, and bring them into a world of modern country. He’s great at singing contemporary country songs and then throwing in a blues guitar solo in the middle of it, it’s something fresh that people really haven’t heard of before.”
Being able to tour with some of her favorite artists, she has learned that they are real people and that hard work never goes unnoticed.
She is preparing to release her third album, which she is currently working on, but this one will definitely be different for her. The first two albums were released independently in Canada, so this being the first one under a major record label, it is exciting for her because it feels like her debut record. Lindsay says it feels like “the first day of school” and further explains that she finally feels that she and her team have found the songs that encompasses everything that Lindsay is as an artist, as a songwriter, and as a guitar player. “It has that girl power. It kinda reminds me of those early Shania songs. All about having fun but about the girls standing up for what they believe in. It has that sass and it’s something I hope fans enjoy listening to.” One song to look forward to from her is called ‘Not Another Me,’ which is the song that Lindsay is most proud of. “I wrote it for a friend who has muscular dystrophy and she was going through a breakup at the time where the guy told her that he couldn’t handle it anymore, so she was heartbroken. So I wrote her a song to know how special she is and how good her heart is. She has a heart of gold. So if he ever heard it, he would know that there’s not another ‘her’ out there.”
Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Guitar World all listed her as one of the top artists to watch in 2014 and Lindsay tells us that it is “incredibly humbling.” It was always a dream for her to be featured in Rolling Stone growing up and to now see it is so surreal. But it is also a huge source of motivation to keep her going. She wants to make everyone in her team and her family proud. If she keeps playing guitar like she does, and singing her heart out, I can guarantee that she will continue making her family, her team, and her fans proud as well as being a name in country music for years to come.
Her recently released single, titled ‘Shut Me Up,’ can be purchased on iTunes here.
You can follow Lindsay on Twitter, Facebook, and also her website.
Main photo credit: Jessica Wardell.