In your own terms, how would you describe yourself? Who is Elaine?
Elaine is a 20 year old second year Law student, originally from Pretoria. I am very peaceful and calm person, loves music, movies are my absolute fave. I could identify as a bit of a loner, a people's person, very soft, very warm.. That pretty much describes me in a nutshell.
What made you decide on going towards the direction of music?
I have always loved music actually, from the tender age of six- when I was still knee-high. Which is when I started singing, started singing infront of audiences on stages and live concerts. And I really started falling in love with music, and how it made me feel. And I promised myself that "one day I'll release something", a few years later I finally found that time, and now we're here!
Who would you say you draw inspiration from, when it comes to your work?
It's a no brainer, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Maxwell, and Goapele Mohlabane.
Are you considering jumping into other genres at the moment?
Firstly the sound I am currently doing has a lot to be associated with RnB, Trap Soul and Alternative, I think that is the type of sound I really love. All these give me the platform to be creative, giving me so much room to explore and find myself. And I definitely think they are all beautiful sounds. So, with going to other genres, I definitely think I might, I am a very versatile person, so yes!
Do you write your own songs?
Yes, yes I do. I write all my songs. My pen and paper, my own thoughts, my own experiences, and turn them into songs. I think with song writing for me it's sort of like a God given talent, because when I write it literally takes me 5 minutes to write a song. And I think where I draw inspiration from, is definitely from my experiences, the experiences of women, the experiences of loved ones. This is how I sort of deal with everything that I go through. So, it is a very personal point of view.
What do you think sets you apart from other artists?
Well, first of all I am currently doing everything by myself. I consider myself as an independent artist, not that it makes me better or stand out from the rest, which I am sure a lot of artists out there handle their own, just like me. But having all of this privilege of having to handle things myself gives me leverage to have more creative freedom and direction, in terms of where I want to go and how I want to get there. But everything happens from my perspective and how I feel I can change or inspire someone else. I am very open and honest and I think that comes across in my music and in my lyrical content. I am perfectionist, everything is supposed to be up to date, on time, and everything has to have an intention, (as she hides her face and giggles).
What else are you working on at the moment?
From November until April 2020 I will be gigging, so stay tuned to my socials @Lainey_Mukz and see what I'll be up to, it's pretty exciting! And I am working on a few projects for the year 2020, I think being the Apple Music Artist Spotlight for this month, really inspired me to push and make more music. And it feels amazing knowing that you can do things by yourself and it's not only a win for myself, it's a win for everybody else.
So how are you dealing with all the attention right now? Because you're big time, and the only way is up!
It all comes down to my background, I am a very spiritual person, and I believe that everything that is meant to come your way will come your way. I try not to pay attention to any negative energy because in a way it will disturb my peace and derail the process of my purpose right now. The one thing I do not want to do is become someone I am not, I am just not willing to let anyone or anything sort of take away my peace of mind. So, right now I am focusing on the positive. I am grateful that people are receiving me and my craft with warm arms.
Which festivals are you looking forward to be part of in future?
Afropunk, Coachella, Wireless Festival, Broccoli City Festival, quite a lot and I see myself opening up for a lot of other artists in the future. Especially Beyonce, I wouldn't know how to act, that would be a dream come true.
If your music was edible, what would it taste like?
I think it would be a whole lot of different flavours. At the beginning of the EP, it would taste like Red Velvet Cake, something nice, something sweet, something soft as you cut through it. And as we go through the EP, I think it would be like something spicy but still mouth watering. Because the lyrics tend to get a bit spicy as we go through the EP. So a bit of everything nice.
What advice would you give someone looking up to you?
I would say that you need to believe in whatever it is that you believe in, everyone has different kinds of beliefs. But believe that time will take its course. Believe that everybody on earth has their time and you should never feel demotivated, or upset when you see someone else achieving something that you see yourself doing, it's just a matter of time and you need to put in your shift, put in your amount of work and let the universe and the powers that be do the rest for you. When you've reached that level in your life where you are certain about yourself, everything else is written in the stars!