ELLIE -- So I

 

Sparkly singer-songwriter ELLIE is someone that I remember from her days singing in Love Tambourines in the 1990s straddling the line between R&B and Shibuya-kei. One would think that she had been born and raised in the United States during the age of Motown music, though she did spend three years in the Philippines as a child.

Following the breakup of Love Tambourines in 1995, the singer took on the stage name of Eli in either large or small letters for several years until she opted to bring back her old name of ELLIE once more in 2018. In that same year, she released a new album titled "Stay Gold" and one of the tracks is called "So I" which was created by ELLIE and Hajimu Hase（はせはじむ）.

The years may have passed but she certainly hasn't, despite the change in hairstyle and most importantly, her vocals can still punch a hole in the wall. And maybe by this point, the Shibuya-kei label isn't quite relevant for this tune; this is pure groovy funk n' soul that we are listening to here. I'm not sure if she would even accept the invitation, but wouldn't it be nice if ELLIE could make it onto the Kohaku at the end of this year?