Eliott James Reay: Love, Fame, and Timelessness
The moment you look at singer-songwriter Elliot James Reay, you know he belongs in a different lifetime. The 22-year-old Manchester native has an aura around him that just screams vintage, from his hair to the way he talks about love.
This translates through to his new EP, All This To Say I Love You, due out June 27, a sonic exploration of love and fantasy in modern times with a distinct 50s feel. Inspired by the greats like Elvis Presley and Tom Jones, Reay’s goal is to sing about the love he experiences, love in the modern era, with it feeling like the record could have been found in a used records bin. From the writing process to the recording process to the packaging, everything feels authentic with Reay’s work, a labor of love from someone who really appreciates the golden age of love songs.
Originally a busker who found his niche from audience requests on the street, Reay found that his talent was strongest when he was singing songs from a bygone era. His career took off after Reay began posting “kitchen videos” on TikTok, in which he would do mundane tasks while singing Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, and other famous songs. He has since gained 3.9 million followers on TikTok and counting.
Reay intends to write all his original songs with modern sensibility, even though the songs sound like they were pulled out of another time. “The messages of the love side of it, it’s one of those things of trying to keep it current and use language that maybe we would use today rather than back in the day, otherwise it wouldn’t connect with people.” Reay’s breakout single, “I Think They Call This Love”, does this wonderfully, keeping a modern tone and lyrical pattern that blends with the vintage swing feel of the composition.
Reay’s music also feels distinctly vintage in its composition and recording, playing with recording techniques and instruments straight from the time rather than using modern recording staples like autotune and pitch correcting. Reay paid special attention to the instruments and compositional techniques used back in the day, noting that “everything was melody first”, so his music is the same way. Every song has a distinct hook that pulls the listener in and has them swooning within the first few bars of the song.
All This To Say I Love You explores the concept of love through 5 songs, each hitting on different aspects of the subject. “The whole EP is just a lovey-dovey EP, and there’s no deeper meaning to that… Some [songs] are happy, some are sad, some are a love you don’t quite have yet”, he said. “Love doesn’t have to be this, and love doesn’t have to be that. Everyone interprets things differently and I want everyone to know that’s okay.” Reay foremost wants audiences to connect with him, believing that a broader concept like love leaves more room for interpretation for his fans to connect with his words. “I just want people to experience things in their own way and interpret this EP in their own way.”
To follow Elliot James Reay and his musical journey, you can find him on TikTok @elliotjamesreay, Instagram @elliotjamesreay, X @elliotjamesreay, YouTube at Elliot James Reay, and all major music streaming platforms.