Elliot James Reay is a young artist who channels the timeless sounds of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Billy Fury for the present day.
After organically building 3 million followers and hundreds of millions of views across social media, Elliotnow introduces himself to an even wider audience as he shares his debut single I Think They Call This Love.
The track has generated immense anticipation at socials, with over 10 million views and 650,000 likes of its teasers on TikTok. Watch the lyric video below:
Authentic Artist
From that velveteen voice to his authentic love of 50s rock’n’roll through to his debonair look, it’s easy to see why Elliot is inspiring such highfalutin comparisons. I Think They Call This Love has the kind of timeless romance, classic songwriting and swooning vocal harmonies to suggest it’s his take on some long-lost 50s deep cut… but it’s the first of a growing songbook of originals that Elliot will unveil soon.
Elliot says, “Growing up with the sounds of Elvis, Roy Orbison, and Billy Fury really shaped my love for music. I’ve been lucky to share that passion over the last couple years on social media with over 3 million amazing fans.
“After a year in the studio finding my own voice and sound, I’m excited to finally release my debut single, I Think They Call This Love. This song means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll find your own connection to it.”
Natural Charisma
Elliot collaborated with producer duo SOAP (Alessi Rose, Larkins, Phoebe Hall) to ensure that as much of the recording sessions stayed true to the style of the genre. They used live instruments, vintage equipment and recorded live to tape as much as possible, all the while keeping digital manipulation to an absolute minimum. Elliot wrote the song with Glen Roberts (AURORA, Olivia Dean, Rachel Chinouriri) and Annielle Lisiuk.
A 22-year-old from Bury, near Manchester, Elliot has the natural charisma and magnetic aura to make him a star in the making.
TikTok Generation
His social media videos, however, don’t rely on anything flashy or outrageous: just the simple appeal of a mesmerising voice singing some of his favourite songs as he goes about everyday tasks such as making his coffee, cleaning or combing his hair.
The reaction has been suitably impressive. Two videos of him performing Devil in Disguise (Elvis) and Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran) now have a combined 56 million views at TikTok alone.
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Dan Biggane
Dan Biggane is a writer for Vintage Rock and Classic Pop magazines. A former entertainment editor at the Bath Chronicle newspaper, he’s interviewed numerous big names from the world of rock’n’roll, including Dion, Jerry Allison, and Slim Jim Phantom. He has also contributed a number of cover features for Vintage Rock including Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Billy Fury and Bo Diddley.
