Rising star Elle Varner is a recording artist who released her debut single, “Perfectly Imperfect” this past August. The Quad recently conducted a “Silent Session” unspoken interview in which questions for the singer were answered through her music.
Thomas: “In the music industry today it’s hard to set yourself apart from the pack, how would you describe your originality and sound?”
Varner: “I am 32 flavors and then some; I’m beyond your peripheral vision, so you might wanna turn your head…”
Varner describes herself as being a poster girl with no poster in her song “32 Flavors.” She is a mélange of the girl next door with the girl around the block. With her journey being as common as a cold, her honest lyrics accentuate her unique expression of “urban, quirky, R&B, soul” as she calls it. With influences ranging from the depths of jazz like Ella Fitzgerald, to the continuous work ethic of Beyonce, Elle hones her individuality while striving to inspire and be an example through her music.
Thomas: “People see you today as this beautiful, energetic, confident young singer from LA, not realizing how far you’ve come, so how can you relate to individuals struggling to accept themselves?”
Varner: “I can’t help being depressed, when I look down at my chest, Oh, yes, my chest, it might as well be nonexistent…If I had no cellulite, big breasts and pockets real wide then maybe I could be fly…and worst of all, I’m reminded in the cruelest ways, of how I don’t look and I should look…”
Varner sheds the outer layer of her swag and lets listeners in to see the many personal battles which she had to overcome with her lyrics to “So Fly.”
Whether it is being envious of the attention that other girls would get or striving to be accepted on an uncompromising societal standard, we have all been there. It took a lot of learning, a lot of growing and more importantly, self-love. Varner tells her fans
Varner: “Growing up, nobody understood me. They didn’t understand what I was doing, what I was about, why I had glasses on, why I wore what I wore. But I’m here now, and I’m doing my thing. You out there and you’re different, you got your own swag…don’t let nobody in this world take that away from you, cause it’s all you got.”
Elle Varner’s new 13-track mixtape is titled “Conversational Lush.” Audiences can learn more at www.ellevarner.com. Be on the lookout for her debut album “Perfectly Imperfect,” projected to hit the market this spring.
Emerald Thomas is a 2011 WCU graduate. She can be reached at ET682650@wcupa.edu.