We recently had the chance to connect with Elise Solberg and have shared our conversation below.
Elise, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’ve been working on my own artist project as of late. I’ve put out music under different aliases before through a production library deal with Soundstripe, but never on my own with complete creative control. Though I’ve been scared of it, it’s been a really rewarding process. I feel like I’m discovering things about myself I’ve never known before. Though I am a keyboardist and producer by profession, and am more known for playing keys for artists, I also can sing. But I’ve never really invested time as a vocalist. Discovering what I can do with my voice and experimenting with my tone has been so fun for me. I’m also learning how to write songs more suitable for my voice. No singer is meant to sing every song, and it’s the uniqueness of your voice that may really make a song special. There’s something so vulnerable about singing that I’ve always been afraid of, but I’m overcoming it by working on my artist project. My mother has a beautiful voice and I want to carry on the tradition of singing in the family, too!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a keyboardist, producer, songwriter, composer, flutist, and an executive director of a nonprofit called Turn Up Her Mic. I am also in the process of debuting as an artist. As a professional musician and producer, I’ve accumulated many experiences working with artists over the years. I’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing artists such as Chloe x Halle, Beyoncé, Doechii, Ellie Goulding, Pawpaw Rod, Jorja Smith, Sigrid, DannyLux and more. Working in this capacity has led me to so many incredible places and meeting life-long friends. Though my journey as a producer is much newer than as a performer, it has also led me to unforgettable moments. In 2024, a song I co-produced on DannyLux’s record, Ambicion, was nominated for a Latin Grammy last year. This year, a song I produced for NYX Cosmetics (L’Oréal) and Ashley Mehta ended up getting the 2025 Grammy commercial spot along with a 12-week campaign. I wouldn’t change my journey for anything!
Though this journey working for other artists has been incredibly rewarding, I feel that it’s time to focus on my own music and what I want to say to the world. Honestly, I think my previous experiences really informed/inspired my own music. By working with some of the best in music, I have learned the level of excellence and tenacity required to be your #1 advocate. I am so incredibly excited to share my music with the world.
No matter what, I will always be an advocate for community in the industry. The industry perpetuates a cut-throat environment, especially for women. While working in the industry as a musician, I’ve noticed that women experience the industry differently. There are many challenges in the music industry that are exclusive to women, and I believe that a strong community and mentorship are important to overcome these challenges. Community, advocacy and mentorship have become important cornerstones of my nonprofit, Turn Up Her Mic. We have an annual mentorship program that pairs up-and-coming women seeking roles in live music with experienced industry pro’s. It has been a really rewarding process every year matching every mentee with a mentor, and building community.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Truthfully speaking, my experience in pop music hasn’t been nearly as long as my experience playing classical music. I always listened to jazz and pop music growing up, but never really played or wrote music in those genres. It wasn’t until college that I got hands-on experience playing/writing pop and jazz music. I will always be grateful to my mentor from USC, Patrice Rushen for letting me be a part of the USC pop program. Even though I barely had experience in pop, she took me into the program and pushed me so I could see my potential! Without that push, I wouldn’t have been ready to enter into the pop world. Another mentor I will always be thankful for is Russell Ferrante. He saw my potential and encouraged me to follow my heart in whatever direction I felt passionate about.
Having only a year of experience in non-classical music, I went out into the Wild West known as the music industry. But somehow I was oddly confident that things were going to work out the way they should. Right after I graduated from USC, I got the opportunity to perform with Chloe x Halle at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. This experience led to playing with them for over 7 years (both as a duo and solo acts). Through this opportunity, I have worked extensively with their music director, Derek Dixie. That first gig with Chloe x Halle was my first ever professional gig as well. So without any professional experience, Derek hired me because he saw my potential. That’s somewhat rare in this industry. A lot of people in hiring positions (music directors, managers, etc) want to see that you have substantial credits before hiring you for anything remotely high-profile. But Derek saw me. Even in the moments that I doubted myself. A lot of people pride themselves on “discovering talent” in the industry but only a few actually have that ability. Derek is one of those people. I am grateful that he saw me clearly for who I was before I did.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
My friend Taylor Gamble (a phenomenal guitar player, producer, writer, artist) once told me something that changed my brain. I always have wanted to be committed to excellence (and forever will be). I always want to get things right. However, with trying to get things perfectly, you have to be careful that you don’t tie your worth to perfection. So when you make a mistake, you’re automatically a worse musician for it? That logic doesn’t make sense. You learn from it, and you get better from it. Everyone who is a musician has made a mistake. Treat the mistake as a launching point to get grow from it.
Even if you make a mistake, you could still be a phenomenal musician. And even on your worst day, many people wish they could play like you. Don’t let imperfection convince you that you’re not valuable.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
There are many lies that the music industry tells itself – especially to the creatives. One of the biggest ones is that you must *literally* do whatever it takes to “make it.” First of all, “making it” is different to everyone. Is it when you win a Grammy? Is it when you make your first million dollars? Is it just the fact that you can survive off of only the money you make off of music?
Second, and most importantly, it’s the “whatever it takes” part that is the biggest lie. For some people in the industry, that includes screwing people over and manipulating people. There’s people out there that truly believe that you have to compromise your moral compass to get ahead in the industry.
You don’t. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that there are no set rules on how to succeed in the music business. There are people, especially creatives, who, “on paper,” shouldn’t have “made it,” but they did.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Multiple times. This is one of the many fallacies of the music industry and the corporate world at large. There’s always a new level to achieve, because there’s always a higher achievement to attain. I thought certain achievements in music would finally make me feel satisfied, or even at peace! But they never have. In my opinion, how you live and how at peace you can be with yourself is what will satisfy you. Or else, you will always be in this never-ending pursuit of finding satisfaction – thus never truly finding it. Find the joy in the every day processes of what you do. And honestly, the “big wins” like winning a Grammy does not come every day. That’s a fact. At least in music. So let’s say the “big wins” come once a year, twice a year if you’re lucky. Out of the 365 days in a year, you’ll only be satisfied with a few days?
I know someone that was at a party to celebrate the fact they got a Billboard Hot 100 #1 song. A huge achievement. This person was already thinking about when the next time they’ll be getting another #1. That’s no way to live. This person couldn’t even celebrate the fact they got a #1 that day. You have to find a way to find joy in every day life, no matter how “unglamorous” or “mundane” it looks. But, if you make music, it’s the every day process of making music that should be the reward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elisesolberg.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliseyuka
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-solberg-36253415
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eliseyuka
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@elisesolberg9742?si=Wm9xiJO-VjTj2v_4
- Other: https://www.turnuphermic.org
https://www.instagram.com/turnuphermic
Image Credits
Donovan Washington
Ini Halser
Priscilla Rodriguez
Fabian Chavez
