🤘 MASSIVE THANK YOU! 🤘
A huge shoutout and heartfelt thanks to ELAINE DUBBELAAR – the incredible force behind ELLyMarD – for taking the time to sit down with us for an interview! 🎤🔥
Your passion, honesty, and killer energy made it an absolute pleasure. We’re buzzing to share your story with the Riff Report crew and shine a spotlight on what you’re bringing to the scene 🤘💥
Legends support legends… and this one’s the real deal. 🙌
🌟 Origins, Identity & The Name Behind The Artist
1. First things first — ELLyMarD is a proper standout name. What’s the story behind it, and how did it come to represent you as an artist?
I love this question, EllyMarD is an abbreviation of my actual name, Elaine Martha Dubbelaar. Years ago, I made my first social media account with the name EllyMarD and I feel like it kind of became my whole online personality. So, when it came to choosing my Artist’s name, it was a no brainer. EllyMarD has also become like an alter ego for me.
2. When did you realise music wasn’t just a passion but something you had to chase properly?
I was very lucky to be raised in a musical household, my mother always encouraged my brother and I to play instruments and sing and generally be creative, so thankfully we realised very early on that it would always be part of our lives. However, I didn’t start writing until about a year ago, and I didn’t realise how song writing would be therapeutic for me. So now that I’ve found this outlet, I don’t think I can ever go back.
3. Who were the artists or moments that made you think, “Yeah… I want to do THIS”?
I’ve had a lot of musical influences, I take a lot of inspiration from Poppy, Nova Twins, Yungblud, Royale Lynn, VANA, The Pretty Wild and Maggie Lindemann. It’s hard to see any of these incredible artists doing their thing and not think to myself, “That’s what I’m talking about”.
🎶 Sound, Style & Emotional Energy
4. Your music hits with both emotion and attitude — how would you describe your sound to someone hearing you for the first time?
Oh Gosh that’s a hard one; I find it hard to really put this into words! I suppose I would say, it feels like you’ve been sucked into your very own Horror Movie, you simultaneously become the villain and the protagonist at the same time. At times its energetic, uncomfortable and sometimes extremely unserious.
5. When you’re writing, what comes first — the feeling, the lyrics, or the melody?
I lead with the lyrics, personally I love approaching my music with a stream of consciousness. I’ll just start writing words that I like, or quotes from movies I love, and then the story unfolds from there.
6. What’s the one thing you always want listeners to take away from your songs?
That they too can be the main character!! No matter what, YOU control the narrative in your story.
💔 “LOVE YOU TO DEATH” & THE DARKER EDGE
7.Love You To Death — that title alone packs a punch. What inspired that track?
I was entering a new phase in my life, and I was exploring themes of love and all the fun feelings that came with that. But obviously I wanted to experiment with the toxicity that can also accompany these feelings. Although I’ve never personally been the possessive type, I loved the idea of singing about these feelings as if I was! (It felt more theatrical that way) It also reminded me of that Australian film, “The Loved Ones”, and I thought it would be really fun to write a twisted love song that felt as uncomfortable as that movie made me fee! (If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it)
8. There’s a raw emotional edge in your music — how personal do you let your songwriting get?
There are times when I allow my song writing to get very personal, however I also love approaching all of my themes from a heightened perspective, almost like a caricature of real life. But, it does depend on the track.
9. Do you ever hold anything back, or is it all on the table when you create?
Again, I really would say it depends on the track, I’ve written a couple of songs that are extremely open and almost painful to listen to, I’m not sure if I’ll ever release them or play them live though.
However, I also want the people who choose to listen to me to walk away with a sense of fun and chaos as well as some truth, so I like to keep the themes pretty varied.
🎤 Live Energy, Performance & Connection
10. How does performing live change the way your songs feel compared to recording them?
I’ve actually never performed my music live before. Due to on-goin health complications, I’ve discovered my wellness is extremely unpredictable at this moment, so I’ve been avoiding any live commitments at this moment, right now. However, I am absolutely chomping at the bit to start performing live!
11. Have you had a gig moment that made you stop and think, “This is why I do this”?
Although I haven’t been able to gig live yet, I’ve been very lucky to have had someone approach me to tell me I was their favourite artist to “Crash Out” to, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to hear those words hahaha.
🧠 Behind the Artist (Real Talk)
12. Music can be emotional and intense — how do you look after yourself mentally while creating?
Well, like I briefly mentioned earlier, for me, song writing is like my own personal form of therapy. I write down my feelings, heighten them, scream them, sing them, whisper them, record them, and I start to feel lighter within myself. My music allows me to explore darkness, and scary thoughts and then turn them into something I’m able to process, sometimes I even turn them into something totally ridiculous and silly. Music is my creative outlet, and since finding this outlet, I feel like I’ve become much more centred in general.
13. Has your journey in music changed how you see yourself as a person?
It’s given me an enormous sense of confidence and clarity, I know I can switch on the “EllyMarD” personality at any time. I feel like I walk taller in general, and am much more confident in my own skin.
14. What’s been the toughest challenge you’ve faced so far as an artist?
I’ve learned that not everyone is going to like you, as a person, as an artist or acreative, and that’s alright!! Be the person YOU want to be. Express yourself however you need to, who cares what other people think.
🤘 Influences, Style & Creative Curveballs
15. Who are your biggest influences right now — and are there any unexpected ones?
Nova Twins, VANA, Avril Lavigne, Maggie Lindemann and The Pretty Wild to name a few. I also LOVE rap music and spoken word, like Eminem and Doechii. I can definitely see a combination of both influencing more of my music moving forward.
16. Is there a genre or sound you’d love to experiment with in the future?
Yes!!! I’d love to experiment with more Rap for sure! Maybe some more Electronic and soundscape vibes too.
17. What’s a song by another artist you wish you’d written yourself?
There are SOOOOO many I could say. This is almost impossible to answer! Right now, I’d probably say Zombie by Yungblud.
🔮 What’s Next for ELLyMarD?
18. What’s coming next — new music, visuals, gigs, world domination?
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes right now, which I am so excited about. I have been approached by some incredible artists and I’m currently working on demos for upcoming songs and creating exciting visuals for each of them.
I’ve also been story-boarding a music video for my next release! I can’t wait to share everything!
Also, my new song “Rabbit” is out from the 24th of April, so don’t forget to check it out if you haven’t already done so!
19. Where do you want to be this time next year as an artist?
Hopefully by next year I’ll be able to start playing live!
20. What’s the dream — festival stages, tours, or something even bigger?
Building the ‘bunny army’ for starters! Although what I love about this world is that I’ve no idea where it may go! I’m open to new experiences and I’m looking forward to seeing what the universe has in store for me!
⚡ FINAL RIFF REPORT QUESTION
21. If someone listens to one ELLyMarD track for the first time… what do you want them to feel?
Id love them to feel like they have just stepped into their favourite Horror Movie! Hopefully they would walk away with a newfound feeling of excitement. That’s definitely the goal!
🤘 FOLLOW THE RISING FORCE – ELLyMarD! 🤘
If you loved the interview, it’s time to dive deeper into the world of ELAINE DUBBELAAR and keep up with all the latest drops, behind-the-scenes chaos, and pure musical magic 🎤🔥
🌐 Official Socials
- 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELLYMARD
- 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellymard
- 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7d6Ftt2rlvnpmilwMOEH9B
- ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ellymard
- 🎶 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellymard
💥 Go hit that follow button, stream the tracks, share the noise, and show some love – because artists like this deserve to be heard LOUD 🤘🔥
