The Charli XCX-endorsed future popster set to become iconic.

Words: Martyn Young.

There comes a time for all exciting pop stars when they have a real breakthrough year. A time when everything crystallises, and they become sure of who they are and who they want to be and exactly what they want to do. Elio had already made her presence felt with her striking leftfield pop hits in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, but this year things feel a little different. With her stunning mixtape ‘Elio’s Inferno’, the temperature started to rise, and the world realised that Elio is a pop star who just never misses. Hit after hit, banger after banger, it has been a relentless rise.

“I’ve done a lot of things this year which were really fun,” begins Elio as she reflects on a year that has placed her firmly in the top tier of new pop icons. Perhaps the main change has been the importance of actually getting out properly into the world. It’s hard to understate just what a difference it makes to actually put the work in and be inspired by faces and bodies and real people. “The best part was obviously going out and getting to meet fans and perform live,” she exclaims. “I’m dying to do that again. That was the biggest part that was different from 2020 and 2021, actually being able to meet people who listen to my music.”

As we entered 2022, Elio was still riding the wave of the success of her first two EPs that introduced the world to her sharp and playful songwriting, which was adept at capturing feelings and moods. These two releases, particularly 2021’s ‘Can You Hear Me Now?’, were pivotal in establishing Elio as an artist, but once she had done that, she was in the mood to really cut loose. Here was where the fun could really begin.

With ‘Elio’s Inferno’, she found herself on a run that most artists can only dream of. Every song seemed to top the last one. From the supremely self-assured swagger of ‘Read The Room’ to the bubbling playfulness of ‘Vitamins’ to the inspiring introspection of ‘I Luv My Brain!’ Elio was highlighting every facet of what makes her such a vibrant new talent. “It was nice to just be able to throw them out there,” she laughs. The songs seemed to flow easily, but despite changes in mood, tone or texture, they were all born from the same impetus. “The goal was to experiment with what a pop song is,” she explains. “I just wanted to be able to have fun with music again.”

The songs contained on ‘Elio’s Inferno’ feel like her own distinct realisation of what makes a perfect pop song in the genre-fluid, no-boundaries world of 21st-century pop. “I feel like the perfect pop song for me, every melody has to be just top tier, the best melody you can come up with for that song,” she says. “I like it to be a little dark but still fun. Lyrically it can go either way. I really love when it’s dark lyrics with a really boppy instrumental or just like a fun song.”

Fuelled by the confidence of her pandemic-era bangers like ‘Charger’ which had an added remix by her co-manager, longtime collaborator and undisputed pop legend Charli XCX, Elio looked to develop her sound in a way that emphasised directness and attitude and the fact that, y’know, she’s really really really good at this whole pop thing. “I was trying to expand on things,” she reflects. “The EP before I had ‘Charger’, which was the most pop song on the EP. I wanted to prove myself as a pop writer as well as the other side of me, which is almost singer-songwriter. I wanted to prove to myself and other people that I can write a pop song.”

With a focus on fun and a licence to let loose and experiment freely, Elio and her team found themselves in a blissful state of creativity. “We were screaming at every part because it kept getting better and better,” she laughs as she remembers recording mixtape highlight ‘Godly Behaviour’. In a further sign of the prolific vein that Elio and her close-knit group of collaborators were in, she’s still got more amazing songs to release and has collected them all on a new super swish deluxe edition of ‘Elio’s Inferno’. One song, in particular, the super boppy bounce of ‘Accidental Icon’ feels like a prescient way to sum up the times. “I love writing those types of songs,” she enthuses. “The really sarcastic cocky songs. I don’t necessarily believe a lot of it, but it’s really fun for sure. Most icons are accidental. Nobody sets out knowing that they’re going to be an icon.”

From accidental icons to bonafide rule-the-world icons, Elio takes clear inspiration from the top tier of pop artists who understand what it takes to make truly resonant pop music to connect on the deepest level. “Right now, the most authentic and genuine people who make music are the most interesting to me,” she explains about the attributes her own pop heroes have.” It doesn’t matter if you are a pop artist or a singer-songwriter or an indie artist; it’s really nice to be invited into their world and their thoughts and feelings and realise that everyone is in the same boat. I love that now that’s a thing, and it’s not so much based around people singing pop songs for the sake of pop songs. I feel a magnetic pull towards those kinds of pop stars like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift because they’re so open and honest with their own feelings and thoughts.”

Of course, Elio has a strong bond with one of our own pop icons in Charli XCX. Where in previous years their relationship felt a bit more like an established artist and up-and-coming protegee, this year it feels like the dynamic is more akin to both of them pushing each other to new heights. The two artists have been touring together all year and are both thriving like never before. “Being able to be on the road with her and see her kill it every night was really inspiring for me,” says Elio. “It was the perfect support tour.”

The next year promises even more shows on an even bigger level, with a headline US tour in the works and work possibly beginning on a new project that seeks to open up even more of Elio’s world. “I like to think that there are different sides to me as an artist,” she considers. “I’m definitely thinking about something more cohesive,” she adds of her future plans. “It has mostly been me at home writing which has been really nice. I want to put out music that’s more reflective of me and really telling my story, whether it’s from childhood experiences or current experiences and relationships. I’m really excited to have those kinds of songs come out now.” ■