Introducing Ella Galvin - a New York City-based pop-soul artist who uses her effortlessly commanding vocals and intoxicating raw energy to lure you in. Galvin has just released her latest single, “Spare Me”, which is also an initial look into her upcoming debut EP, coming later this year. 

“Spare Me” weaves Galvin’s influences of pop, soul, jazz, and rock come together in a way that is finely-tuned and improvisational. With a knack for experimentation and innovation, her upcoming EP will also blend these genres with charming storytelling that captures the discomfort and introspection of being a young, queer woman in the modern world. 

On “Spare Me”, Galvin shares, “I wrote this song in one sitting and never changed anything about it. It feels like the most genuine song I’ve ever written. It’s a sad and bittersweet song about loving someone who is emotionally unavailable, and letting myself have feelings for someone and then thinking… ‘was it worth it? Would it have been better to have never loved to spare myself the inconvenience?' But, it's also ultimately about realizing that you don’t have to ‘Spare Me.'"

Galvin started her solo artistry in 2022 and has spent the last few years working to develop her sound and fine tune her live stage performance around New York City. Ella Galvin is an artist that is creating a lot of buzz surrounding her name and with a slew of music to come, she is someone you are going to want to watch for in the coming months.

We had the opportunity to meet Ella and learn more about her start in music, the journey her career has taken, and her newest release, “Spare Me”. Read all about it below!

THIRTEEN: Hi Ella! Thank you so much for chatting with us. Could you please tell our readers a little bit more about you?

ELLA GALVIN: Thank you for having me! I’m an NYC-based singer/songwriter with an EP coming out in early summer! I was born in Boston, MA and have been singing my whole life – I’m really using this project to help find my sound and take another step towards making music full-time.

THIRTEEN: How did you get into music? Is this a recent hobby or something you’ve been working on your whole life?

ELLA GALVIN: I have been singing since I was in third grade and have loved performing ever since but I really started writing more songs senior year of high school when I joined a rock band. Once I graduated college, I got a full time job in advertising but recently quit to focus on EP prep and got a job at a fun cocktail bar in the East Village to have a more flexible schedule.  

THIRTEEN: Your instagram bio currently says “nyc-based *insert genre* singer”. Do you feel your music swings between different genres or do you try not to label yourself under a specific genre?

ELLA GALVIN: Definitely! I'm still trying to experiment with different sounds and finding my own sound – I also don't want to put myself in any kind of box so I love keeping it open ended. At least for now there will be something for everyone to enjoy!

THIRTEEN: Where do you typically pull influence from? Whether it be specific artists, life events, emotions, etc.?

ELLA GALVIN: I always write whenever I have a strong emotion about something, whether that's happy, sad, empowered, angry, excited… One of my biggest musical influences is Amy Winehouse but Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Etta James are also hugely influential to me. More recently I’ve been inspired by Lizzy McAlpine, Remi Wolf, Sabrina Carpenter, Tom Misch and so many other amazing modern artists.

THIRTEEN: It’s mentioned you have a fondness for experimentation and innovation. What do you like about this process?

ELLA GALVIN: I love bringing a song to my vibraphone/keys player, Grady Tesch, and just seeing what ideas we can come up with to build out the song. He has such an amazing melodic knowledge that he morphs to fit into the genre we decide to work with for a specific song. It’s incredible to see the journey of a song starting with bare bones lyrics, melody and simple guitar or piano chords to seeing a fully fleshed out arrangement with drums, bass, sax, trumpet, background vocals and full production.

THIRTEEN: Congratulations on your debut EP coming out later this year! We are so excited to hear it. What can you share about the project?

ELLA GALVIN: Thank you! I’m so excited too :) This project is a great example of how I have been experimenting with different genres and exploring the versatility of music. It has been such a blast and I have had the privilege of working with so many talented artists of all kinds (photographers, dancers, instrumentalists, stylists, videographers, producers, graphic designers etc.) 

THIRTEEN: “Spare Me” is the first single from the EP. Why did you choose this song as your listeners’ initial look into the project?

ELLA GALVIN: I chose this song as the first off the project to show that this would be different to my usual sound in many ways. I also wrote the song exactly a year ago and it felt right to release it a year later.

THIRTEEN:  What is your favorite lyric from “Spare Me” and why?

ELLA GALVIN: It's a little long but my favorite line is: “The time is too short to find your flaws, too short to choose to love despite, you like because the future’s not bright”. This comes from the quote by William Faulkner: “You don’t love because: you love despite; not for the virtues, but despite the faults.” This lyric emphasizes the fact that there was just not enough time to really get to know someone – I had stronger feelings too because I knew it would never work out and there was a sadness to that but beauty in the hope that love that DOES work out is out there for everyone at the right time.

THIRTEEN: How do you hope “Spare Me” and your debut EP will impact your career going forward?

ELLA GALVIN: I wrote a lot of these songs about the aches, pains and joys of growing up and figuring out what you want from life while living in a big city. There is room for interpretation in so many other ways - songs find people at times when they need it and all I can hope is that my songs do that too.

THIRTEEN: In what ways does the New York music scene impact you as an artist?

ELLA GALVIN: I love the community it fosters. Every show I play, most people will stay late or come early to watch the acts supporting the bill. It's also a shockingly small world, I feel like everyone I meet will have some mutual connection to another musician we know!

THIRTEEN: Who would be your dream collaboration?

ELLA GALVIN: I’ve become a huge fan of Chappell Roan in the past year and love her unique sound – she's definitely someone I’d want to collaborate with or open for!

THIRTEEN: What plans do you have for the rest of 2024?

ELLA GALVIN: Lots of new music & potentially more shows in different cities! Stay tuned!