According to his biography Eli Lev “pens lyrics and melodies for everyday enlightenment—songs that resonate because they’re heartfelt, earthy, and offer the wisdom he’s gained through lifelong travel and self-discovery.” If you weren’t aware, Eli Lev is a musician from Maryland known for making music that is poppy, heartfelt, and full of spirit. He’s performed across the US, as well as worldwide. His past projects resonate with many because he creates music that everyone can relate to. His recently released EP “Walk. Talk. Dance. Sing” explores the emotions that so many of us experienced throughout the pandemic. Another release of his, “The Four Directions Project, ”is meant to “imaginatively and intrepidly [connect] spheres and generations within a body of work that is irresistibly uplifting, emotionally resonant, and down-to-earth.” Because his music speaks for itself, The Herald reached out with questions about his upbringing and his career as a musician.
If you were to spend just a few moments scrolling on Eli Lev’s Instagram (@elilevmusic) you would quickly come across something called the Universal Song Challenge. This was a challenge Lev hosted for his fans, affectionately known as Levitators, where they sent in videos of them singing the chorus of his song “That Universal Song.” This challenge seemed wholly appropriate for an artist who is so focused on bringing people together in fun ways. When taking a deeper dive into Eli Lev as a musician the phrase, “making the world a smaller place, one song at a time” comes up a lot. Eli Lev has made this his personal motto and explains it by saying “It means bringing people together through song and vibration and breaking down the artificial barriers we put between us.”
Lev describes himself as, “a cross between The Avett Brothers and The Lumineers.” When asked which musicians he looks up to he responded with Jack Johnson, Noah Kahan, Stevie Nicks and Bruce Springsteen. Influences like these were no surprise, as they can be heard clearly in Lev’s music. The process Eli Lev described when writing his own music seems to reflect his lightheartedness. He stated that he gets idea 'seeds' as he likes to call them and “see if they grow over time,” and if they do grow, he likes how it sounds, he begins to develop them into song structures of verse, chorus, bridge. He further explained that after all that if he still enjoys it, he develops these ideas into full songs.TFrom there, he “pick[s] the top songs and bring[s] them into the studio to record.”
Eli Lev is well traveled, having performed from California to Australia and a number of places in between. After seeing so many places it’s hard to decide on a favorite, but he was able to narrow it down to the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. where he saw many shows as a kid.
Being a musician is a full time job, one that takes up alot of energy. The Herald asked about hobbies Lev has outside of making music that help him recharge and he shared that aside from music he enjoys yoga, running, meditating, reading and disc golfing. These hobbies, as he says, keep “[his] mind sharp and his body moving.” One last question to end the interview on a light note was what shows/ movies he has enjoyed recently and what recommendations he would give. Lev stated that ”Daisy Jones and the Six” is a series that he enjoyed, sharing that he “loves music and documentaries.” Lev has also watched “One Love” about Bob Marley and his story. Lastly, Lev shared that he is “really into ‘The Beaches’ right now for fun cheeky rock pop music.”
I would encourage you to take a listen to his music and keep an eye out for his album Present Journey which is releasing May 2025. Eli Lev will also be performing in Durham, NC on Mar. 30, 2024 at Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse starting at 6:30 p.m.
By Liese Devine, Features Editor
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC