Artist Spotlight: This is elijah.

by Melanie Mae Williamson – http://instagram.com/melmae.jpg 

Follow elijah: https://www.instagram.com/thexelijah/ 

When I asked elijah (thexelijah) which song feels like an exorcism on stage, he didn’t hesitate. That lack of hesitation defines everything he does as he creates music that demands to be felt as much as it is heard. 

There are artists who play it safe, and then there’s elijah. It’s a bold move to brand yourself as only your name, letting the music speak for itself, but he’s proving that he has what it takes to back that up. 

elijah is a true force of nature onstage, but, at the same time, his lyrics are so raw and relatable that it helps create a sense of connection. Not many artists can pull off high energy and intimacy quite this well, and it speaks volumes of elijah’s future potential. 

After a massive 2025, where he shared the stage with Memphis May Fire, Caskets, and Wind Walkers and even played Louder Than Life Fest, he’s kicked off 2026 by opening for Zero 9:36. The rest of the year so far includes a return to Louder Than Life, playing the iconic Vans Warped Tour, and even a few headlining dates. elijah isn’t one to slow down, so we already know he has more up his sleeve to come. 

This is literally your last chance to catch elijah in a smaller venue setting because he’s setting the modern alt scene on fire. By this time next year, I’m confident he’ll be headlining larger venues than these. 

elijah isn’t just one you should watch — he’s one that you can’t help but watch.

Breaking Scene Media: What is your number one touring item necessity, whether it’s a piece of gear or some kind of reminder of home?

elijah: Well, I can’t play the show without my in-ears, so I have to have my in-ears, and I’ve gotta have running shoes.

BSM: So, ‘Lowest’ is a really heavy album, emotionally speaking. Is there any song specifically that kind of feels like an “exorcism” when you perform it? 

elijah: When I get to play “Victim”…when we get the breakdown? Yeah, that thing makes me want to actually throw down again. 

BSM: Have you had any particularly memorable fan interactions that have kind of changed how you view your own music?

elijah: I have a lot of people tell me how much it means to them. And I think that’s really cool because a lot of people struggle with the same things that I struggle with, and it’s nice for them to hear me talk about it, but it’s also nice for me to hear them say, like, that they’re going through kind of the same thing. Because if you go through some hard things, you’re like, ‘I’m the only person that’s ever experienced this,’ and you feel very alone in that. And I think that’s one of the best things about music and live shows in general — you get to meet other people that go through the same struggles and the same experiences, and you can say, ‘Okay, I’m actually not alone. There are a lot of people that have to go through this.’ And it’s bittersweet because you don’t want anybody else to have to go through the same thing, but it gives you a sense of community and helps you a little bit. 

BSM: If you could hand pick one artist, dead or alive, that you want to share a festival stage with, who would it be? 

elijah: Boston!

BSM: Have you ever written a song that scared you to release it? 

elijah: “Break Me” was really hard when I first wrote it, and so was “Lowest.” “Lowest” was more like a pop song, so I didn’t know how people would perceive it, especially with it being the title track of the record. And then “Break Me” is just such a deep thing that I wanted to talk about, and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to be that deep; I don’t know if I like people to know that much about me.’

BSM: That’s how you get fans, though — you’re raw and authentic. What does success look like to you?

elijah: Success, to me, is happiness. Success isn’t a money thing. For me, being comfortable is whether or not I have to look at a price at the grocery store or if I can just buy it. I don’t really care about being super rich and famous; I just want to be comfortable. I just want to do things that bring me joy and not have to work every day of my life. 

BSM: So, we kind of touched on this, but the last question is — what is one thing you want listeners to take away from your music? 

elijah: I hope that people realize that some of the problems that they have, I do too, and other people do. Like what I talked about with the live show aspect — as alone as you might feel in some of your problems, you’re not, and that’s a hard pill to swallow sometimes, because you want to be — at least for me, I’m like a debbie downer when something bad hits me, and I’m like, ‘There’s no way anybody can understand what I’m going through.’ And I don’t want it to feel like you’re not having a unique experience. Of course, everybody has their own unique experiences, but you don’t have to do things alone. There’s a community, and there are people that care about you, and anything that you go through, it’s okay to open up to people that you trust. And a lot of times, people find trustworthy people at live shows, and we have a Discord server that people jump in and get to know each other, and they come to shows with each other all the time, and you can make really good friends that way. So, being with and opening yourself up to people that you trust, letting them know what your problems are, and talking about them, it helps me a ton. That’s why I write music, because I have a hard time talking about it, so I can just write it in lyrics, and hopefully somebody will get it. But yeah, the understanding that you’re not alone and that there are other people that can help you.