Being a college student, songwriter and recording artist is extremely impressive, nevertheless in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With an indie-rock EP under her belt from last year, Bailee Zelis decided to switch up her sound, and her time in quarantine gave her the freedom to do it. She recorded her latest, and more pop-driven single, “I Don’t Need a Boy to Ruin My Life” in her room these past few months. Keep reading to hear how she balances college and music, her songwriting influences, and how Philly has developed her as an artist!
PPRG:What has been your journey with music?
Bailee Zelis: I have always loved music. I can’t really remember a time when it wasn’t a huge part of my life. I was always singing as a kid, and as a teenager I learned the basics of guitar and started writing my own songs. I was in bands for a while as a teenager but decided about a year and a half ago to start writing solo. I write all the instrumentation, lyrics and melody myself.
PPRG: In addition to your music, you’re a college student at Temple University. How do you balance the two?
BZ: It can definitely be hard to manage both school and music, and recently my workload has been so heavy that I haven’t had as much time to focus on music. But at the same time, Temple has brought me so many opportunities, and I have met so many amazing people who are passionate about music and the industry. Because of Temple and its music community, I have been able to record in the studio on campus, play at the local coffee shop shows, work with WHIP Student Radio, and do an acoustic unplugged session. When it comes to balancing music and school, I definitely tend to put school first. But when inspiration strikes musically, I sometimes put assignments aside to work with it.
PPRG: Your sound is a mix of early 2000s and a more modern production style. Who are your biggest influences?
BZ: I have a lot of influences in the pop and rock genres. I really love ‘90s and 2000s female-led bands like the Cranberries or Sixpence None the Richer. I also love modern artists like Soccer Mommy, who are heavily influenced by the ‘90s, but have a modern twist. My favorite artist right now who inspires me the most is Hatchie, who also has a ‘90s jangle, shoegaze, pop vibe. What makes an artist great to me is the songwriting, so I also admire artists like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey.
PPRG: “I Don’t Need a Boy to Ruin My Life” is your latest single with some pretty personal lyrics. What was the inspiration for it, and what motivated you to be so transparent on this track?
BZ: “I Don’t Need a Boy to Ruin My Life” is sort of being in the limbo between a breakup and a new relationship. It is basically about catching feelings for someone, but being too scared to pursue it because of past heartbreak. I wrote it after I had been heartbroken for the first time, which is one of the worst feelings ever. Knowing that feeling, I just thought to myself, ‘Why would I ever put myself through that again?” So the song is about pushing a crush to the side because you just are not ready for the heartbreak. Also, boys are pretty good at ruining lives. I am not a super open person in real life, so music is an opportunity for me to just get everything out and that is why a lot of my songs are super transparent. As a listener I always appreciate artists who are straightforward and tell a relatable story, so I try to do that too.
PPRG: Everyone’s life has changed so much since last year. How did the time period between your last release in 2019 affect your new sound on “I Don’t Need a Boy to Ruin My Life?”
BZ: I had about a year between my two releases and my sound changed a lot in that time. I think that my songwriting is pretty similar in my 2019 EP and in “I Don’t Need a Boy to Ruin My Life,” but the production is a lot different. With COVID-19 and quarantine I had a lot of time to explore new sounds and find new inspiration. I also recorded everything myself in my bedroom as opposed to in a studio, so I had a lot of freedom and time to try out new sounds. I definitely wanted this single to be more pop and synth driven rather than the raw indie rock sound I had with my first EP. I am really proud of “I Don’t Need a Boy to Ruin My Life” and to be honest I listen to it all the time driving with the windows down at night. It’s the best way to listen to that song.
PPRG: How have you adapted to COVID-19 restrictions with performing and recording? How can listeners continue to support you?
BZ: With the COVID-19 restrictions I was not able to get into a studio and record my songs, but I honestly think that worked out for the better. I do a lot of stuff on my own now and one of my friends in my close quarantine bubble helps produce and mix my songs. So recording wise, I have been pretty lucky. I haven’t played any shows since the pandemic started and I don’t plan to anytime soon because I don’t want to put anyone at risk. I did an unplugged session on YouTube with Bell Tower Music (Temple University’s student-run music agency) a few weeks ago, but that is the most performing I’ve done in a while. People can support me by streaming my songs and following me on social media, @baileezelis.
PPRG: How has Philly inspired you and impacted your approach to music?
BZ: Being in Philly has given me a lot of inspiration lyrically. Now that I live here there are definitely a lot more experiences that I can write about, which changes the vibe of my songs. I also have met a lot of people at Temple who have inspired me to take myself more seriously as an artist. Living in a small town in New Jersey, there were not a lot of people listening to my music and I didn’t expect anyone to really like it. But when I moved to Philly and started to put myself out there, a lot of people began engaging with what I was doing, which felt good. Being in a city with so many creative people who are genuinely passionate about music has inspired me to think not only about the music, but also the visuals and branding aspects of being an artist. There are so many elements to being an artist that I did not realize until I moved here and met a lot of people who are way cooler than me.
Check out Bailee Zelis on Instagram and Bandcamp!
(ALL PICTURES ARE BY ANNA KOBLISH @annakoblish on instagram)
