Lindsay Ell, both a solo performer and lead guitarist for Shania Twain, discusses her work-life harmony.
This year has been jam-packed for Lindsay Ell, serving as the lead guitarist for country icon Shania Twain during Twain's tour. On top of that, she's been working on writing and recording her own new tunes. In late October, she released her latest EP titled Love Myself.
Originating from Canada, this gifted musician and songwriter has been fiercely committed to making her music aspirations a reality since her teenage years in the professional scene.
Posting up in Nashville over a decade ago, she gained a record deal and initial success, but encountered difficulties with those who believed she wasn't quite "country enough."
"Quite frequently, terrestrial country radio would tell me that," Ell recounts. "So, my team would question, 'How do we make you more country?' They'd arrange meetings with renowned country songwriters, thinking that if I collaborated with them, I might become more suited for the genre."
However, this approach didn't prove fruitful for her.
"I didn't excel at it," she admits with a chuckle. "I mean, I'm not even fond of beer, so why pen songs about it?"
Following this, she severed ties with her record label and dedicated herself to unearthing her "true voice."
"The preceding couple of years have been a revival of who I am and the music I've always desired to create," she says. "It was nerve-racking, frightening, but also exhilarating. It was thrilling to start afresh with a dedicated team of individuals who believed in me as much as I believed in myself, and who stood behind my vision and wanted to bolster it."
Finding her genuine voice required pinpointing exactly what she wanted to convey in her lyrics. Some of these themes crystallized after confronting a personal health challenge stemming from past trauma.
It resulted in her most introspective collection of music to date. Her latest EP, Love Myself, exposes her vulnerability and depth that she hopes might encourage others, particularly young females.
"I was diagnosed with an eating disorder last year, and it kick-started the most extraordinary healing process I've ever felt in my life," she explains. "I believe it stems from being sexually assaulted at 13, then again at 21. When you don't know how to process your feelings, or they make you uncomfortable or scared, you learn to numb them out. For me, that was my relationship with food."
She's successfully shared her pain, struggles with self-esteem, and harmful self-talk in some of her songs.
"The first single from the EP is 'Story I Tell Myself,'" she says. "Over the previous years, I've been trying to focus on the story I tell myself. Before, the things I told myself were based on misconceived beliefs like I'm not attractive enough, I'm not a great guitarist, I'm not a powerful singer. I wanted to craft a song to launch this new chapter that says, consider redefining some of the stories we tell ourselves, and the powerful transformations we could bring about in our lives."
With the new EP in the bag, she's also looking forward to continuing her time on the road with Shania Twain. For a youngster from Canada who grew up adoring Twain, it's still surreal that she's now part of her band.
"When she called to ask if I would be interested in becoming the lead guitarist in her band, I never saw it coming," Ell recollects. "If someone had told me I would have the chance to collaborate with one of my idols, I would have paid a fortune for that opportunity. I'm so grateful to her for everything she's taught me, exposed me to, and allowed me to learn."
Ell considers it a full-circle moment. "It's strange how one of her songs was the first one I ever learned to sing as a kid, and now I'm playing it with her onstage and she's just a few feet away," she says.
As she brings her frantic 2024 to a close, Ell is eager to explore what lies ahead.
"I'm preparing to hit the road again myself, and also participate in the shows with Shania," she says. "Additionally, I host Canada's Got Talent and it's fun to dabble in a bit of TV. I'll have new music coming in January and March, then a full album next year. But I'm just really excited to have these latest tracks in the world and see the impact they can make."
After finding her true voice, Lindsay Ell collaborated with Shania Twain on her tour, expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to learn from a longtime idol. This experience was particularly meaningful, as Twain's music had a significant influence on Ell during her formative years. Moreover, Ell's latest EP, titled 'Love Myself,' features her most introspective lyrics yet, drawing inspiration from her personal journey and struggles with self-esteem and self-talk. In the song 'Story I Tell Myself,' she encourages listeners to reconsider the stories they tell themselves, potentially bringing about transformative changes in their lives, much like her own journey with Twain. Shania Twain, who has been a significant influence in Lindsay Ell's life, continues to inspire her, both on and off the stage.
