Singer/songwriter from Ontario, Linnea Siggelkow, also known as Ellis, released her debut record, Born Again, out now through Fat Possum Records. Her young, childhood dreams soon became a reality. Siggelkow chatted with us a little bit more about the making of Ellis, the debut record, and more.
Tell us a little bit more about your musical journey, and your Alias, Ellis.
I started playing piano when I was four years old and have been making music for as long as I can remember. When I was 12, I saw the music video for “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, and it changed my life—it’s the first memory I have of seeing a girl playing an electric guitar.
I got a full-time babysitting job that summer and saved up all my money to buy my first guitar—a navy blue, Squire Stratocaster. As soon as I was able to, I started (badly!) recording songs I wrote on Garageband that never left my bedroom. I’d save all these songs on my computer under my initials: LS.
It wasn’t until years later that I actually started performing songs that I wrote, and even years after that before I would perform as Ellis—a name I chose as a play on my initials.
What were some of your influences with the making of your debut album, Born Again?
Every song I’ve ever written starts with a lyric, and every lyric comes from a thought or feeling. It feels cheesy to say, but I am most influenced by my own emotions, writing them down and capturing those feelings as best as I can in the form of a song.
I am always drawn most to emotional music, these little glimpses into the human experience, and I think it’s so beautiful that you can listen to a song and totally empathize with what the songwriter was feeling when they wrote it. That’s what inspires me most.
This is also your first signing to Fat Possum Records. How’s that experience?
I self-released an EP in 2018 in a small run of cassettes hoping maybe my friends would buy them. I had no idea that four months later, it would be pressed and coming out on Fat Possum Records internationally. It’s been totally surreal to have the support of a label like that from so early on; I feel very lucky.
You will kick off your first extensive tour in support of the debut release, are you excited/nervous to play in front of a huge crowd? How will you prep yourself for this big moment?
I’m the sort who worries over every little thing, a perpetual ball of anxiety in daily life, but somehow that vanishes the moment I hit the stage—performing stands out as the true joy in all this, and I’m itching to dive back in. With touring, though, the jitters hit full force over everything from packed schedules to endless travel quirks, guaranteeing plenty of tense moments ahead. That’s why I’m turning to proven outlets to ease the strain, like scouting the best offshore sportsbooks for engaging wagers that sharpen my focus during layovers, alongside rolling out my yoga mat for those essential breathing exercises. They all tie together in keeping me grounded, channeling that nervous buzz into deliberate routines that make the road feel more manageable, one mindful step or strategic pick at a time.
