Getting To Know: Ellie Pettinati

At just 16 years old, rising star Ellie Pettinati from Hampshire, England, is already making waves in the music world. A singer-songwriter with an early start—penning her first song at age 8—Ellie has spent years honing her craft and developing her unique sound. After releasing her debut single "It’s Right" at 13 and embarking on a mini radio tour across the South of England, Ellie quickly caught the attention of major platforms like BBC Introducing and even headlined the UK Daily News. Now, with her latest release, "Temperamental," Ellie channels the raw emotions of teenage life into an upbeat, authentic anthem that showcases her growth as both a musician and producer. This young talent is one to watch.

1. You began writing songs at the age of 8. What was it about music that captivated you at such a young age, and do you remember the first song you ever wrote?

Whenever I listen to a piece of music I always find it so hard to listen to it as a whole body of work, in my head I always separate the different instruments and vocals which makes the listening experience 100% better as you can hear each amazing component in detail. This definitely captivated me to make my own music as I really wanted other people to hear what I had to say but, through separate musical perspectives and I wanted them to listen and find the hidden meanings and sounds like I used to do. The first song I wrote was called “Be the good guys” which was about being a great parent and role model, which is funny as I’m still so young and can’t imagine being so serious! 

2. Your latest single, "Temperamental," delves into the ups and downs of teenage life. How do you find balancing the emotional intensity of being a teenager with the artistic process of songwriting?

I think it’s easy to balance as each aspect goes hand in hand with the whole process of making music. I don’t think you can make a good song without having an emotionally complicated meaning behind it or vice versa, It’s hard to be emotional without needing to write a song to express the intensity! At the end of the day, I think that being a teenager makes my music special. I feel like I have so much going on at the moment with school, relationships and music that I can offer my audience a new perspective that is hopefully relatable. 

3. After releasing your first single, "It’s Right," at 13 and touring on local radio, how did those early experiences shape your confidence and stage presence?

Releasing any song is nerve racking but doing it at 13 whilst being in year 9 was especially scary, as I had no idea what people would think and I was still in the stage of my life where I cared a lot about others thoughts. Once I played live a few times and went to these radio shows where I received so much feedback and experience, it really boosted my confidence and made me feel excited to continue this journey. I also found that my stage presence was a lot better as I felt safe in my abilities and confident that people liked my tunes!! 

4. You’ve taken on the challenge of learning to produce your own music. How has this added layer of creative control influenced your sound and artistic direction?

I was gifted “Logic Pro” for my 15th birthday and was so intimidated by how many controls and music terms it had in the app, I hardly used it and just messed around until last December. I found the courage to just play around with the settings and wrote “Temperamental” so quickly after layering some electric guitars that appeared on a random tab!! I’m so grateful that I finally had the epiphany that I can produce music myself, even at such a young age, it is possible. I co-produced “Temperamental” with Luc Pomfret who helped with my other tracks and by having more control over the songs sound, it felt like I knew more about my artistic direction than ever before! I’m still learning but, who I am as an artist is becoming more funky, more rock, more jazzy and LOTS OF POP!!