Let’s meet the naturally talented music artist ELYSE

Megan Elyse Beitner-Williams (ELYSE), born October 21st, 2000, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer based in Simi Valley, California. We  recently got an opportunity to interview her for our magazine.

CNF Mag: First of all tell us about the start of your music career.
Elyse: I started taking singing lessons when I was 7 years old but I consider my music career starting when I met my producer, Andrew Lane. I was competing in a local open mic competition where he was one of three judges evaluating the competition. I sang “You Don’t Own Me”, the SAYGRACE version and finished in first place in the competition. As I was standing on stage with all the contestants, parents, and friends Andrew approached my parents and I. We talked about the competition and my performance and said he would really like to work with me. We met numerous times over several months getting to know each other and praying about this opportunity. We finally decided to sign a two year contract with Andrew Lane and his production company Drew Wright Music. We have been together for over two years and I am absolutely loving every moment of it.

CNF Mag: Who or what inspired you to get into this industry?
Elyse: I think the first time I ever performed on a stage was what inspired me to get into the industry. At the time, I was in the fourth grade so I didn’t really know what the industry was, but that moment when I first sang in front of an audience for the very first time, I knew I wanted to sing in front of people and make music for the rest of my life. I knew that was what I was supposed to do.

CNF Mag: Tell us about your recent release “Can’t Have Me”?
Elyse: Can’t Have Me was a really fun project to work on from start to finish. It really brought out my inner “angry girl” which was fun to play with. I wrote this song with the concept of two people who have broken up and one of them continuing to want the other back but not ever fully, sort of like playing with them and the person getting played over and over finally getting sick of it and deciding they’re not going to put up with it anymore by saying “you can’t have me”. It’s really a song for anyone who’s ever experienced an ex who’s tried to get back with them after breaking their heart and just being done with it and letting them know that despite what they may think, they don’t get to have them back whenever they feel like it. I wrote the song and recorded it with my producer Andrew Lane and then had the incredible opportunity to film the music video with Jeff Marino and Musicash. Filming the video was so much fun and I had a blast. I was so excited to film and it was just an all around amazing experience.

CNF Mag: What kind of response you have received from the release?
Elyse: I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback! Which was so exciting! I had quite a few people tell me that after day 1 of listening to it on repeat, they already knew all of the words and were scream-singing it at the top of their lungs. Others were telling me how they could really relate to the lyrics due to situations they’ve been through. I had some people tell me that it was stuck in their head and they would catch themselves singing it randomly all the time. It’s always so uplifting hearing such positive feedback, I was just really glad people were able to relate to it and that they enjoyed it.

CNF Mag: What attracts you more, Working in studios or performing on stage?
Elyse: Honestly, I love both equally. There is no way I could pick a favorite between the two. Performing is like a rush of energy for me. I love being on a stage in front of people performing and feeding off the energy of the crowd. Studio is like my second home, it’s so comfortable and allows this space for constant creativity. It’s a safe place that allows for new ideas, trying new things, making mistakes, and figuring out how to make songs, projects, and vocals the best they can be.

CNF Mag: What’s the best part of being a music artist?
Elyse: For me personally, it’s knowing that you’ve made someone feel something or knowing that someone was able to connect in some way with your music. Whether it was a dancey beat in one of my songs that made them jump around their room smiling or a chorus that they screamed at the top of their lungs cause they were feeling the emotion it brought up for them, I love knowing my lyrics that I wrote made someone feel something. Whatever it may be, joy, pain, anger, if I’ve made someone feel something, I’ve done what I set out to do. Or if someone was able to connect with my music and relate to it in some way, knowing that someone was able to get something out of music is the best feeling ever.

CNF Mag: Have you set any goals to achieve?
Elyse: I am constantly setting new goals. Some of my biggest goals that I hope to achieve someday are to one day perform at The Forum in Los Angeles or get one of my songs on radio. But as far as smaller goals go, I really want to release a couple EP’s and after that, and album.

CNF Mag: Are you working on any new project?
Elyse: I am currently working on finishing my first EP and with the release of that, I will be starting up little webisodes on my YouTube channel, so I’ve been working mostly on that.

CNF Mag: Are you active on social media? What’s the best way to follow you online?
Elyse: I am! You can find both my Facebook and Instagram @itsmeelysemusic and my YouTube channel is Elyse Official.