Elina "Champion" (Track Review)

Oscar Rendon | St. Louis, MO | December 3rd, 2018

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ABOUT ELINA | As the Northern hemisphere readies for its impending Winter you can always seek warmth from singer-songwriter ELINA, who today provides all the company you need on new single “Champion” ahead of her debut EP in Spring. Her vocals & music offer something welcoming on Champion, but it’s in with a deeper dig into her lyrics that you find it’s not quite the case.  In a way most can relate to at some point of their lives, there’s an unease & vulnerability in not knowing the answers to how their hearts desire feels back.

“To me, Champion is about fear” explains ELINA, who writes music that is deeply personal & honest, continuing  “Personally, when I get scared of losing someone or if I feel inadequate in a relationship - any relationship - I tend to disguise that fear with rejection.  Sometimes even with anger. I think it's a very easy-to-see-through attempt to hide that you're hurt or vulnerable. "I'm scared of losing you" becomes "I don't need you".

“The meaning of "break my heart like a champion" is basically a request to your loved one not to break your heart slowly or gently. Sometimes the fall hurts even more than actually hitting the ground - it's easier to know what will happen instead of fearing it and to live in uncertainty. It's like ripping of a band-aid, the slower you rip the more it hurts."

Review

Elina’s “Champion” on the outset seems like your typical pop song, cold open of the piano playing and as the song continues you’re waiting for the beat to drop and become a song we hear all too much on the radio these days. To our surprise it’s quite the opposite, it subverts expectation and I’m allowed to appreciate Elina’s voice which is a huge highlight about the song. Another great thing the subtle songwriting does is it also allows me to hear the lyrics and connect to them! I never feel like I’m forced to make out the words and the piano keeps the tone just right for the song to become uplifting which it does by the end with the additional voice tracks during the chorus. “Champion” is smart songwriting, it’s not over-produced and it hooks you in right from the start. We cannot wait to hear what the rest of her EP has in store for us.

The Grade

A

MusicOscar RendonElina, ChampionComment