Biography

ELEL is the project of lead singer Ben Elkins, who is uniquely poised to tap into the fear and uncertainty we've all been living with over the last couple years. The most uncertain Elkins has ever been was about five years ago. His life fell apart in almost every way. He acknowledges that it was his own fault, and it was devastating because he didn’t see it coming. His marriage ended when an affair he was having became public. He became a single dad of two. Some of his bandmates quit, and when ELEL's debut album didn't perform well enough, their label and publishing dropped them. But with some renewed perspective, Elkins cautions that this isn't a sad story. "I'd change some of the choices I made, a hundred percent. But I'm thankful for the challenges that came because of the fallout, because of who I've become." Eventually ELEL's original members, Elkins, Tim Cook, and Zach Tichenor put together a new rhythm section and recorded with them for their next album. On "UFO", Elkins says, "I remember the morning I wrote the lyrics to the chorus while walking down a hot, sunny road in North Nashville. Back then, every day felt like a test of survival. I really didn't know if it would get easier, which felt stressful, constantly. This is what "UFO" is about. Uncertainty. We don't know what the future holds, and that can be very uncomfortable. I've learned that there is peace to be found in turning my attention to the present moment. I've learned that "UFO" is about that as well."