Singer-songwriter Sheva Elliot lays bare her vulnerabilities in blues-infused debut

Sheva Elliot can belt out the blues or a showtune, sing Motown or metal, and, thanks to her Grandma Selma, she inherited the ability to play piano by ear. Now, the singer, songwriter, and composer has just dropped her debut album, “Pay the Priestess,” on August 11.

The album, a mélange of torch songs, gospel and rock, is partly an homage to the kind of music that filled her house while she was growing up in Los Angeles. But more than that it reflects the way the 31-year-old Elliot turned her own sense of vulnerability into her superpower — especially when performing before a live audience.

“There are definitely times where if I’m going through something offstage I think to myself, ‘I don’t want to have to put on a face and go out there.’ Then I’m like, ‘Wait, I don’t have to put on a face,’” Elliot said in a video interview from her California home. “That’s the beauty of this gig, I don’t have to pretend. I can let it all out on the stage and honestly, people really appreciate that.”

Inspired by old-school rock and roll and R&B, Elliot recorded “Pay the Priestess” live to tape in the Neve Control Room of the famed Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Texas. There she used the same historic Motown console that was used to record some of her musical idols, including Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson 5.

Whether it’s covering a piece onstage or informing some of her original works, Elliot has long been drawn to traditionally Black musical forms. Yet, in an era where singers such as Miley Cyrus and Gwen Stefani have faced backlash for cultural appropriation, Elliot said she looks to the genres as sources of inspiration, just as she looks to classic rock and showtunes.

“I believe it’s important to note the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural celebration,” she said. “What I write and sing about is personal, and the way I sing it is true to me. I glean inspiration from an array of genres and cultures, but don’t set out to imitate a specific person or demographic.”

Sheva Elliot’s new album, ‘Pay the Priestess,’ dropped on August 11. (Gilberto Ruiz Ortega)

Elliot, who had her first voice teacher when she was 4, was surrounded by music growing up.

Music filled her childhood home, whether it was watching her favorite movie “Grease” nearly every day or listening to the “Phantom of the Opera” soundtrack on the way to Hebrew day school. Her parents, both classic rock fans, introduced her to Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Elton John, the Beatles, and the Jackson 5.

During her teenage years, she set aside showtunes for Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Doors.

“They might not have been the best role models, but they all went very well with my teen angst. There was also Bowie and obviously Elton John and Carole King,” she said. “So much of my internal life was filled with the stories of these artists and their music and their journeys.”

Sheva Elliot turned to her own community for support when times were tough, and found that they were there for her. (Georgia VanNewkirk)

Yet, as much as music filled her life, she flirted with a career in film while attending New York University. But when she returned to California she realized she’d only feel professionally fulfilled if she were singing and writing.

“I always say music chose me,” she said.

I always say music chose me

Several of Elliot’s songs grew out of her path to sobriety and self-empowerment, but Elliot declined to discuss the issue further. However, she did say that many of her songs are reminders to herself and to others that the most divine love is the one within ourselves.

For example, she described “Lost and Found,” as a “love letter to being loved.”

“I wrote it during a time in my life where I felt very powerless because there were some people in my life who were suffering greatly,” Elliot said.

“The song is also about going to people in my community and saying I’m broken-hearted, I’m at a loss and finding they were there for me. It’s about coming out of the darkness, about letting yourself be seen and asking for help. It’s about learning we don’t always have to be stoic,” she continued.

Elliot grew up in a largely secular Jewish home, but holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, and Passover were always “an excuse for us to get together with all the cousins.” She attended Hebrew day school through middle school.

“Then I made the choice to go to public school because I was rebellious and I didn’t give a shit about what I was being told was my heritage. Then as I grew older I started gaining a greater appreciation for it,” she said.

That appreciation drew Elliot to embrace aspects of her Jewish heritage. She attends synagogue during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur partly because she finds the music of the High Holidays “really haunting.” She’s also recently begun delving into Kabbalah, adding that when she learned about Rosh Hodesh, the marking of the new lunar month, she was both surprised and delighted.

I’d been celebrating the moon cycles for a long time before I realized Judaism has a holiday for women

“I’d been celebrating the moon cycles for a long time before I realized Judaism has a holiday for women and the new moon. I remember thinking, ‘Holy shit, that is so beautiful,’” she said.

Aside from writing her own songs, Elliot also writes, directs, and produces her own music videos. It’s a way for her to keep the skills she learned in college sharp. It also helps her remember to rejoice in the end product rather than overly stress over small glitches.

“I have a very strong vision, but I’ve learned that it’s not always going to come out exactly like what is in my head,” Elliot said. “I’ve learned it’s important to let the art reveal itself.”