Vera Ellen
Vera Ellen (born 1995 or 1996) is a New Zealand musician and winner of both the Taite Music Prize and an Aotearoa Music Award.
Early life
[edit]Ellen grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt, the youngest of four siblings. She played in bands with her siblings and cousins, then while at high school joined friends in punk band Gaol Bait.[1]
Career
[edit]Ellen's first solo album, Monte Cassino, was released online in 2015.[2] Beat Yr Name, also self-released, followed in 2018.
From 2016 to 2020 she was a member of Maple Syrup, Sweater, and, while she was studying at UCLA, Girl Friday. The COVID-19 pandemic marked the end of her time in the USA and she returned to solo recording in New Zealand.[3]
In 2020 she released two EPs, World Emotion and Songs No-one Should Hear, and signed to Flying Nun Records. Her third solo album, It's Your Birthday, followed in 2021. In 2022 she won Best Alternative Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards and It's Your Birthday was also shortlisted for the Taite Music Prize.[4]
Ellen's fourth solo album, Ideal Home Noise, was released on 31 March 2023 and went on to win the Taite Music Prize in April 2024.[5]
Shortly before her win was announced, Ellen had decided to join the artists boycotting 2024's South by Southwest in protest against the festival's links with the US defence industry.[6]
In May 2024 she released her fourth solo EP, heartbreak for jetlag.[7]
Awards
[edit]- Winner, Best Alternative Artist, 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards (It's Your Birthday).
- Finalist, 2022 Taite Music Prize (It's Your Birthday).
- Winner, 2024 Taite Music Prize (Ideal Home Noise).
Discography
[edit]Solo albums
[edit]- Monte Cassino, 2015
- Beat Yr Name, 2018
- It’s Your Birthday, 2021
- Ideal Home Noise, 2023
Solo EPs
[edit]- Yuppie Farm, 2017
- World Emotion, 2020
- Songs No-one Should Hear, 2020
- heartbreak for jetlag, 2024
With Girl Friday
[edit]- Tiny Hats (EP, 2017)
- Fashion Conman (EP, 2019)
- Androgynous Mary (album, 2020)
- I’m Impossible/You’re Getting A Dog (EP, 2021)
With Sweater
[edit]- Rock ’n’ Roll Picasso (album, 2017)
- How to Throw an Attacker (EP, 2018)
With Maple Syrup
[edit]- Ace & Gab's Honeymoon (EP, 2016)
- Who is Maple Syrup (album, 2017)
References
[edit]- ^ Hay, Karyn (23 April 2024). "Vera Ellen". Audioculture. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Listen: Vera Ellen - Modern Girls". Under the Radar. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "NewTracks New Artist: Vera Ellen". NZ Musician. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Cudby, Chris (10 November 2022). "Aotearoa Music Awards 2022 Winners Announced". Under the Radar. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Taite Music Prize 2024: Vera Ellen takes home top award". New Zealand Herald. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Kiwi musicians Vera Ellen and Georgia Gets By boycott US festival SXSW due to defence industry sponsors". RNZ. New Zealand Herald. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ Stamp, Tony (17 May 2024). "Review: Heartbreak For Jetlag by Vera Ellen". RNZ. Retrieved 10 February 2025.