ELA “Light It Up”

Proving that Austin, Texas is indeed the music capital of the world in all genres, Austin’s Ela “Light It Up” in the uproariously fun video and single. Ela (real name Ella Reid) brings to life a song infused with dance, disco and diva. Her gold lame hot pants are not the only memorable takeaway from the video – the infectious song and impressive vocals are just as flashy.

URL: elashines.com

Immediately after the neon-rainbow styled graphics introduce the video, the camera is focused on the party’s central figure: Ela. Her voice, much like Donna Summer and Vicki Sue Robinson, is tempered perfectly for “Light It Up” and while her cast of fellow-party goers in the video are wearing all sorts of colorful outfits, and in some cases body paint, the camera follows Ela’s persona and charisma in nearly every scene. It’s a bit of the cheekiness from a Benny Hill skit, mixed with twerking, choreographed dancing and lots of poolside scenes. Her flowing blond hair, laying and laughing on a fuzzy, white carpet is just sassy.

At one point, the lyrics and the imagery match up with the clever wordplay: “who’s that man in my tub, don’t think he’s getting up, get my crew to get right to it, looks like we need special victims unit.” Ela outfits into a police officer costume and smiles for the camera. To say the cast members in the video, and Ela herself, look like they’re having fun is a complete understatement.

It’s that outrageously fun and at one point the party includes a triple-cheeseburger Bloody Mary cocktail drink; it’s a complete over-the-top statement and fitting for a song full of life! While it’s easy to mock or think because the video is so fun and the cast of characters are bystanders to this disco-like party (at one point Ela even fake bits a mini disco ball), “Light It Up” remarkable resonates with the listener. It’s a great song! As aforementioned it has the makings of a strong dance single. The beat and overall tonal arrangement is sharp. The lyrics are not rock science, but not all pop music needs to be so verbose. “Light it up, come get up, up, up! Light it up!” Ela proclaims. Her voice, warm and full of an immediacy that one’s best friend has to get one going and out on the town. Much like any happy hour, Ela’s “Light It Up” changes the mood and wills the listener to get up and dance, dammit.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/e_l_a_shines/ 

Ela finds her niche in the glam-pop world with “Light It Up” and it’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch her in the video. The song has a great hook – and fans of Lady Gaga, Jonas Brothers, DNCE, George Michael, Lizzo, Shakira and more will be drawn to Ela’s confidence and artistry. Ela has the it-factor and she certainly makes the party more fun with the unstoppable hit “Light It Up.” Tesla himself would be dancing after a few listens. It’s that electric.

Michael Rand