Elin Fflur's astonishing voice and gift for melody have made her one of Wales' most exciting young artists. The unique style and soul of her new album Hafana combine rock with the grit, storytelling art and irresistible melodies of her Welsh roots.
Born on Anglesey in 1984, Elin grew up on the island speaking Welsh and surrounded by music.
‘It's always been around, from my very earliest memories’ she says. Her mother Nest Llewellyn Jones, a talented musician, was lead vocalist with the influential folk band Bran. In 1978, Bran won the Song for Wales competition – a contest Elin herself would win 24 years later with a song by the same composer, Arfon Win. Nest's daughter soon proved to have inherited her gifts, singing from the age of three in local Eisteddfods, then becoming a well-known performer at the national level.
But Elin's influences soon went way beyond Wales. As well as listening in on Bran's practice sessions, she remembers driving around with her dad listening to classic singer-songwriters - Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and her favourite, the wry, observational New Yorker Janis Ian. In her early teens, she began to write and perform her own rock songs. ‘I rebelled – by that age, I loved rock'n roll’ she says.
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Hafana, her new album, springs from the same combination of rock attitude and folk melody, the lure of the wide world and the inescapable draw of home.
‘The title's a play on words’ explains Elin. ‘I'm fascinated by Havana, the place – but in Welsh, it also means a place to escape to, a haven. Many of my lyrics are about escaping from things – even escaping from reality, especially the realities that hit you when you leave home and go out into the world by yourself.’
The making of Hafana was another journey between adventure and the familiar. After writing sessions in Wales and London with bass player Sion Llwyd and guitarist Ben Main, Elin travelled to New York. There, she spent time recording in Avatar Studios with Jim Steinman, and with Take That and Celine Dion producer Steve Rinkoff.
‘It was an amazing experience – I learnt so much from working there’ says Elin. But she brought her music back to Wales, recording at Bethesda with Dave Wrench and mastering the album at Hafod near Cardiff. ‘Working with such an experienced team on Hafana opened my eyes to new ways of writing, even of singing’ Elin explains. ‘And all that excitement comes across on the album.’
But even since finishing Hafana, Elin's pace has not slowed. She is currently presenting a Welsh music road-show ‘Nodyn’ on S4C, working on more TV projects and looking forward to touring the album. ‘I love playing live and meeting an audience – it's my favourite thing’ says Elin. ‘With this album, I want to take my music to more people. I'd like to travel the world singing – then come back to Wales of course!’
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