Meet Elgher

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elgher a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elgher, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Growing up in a Bisaya Filipino community, I have always felt like an “outcast” from people my age. I don’t have much interest in physical activities, sports, and computer games; instead, I found myself gravitating towards music and the arts. I think that’s where the isolation stemmed from, as finding a solid group with interests similar to mine was difficult. Entering higher education in the civil engineering program as an aspiring musician, that isolation was even more evident being surrounded by students excelling in engineering courses while I was torn between practicality and passion.

I didn’t let these circumstances beyond my control let me lose my passion for music. Instead, I learned to juggle responsibilities. I learned how to manage my time when to put attention and importance to one without compromising the other, and I learned how to stick to deadlines on what I do. Most times, I face burnout due to trying to do as much as I can within a small timeframe to hit multiple goals at the same time. That’s when I learned to evaluate my priorities based on their importance and let go of those that can be let go, and keep a “done is better than perfect” mindset.

Starting from zero with no connections in the music world, I thought nobody believed in this music thing I had going on. I knew I had to find like-minded individuals, and I’m so glad I met amazing people on Reddit, some of which stuck with me for years and became my support system. By joining competitions, I gained confidence in my abilities and slowly made a name for myself. Gradually, I realized that I had people rooting for me, both locally and from other countries, it was just a matter of finding the right people to include in my environment. That’s when I knew I didn’t have to compare myself to others; I was on a different path from everyone around me. I only had to be myself!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was raised the stereotypical Asian/Filipino way, focused on academics and extra-curriculars; however, I always had a thing for music but I had only treated it as a simple pastime. When the COVID pandemic hit and senior high school took a halt for a while, I took refuge in music and discovered that there’s so much more to what my life had been. So, I started learning how to improve my singing and music production skills through YouTube videos. Within a few months, I entered a couple of song competitions – both local and international – and somehow my music won in some of them. These songs are mostly a mix of jingles for organizations and made from prompts or themes. Since then, I have garnered more music-related awards and recognition for various performances during my college years.

Aside from accepting commissions and making songs for others, I also have been making music for myself. As a kinda melancholic person, the pressures and realizations in my life mostly become the subject of my songs. I feel like that’s what makes me different from other musicians, too. I don’t want to make music for the sole purpose of going “viral,” I want to make music that has soul and substance. Right now, I’m working on growing my discography and finding my way through my artistic career, releasing music that feels right to my identity.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I attribute the progress of my journey to genuineness, strategy, and discipline. I interact with people with sincere and clear intentions, and that quality helped me a lot in dealing with people of various personalities and statuses in life. In everything I do, I always strategize how an action might affect the future of my journey. Being strategic also helps me manage to accomplish multiple tasks with close deadlines through time management and prioritizing according to the importance and time it takes to accomplish the work. I utilize every available time that I have to work on my craft, and I make time for what’s important to me, ensuring that I finish what I have to or can finish given the constraints. If anyone is currently going on a similar journey as I am, I suggest being disciplined and consistent in employing these qualities. By sticking with these qualities and remembering to just be yourself, you will improve as a person the way you want to be known, and it will be much easier to present yourself to others.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m open to meeting new musician friends! I am especially eager to collaborate with fellow artists who write, sing, and produce their own music, as long as they are open-minded and have genuine intentions as I do. Aside from musicians, I have also been wanting to connect with artists of other media such as drawing artists, visual makers, and editors, to name a few. If anyone reading this is interested in passion projects, I am very active on Instagram so they can reach me at @elgher. They can also contact me through email at [email protected]

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Aira Sol Maraunay (@solairh)
Kc Mae Lagunay (@kisimi_)
Sandrew Rogel Eya (@justsandrooo)
Rayn Belle Andalan (@rayndropx)

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