Singer-songwriter Elise Huang is dropping her new EP, Elise, Live, which is an audio recording of her live sessions at Line In Records in Paranaque City. Listeners who already appreciate her distinct musical voice can stream these sessions starting today on all music streaming platforms. The EP, released under Island Records Philippines, brings together Huang and her fellow musicians Tim Recla (keyboards), Kris Malana (electric guitar), Ken Umahon (drums), and Sam de Leon (bass). De Leon was the musical director along with Karlo Maglasang, and they co-produced the recordings.
Huang says that the sessions were in the works for a year prior to the release, saying that the idea was to offer her listeners a live music experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, she says that this is the first time in two years she and her colleagues ever played her music live. She chose the songs for this EP from her latest set of releases and she says that she wanted “to showcase them for people to see [these songs performed] from their homes.”
What makes these performances different, Huang says, includes the way the songs were arranged, with synths giving way to a classic four-piece band. More importantly, though, she believes that these performances benefit from the band’s chemistry, making them feel different.
Do these live sessions give us a glimpse of things to come? Huang says that, as with a lot of us, things have changed for her over the past few years. What does she hope to do when she sings live again, to an in-person audience? “I want to engage with people more and not take it for granted anymore…I don’t want to hold back anymore. That’s what’s going to be different for me.”