Local musician spotlight: Elise Jaye Music

In the CU, we have some great local musicians. Elise Johnson of Elise Jaye Music, a sophomore at Urbana High is one of them.

Johnson wants people to know, “Most of the time I perform covers, but I try to pour as much emotion into them as possible. The songs I write come from the heart and are more for me to vent and get thoughts out into the world than to create something for others to enjoy; if people like it, that’s a plus!”

Some musicians start off not knowing how to play instruments at all, but Johnson admits that “I’ve been playing music as long as I can remember and I love it dearly!”

Often musicians write music to get over a certain event or to express their emotions. But Johnson uses music as a way “to build myself up and heal.”

Johnson has some powerful words of encouragement for starting musicians: “Keep practicing and put yourself out there! Also, always make sure what you’re creating comes from your heart and conveys what you need it too, not just what you think people want to hear.”

To find more about Elise Jaye Music and to figure out where she is playing follow her on twitter @elisejayemusic