Hailing from Chicago, Elle Casazza makes the kind of music that sounds like she’s been around forever. She makes an instant connection with listeners, who feel as if they are hearing songs that reflect their own lives and experiences. Hers is an innate talent apparent in the best songwriters.
Casazza mixes many styles but never leans on current pop clichés or overused electronic beats. She has a jazzy pop sound with soul and muscular rock grit. Vocally, she reminds you of Regina Spektor, with hints of Lily Allen and Gwen Stefani. Some of the tracks have the same rich, textured, jazzy pop-rock studio groove of classic 1970s Steely Dan.
Whether she’s performing as a solo artist or with her five-piece band, Casazza’s music makes her a must-see performer. She is a regular on the Chicago live-music scene, playing such venues as Concord Music Hall, Martyrs and Mayne Stage.
In 2013 Casazza released her debut EP, Your Pleasure. A flurry of singles followed, including “Witness,” “Rainy Days” and “Soft & Low.” Her full-length album Proof was released at the end of 2016. She has already released a sneak-peek of her next album with the track “You.”
In a 2015 article hailing the best young up-and-coming talent in Chicago, the highly influential Paste magazine said of Casazza:
Casazza’s voice is sultry and chilling, her wheelhouse a mix of soul and jazz. But her songs are set to the rhythm of a pop vibrato. All of these elements concoct Elle Casazza’s style, and her sound — the folky violin, the bouncing ivories, bluesy guitar trills—projects the kind of richness that lassos listeners off the street and ropes them into her show.
That is mighty praise for an artist so young, and proof that she is headed for great things.
Watch Elle’s performance on SCENES Live Sessions below.
