Rising Stars: Meet Eleanor Nash

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eleanor Nash. 

Hi Eleanor, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2018 I went through a revelatory period of my life and everything changed; the most important of which was me returning to music. I had stepped away from playing back in college to focus more on a career. However, when I lost everything four years ago music became my life’s blood, what kept me tethered to this world. I started by playing at open mics and went from there. I knew what I wanted to be as a musician and the rest of that year I spent hours practicing and writing in my tiny congress park apartment so that in 2019 I could release my first EP “Heartbreak.” A lot of grief went into that EP, but also a lot of strength. I was reborn having those songs in the world. And the fire was in my belly. The rest of 2019 I formed a band, Eleanor Nash and The Ramblers, with three of my best friends and we played every show we could get. We were riding momentum that would have carried us so many places when the pandemic hit and everything changed. 

Isolated, I wrote my second EP, recorded it myself in that same congress park apartment, a decision I look back on now and admire for my “go-getter attitude” but cringe at the production value achieved. “Things to do All Alone at Home” was released April 2020. It wasn’t enough to hold onto though. Our band broke up. With nowhere to go play and a day job at the hospital with cancer patients, I was overwhelmed. Depressed. I stopped writing. 

It wasn’t until this last fall when I connected with my good friend Danny Ke to collaborate on a new song “Dark Arts” that I started to feel that spark again. The desire to put music out into the world. Now staring down 2022 there’s a lot in the works and while it feels different, it feels right. Grounded. Planning upcoming releases and spending hours writing and recording. I’m back where I thrive. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The main struggle that I’ve faced is the pervasive belief by some that women aren’t as talented musicians as men. I’ve thankfully been able to start addressing this with two of my good friends, Rachel Ellis and Brittany Wright. Over two years ago we formally founded Rebelles Denver which works to amplify women in music. Our first night we hosted was electric and incredible. While the pandemic has thrown a major wrench in live music, we’re excited to start getting back out this summer and raising up the female performers with our platform. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a musician. But that goes deeper than just playing music. I’m most proud of my solo live performances, of getting out on the stage in front of a microphone, having those profound moments of connection with an audience that can only occur when it’s your art at its rawest level. There’s space in my soul that can only be fulfilled by the hitch of breath and that fecund pause right before I start playing: when I don’t even know what’s going to happen, but it’s so rich and alive beneath my fingertips. It’s every chance I’ve been scared of taking and every leap of faith that’s sustained me. It’s magic. When I feel that, and I start playing, the room goes quiet. People watch and live with me in that moment. And it’s always temporary. Eventually, the song is over and we all leave that moment. But to have a craft that allows me to return whenever I want to, to that space. I know people know me after they live in those moments with me. And that for me will always be enough. 

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I find raw tomatoes to be absolutely disgusting. 

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ellienashmusic/
• SoundCloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/eleanor-nash-28329459

Image Credits:
KatiePucPhotography
Linzy Coffey