Ellen Bain – Elphen

Singer /Songwriter, Elphen – Ellen Bain from Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, shares some of her unique songwriting with Doric TV. Through difficult times in her life, Ellen has turned her attention to expressing her emotions through words and song.

Little Bird was written in February 2019. Reminiscing on past experiences and facing up to struggles that were present in the moment. Whilst it may seem sad it is focused on processing your emotions and thoughts and understanding that it is okay to feel a bit lost at times. Allowing yourself to feel what is happening around you and embrace it. Life is ever-changing and though growth is uncomfortable at times, it is necessary in order to move forward.

Elphen

Ellen started off as a backing vocalist for Alan Frew in 2015. Since then, and after learning the guitar, she has taken part in open jam nights at Drummonds, and as well as performing with others has launched her solo project Elphen. Music fans may have seen her perform already in the city, including at the Illicit Still, Malones and The Craftsman Company.

Her first live stream was on Sunday 29th March 2020 as part of a virtual concert project, this is the recording of that live session

This next wee compilation of songs from Elphen was recorded exclusively for Doric TV in May 2021, in Jill’s wee bothy in Cruden Bay.

Old Hat “something tediously familiar or outdated”. The idea for this song came about initially during a night out with one of my good friends – Heather. We’d been in the pub and I turned and said to her “ach well, I’m old hat”, to which she laughed and pointed out that it would be a good concept for a song. A little more light-hearted than some of my other songs, with some Paolo Nutini inspiration/ vibes