Eli: A Beautiful Talent to Look Out For
Written by Sharon Hamza
All images courtesy of Eli
I might have just found the next breakout star and her sound is impossible to scroll past.
In a sea of viral sounds and mind-numbing trends, one voice is cutting through the noise. Meet Eli (@journalofadoll on TikTok), a budding musician already gaining the attention of artists such as Doechii, Troye Sivan and Meghan Trainor. This being said, her artistry goes beyond the strive for clout, and her sound is raw. In her recent promotion for her new song,"Marianne”, Eli displays a distinctive aesthetic that feels intimate and pensive.
Eli has been creating music for quite some time; however she made her official debut with“ ZOOM” in 2021, a collaborative single with Juliet Ivy. Since then, her creative style has ventured into several different sounds and genres. One thing that does remain a constant is her unique vocal tone and range. On her TikTok page, she posts many snippets of songs that she’s created from the comfort of her room. Each sample is as captivating as the other, some echoing the nostalgic pop sounds of the 2000s, others reminiscent of the sounds of Frank Ocean and Ariana Grande from the 2010s. Despite these comparisons, where I find Eli’s talent to be especially abundant is in her lyricism.
Eli has taken her listeners through her journey with gender and sexual identity within her music, vulnerably expressing this through her song“ Sleeping Beauty”, released in 2023. Starting with a slow and somber guitar instrumental, Eli sings of the discrimination she faced throughout her life living as gay man. But the song ends with an uplifting cry out as she breaks free from the pressures and constraints of the binary, dubbing this as her“ queer manifesto” in an Instagram post.
Fast forward to 2025 and Eli is creating a buzz with her song“ Marianne”, due to be released on May 30th, 2025. This snippet was my introduction to Eli and, oh my word, have I been taken by it! The track features the somber and sweet sounds of the violin mirroring the bitter lyrics.
The song tells the story of a WLW relationship cut short when Marianne leaves to be with a man. In this brief but powerful heartbreak track, themes of longing for a traditional family, the pain of not being able to marry, and deep feelings of rejection all emerge within the short fifty second clip.“ Marianne” depicts a relationship undone by the quiet, persistent weight of a homophobic society, where even with legislation that promises equality, the pain of rejection, fear and societal pressure still cuts deep for those who dare to love freely.
“‘Marianne’ depicts a relationship undone by the quiet, persistent weight of a homophobic society, where even with legislation that promises equality, the pain of rejection, fear and societal pressure still cuts deep for those who dare to love freely.”
In a recent TikTok promoting the song, Eli talks transparently about her drive to make music her full-time job, but also her fears of going“ viral”. Above all, in her new stage of life, her work is ‘dedicated to art, dolls, freaks, losers and the stage girl in everyone’.
Whilst writing this article I have had Eli’s TikTok video open, and have been replaying“ Marianne”, for the past 2 hours! It really is such a masterful display of deep emotion and artistry and I hope that Eli gains the recognition she deserves and more.
