Hello Echolily and welcome to The Music Sanctum!
I’d like to thank you in advance for your time and get to know you a bit better! So, may we have your real name as well as the reason you chose ‘Echolily’ to represent your music as?
Hi! My real name is Michelle Chong. Echolily is a word jumble that came to me in a dream. I was standing in a field of lilies and I could see sound waves echoing above them.
After a quick research, I found out that you are inspired by both pop (Lady Gaga, Sia, Banks) as well as more complex figures like FKA and Grimes among others. Is there a specific artist or piece of music that pushed you to make your own music?
That’s very accurate research! I would say Sia, Portishead, Flume and m83, listening to them started my journey in production.
When did your first full song come to life and which one was it? Can you remember how it made you feel to complete your first song ever?
Under the clocks (stay) was my first full song. The feeling was amazing! I still have the first draft saved on my laptop, so I will always remember how I started.
Have you always needed to create music or was it a more mature realization?
I have always needed to write music. But as I get older, it becomes more and more apparent that I need to escalate myself and release my songs.
Are you always motivated to write new music or does it come in specific times? Also, what does mostly come first for you, lyrics or instrumental?
Yes, I think I can always write something. The idea comes first, then the instrumental, then the lyrics.
Did you have a goal during the creation of ‘Michelle’s Imagination’? How about ‘Under The Clocks’? What was the vision behind them?
For 'Michelle’s Imagination', it was really by chance. I was having a writer's block and was just staring my Blue microphone when the chords and arpeggio came to me.
'Under the clocks' is a love letter to Melbourne. It is about falling in love in Melbourne with the iconic Flinders station clocks as the core of the story.
Your latest releases, mentioned above, seem to belong in a mutual place. Will they be part of an EP or maybe even an album?
Definitely. The plan is for a full length album by the end of this year or early next year.
Your music lives somewhere between the future and the dream world. Do you intend to make this your signature sound or is it part of a general experimentation?
This is definitely my signature but I am also always experimenting!
Since the pandemic is far from over, can you please express yourself on its effects on Echolily both as a person and an artist? How did you experience Covid in Melbourne?
I am grateful that I still have a job to go to because I am also a healthcare worker. The lockdown gave me the time I need to be with my thoughts and write music.
Do you dream of making a living out of your music? If yes, how do you imagine yourself as a professional musician?
I will probably always be a doctor.. But we'll see what happens!
Are there plans for Echolily in 2021?
The full length album and doing more live performances!
Enjoy Echolily at: