Elena Serene releases Green; an album well beyond her years.

Around the age of three, Elena Serene Magnie had already written her first series of songs; The Rock n Roll Magical. It was a series of four or five songs that some today would refer to as a concept album. These collections of songs were based on characters born of her imagination, The Rock n Roll and the Magical. The songs have since vanished from her memory, save the chorus of the title track, which she still hums with a smile of nostalgia.  She has come a long way since then. This past March she released her debut full length album, Green, at age 15. Green was recorded down the road from her home in Coral Bay at Coral Star Studios, St. Johns newest beacon of hope for the music community.

Although this is her first full length album recorded in a professional studio, this is her third time recording songs of her making. At age six, and again at age nine, she recorded her first two CDs in various “lo-fi” methods. This time however, she releases her full-length album under the umbrella of Good Duck Records, a newly created record label based out of Coral Star Studios in Coral Bay, created and cultivated by Allen Clapp. Long gone are the days of recording to cell phones in bathtubs. Elena, at age 15, has gone pro.

With her album, “Green“, Elena Serene presents a maturity, complexity, and playfulness in her songs that is rare to find in musicians these days in general, let alone one of her age. Raised in a highly musical home, her family in an integral part of her inspiration as well as her musical output. The musicians performing on this record is comprised of her family: Lauren and Bo Magnie (long time champions of the St. John music scene), her younger brother Otis, and her grandfather, John.

Influenced by a wide range of music, Elena carries her influences over to her own writing. She is not beholden to one genre, nor has she put herself in a box of song topics or subjects. She typically creates some sort of story in her head and then places herself in the shoes of the characters she invented and proceeds to write from their perspective. This inventive style of writing is not one typical of a song writer her age. It is usually reserved for well-practiced veterans who have spent years homing in their craft. However, when you stop to realize she wrote her first song at age three, this creative maturity starts to make much more sense.

 

The album Green is comprised of songs mostly derived from this objective perspective. There is a very significant exception; the song “True Story” is a very deliberate and clear window into her artistic prowess. She presents an honest perception of herself in regard to her relationship with music and particularly her own writing process.

“So, let’s face I’m a kid, I write about stuff that I never did. And this may be my only song that’s true.

Its apparent I’m a child and my life’s not exactly wild, but everyone wants a song about feeling blue.

But it’s not a lie, cos if it is then what are stories?

And though I say ‘I’, It’s not really me,

and almost every time I try to write about love and glory, I sadly succeed.”

This introspection and candid vulnerability are rare and something to be acknowledged, embraced, and cherished. Elena is mastering the art of songwriting as a teenager, putting herself in the perspective of situations she has no real first-hand experience of. All the while also writing about the process of doing so. Her album is a wonderful exploration into the mind of a brilliant musician who could absolutely continue to grow and develop into a household name. Her current talents, intelligence, creativity, wisdom and humility speak to her potential: open ended and limitless.

Elena plans to pursue music on her own terms. She sees college as a part of her future, however, she remains resistant to the idea of attending a music school; weary of the rigid structure that comes with a formal music education. Like many musicians who have put in the time and effort as she has, Elena is seeking the spotlight and stardom, keen on carving out her own path and dictating her own terms with her future in music.

This record marks an important moment in her life. It is a steppingstone to the next stage of her musical career. That being said, she remains most passionate about the stage and performing. She views the recording process as more of a time stamp, an opportunity to readdress and revisit certain perspectives and musicality. She sees recording more as a method of growth and learning, rather than the end all be all. The stage and performance is where she feels she can really explore music and feels that part of the musical journey most rewarding.

Growing up in a musical household, Elena was deeply impacted by her parents and the music they created. These days she is still influenced by them, performing with Lauren, Bo and Otis in the Family Band often, or various stripped-down versions of it.  She also has a band on St. John, The Bubbles, which she affectionately referred to as a “kid band”, which is understandable given how much of her time is spent performing with adults who are seasoned veterans of the St. John musical realm. She writes with the Bubbles, comprised of her friends who are other St. John youngsters. She writes with her brother, or from writing prompts given to her from her father.

Aside from collaborations, she also writes alone; pulling from the stories of life; hers or anyone else’s. Writing from an objective perspective in any given scenario, she puts herself in to the emotional state of that scenario that she describes as “usually negative, because happy songs are not as fun to write.” She says this with a laugh, and despite this pattern of creating through somewhat of a negative narrative, Elena describes writing songs and playing music as making her feel powerful. It is this dualistic relationship between the art and the artist that is a big part of what makes Elena and her music so wonderfully intriguing and engaging. Even if it is borrowed, she is filled with anguish, joy, and wisdom. She is a true artist at her core.

Her debut album, Green, has a depth that reaches to all aspects of life as well as musicianship. Green carries a heaviness and complexity that is met with sheer playfulness and simplicity.  One of the many albums coming out of Coral Bay from Good Duck Records, Green is the first official full-length album of her own making as well as of the newly formed St. John based record label. It marks the beginning of what will inevitably be a fruitful path of musical brilliance that one would be a fool to ignore. Elena Serene carries the torch at the head of the pack, marching from Coral Bay to the rest of the world, laughing as she screams and sings that St. John is alive and well, and that we have something to hear that is worth listening to.

 

Find Elena Serene’s debut album, Green on all streaming platforms. Be sure to check out her album release show April 25th in Coral Bay, at Sharky’s By the Water.

 

 

Taylor Lissandrello