Elle Jaye
- Awards and Nominations
- SAMMIES 2020 Nominee★ Creative Achievement in Support of the Music Scene (Music photography) ★
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Q & A
All-time favorite song?
02.05.20
“Dandelions” by Five Iron Frenzy.
As a child growing up, music surrounds us. What type of music did you hear the most back then? How does it differ from what you listen to now?
02.05.20
My mom was a big music consumer, so I was surrounded by all kinds of music. I live the same sort of live, but with and even more broad and obscure collection of music.
Can you describe a moment in your career, where you felt like you truly reached somebody or made a difference?
02.05.20
I've had a camera in my hand for almost my whole life, and I've worked as a professional photographer for 15 years ... and I STILL deal with impostor syndrome. I still mess up SO big, and I wonder often if I'm actually reaching people. Occasionally, people will reach out and say that something I've made has touched them, or something I've said was really profound or impactful, and I never have the feeling of "Oh, I did that, yay me." Instead, I'm just grateful that they felt something because of a thing I've created or said.
Do you have regular gigs around town?
02.05.20
Yes.
Favorite colors?
02.05.20
Glitter. Rainbow. Jewel Tones.
Favorite guitar player?
02.05.20
Jimena Fosado, Angel Vivaldi and Tosin Abasi.
How do you describe your photos to people?
02.05.20
The images are meant to make people pay attention, and hopefully feel something. There's a life to them.
How do you feel about musical award competitions?
02.05.20
I think there are a lot of people who are lost in the mix and left behind. I think that brilliant creators are often terrible self promoters or marketers, and aren't recognized well enough. I don't know if there's a solution to rectifying that, but my job as a content creator is to help those people get a little more visibility. Personally, I feel like the other people in my category are far more deserving of this recognition than I am. My purpose in this industry is to support THEM ... they are on the front lines of creating and growing other people, and I really feel like without them, our community would be so pale.
If you could be any character from history, who would it be?
02.05.20
I feel like who I am right now, is exactly who I'm meant to be.
If you were a movie, what movie would you be?
02.05.20
Big Fish.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what animal would you be?
02.05.20
Something with a loud voice so I could call more friends to come hang out.
Is there a central theme to your work?
02.05.20
My work is love. I am HARD niched into the drum world, so rhythm is a big piece of my existence, and I genuinely believe that everything has a rhythm. There's a heartbeat to everything. If you can stop, listen and feel the beat for a moment, you can usually find the balance.
Name a pet peeve.
02.05.20
Sounds of mastication, unkindness to customer service people.
Name a recent personal food trend.
02.05.20
Tacos for every dang meal.
Tell us about how you first started gigging.
02.05.20
I started shooting live music when I was 20, it evolved to portraiture and weddings, and then back to music and commercial portraiture, and specializing in photographing drums and drummers.
Tell us about your best gig in Sac.
02.05.20
Girls' Rock, Sacramento. What Larisa and her team of angels is doing is nothing short of magic.
Tell us about your worst gig.
02.05.20
Anything that I take without honoring my gut-feeling that says no. Those gigs never work out well.
Tell us about yourself.
02.05.20
A session with me is silly. It's a lot of me acting like an idiot and being really, really nerdy. Sometimes there are terrible jokes. Scratch that. There are always terrible jokes.
What did you want to be when you were 7?
02.05.20
I wanted to be a chef and a journalist. Cooking meals that fill hearts and tummies, and writing things that say something important are still a huge part of my daily life.
What do you sing in the shower? (Be honest.)
02.05.20
That depends on the mood. Lately it's been a lot of Amy Winehouse, Allen Stone and Broadway tunes.
What drives you to keep interviewing even though the music industry can be so harsh?
02.05.20
think the people who create because it is in their bones to make music is the reason I do what I do. Music is medicine and musicians are magic. I can't create the way they do, and I want to be able to support, lift and encourage that.
What message do you hope to give through your art?
02.05.20
My hope is that in any work I do, I leave people feeling more loved and more seen than when they walked onto my set. It doesn't always work out that way, but it's my goal to just love as much as I can.
What was the first song you learned to play?
02.05.20
“Good Riddance” by Green Day.
What's a big media inspiration that would most surprise your fans?
02.05.20
Panic at the Disco videos make me want to create content ALL the time. Also Owl City's Fireflies Video.
What's next for you?
02.05.20
Making some strategic moves in bigger city spaces and pushing for some arena-level contracts. Pushing some creative boundaries in making imagery.
What's something most of your friends don't know about you?
02.05.20
I have MASSIVE heavy anxiety that I push through on a nearly every day basis.
What's the story behind your name?
02.05.20
Elle Jaye is literally just an overly self-important version of my Initials (Lauren Jenkins).
What's your favorite jam from the '90s?
02.05.20
There's no single favorite, any song that comes on is "Qmg this one is my favorite!"
What's your favorite local artist/group?
02.05.20
I honestly don't have favorites. It's like children. My heart has built a home for all of them.
What’s your favorite song to perform live right now?
02.05.20
I sing "Because I love you" at full volume by Lizzo to my kids on a pretty regular basis.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
02.05.20
I will have an opossum named Susan who will share breakfast with me. A hobbit house with a strawberry patch over it. I'll be sending my kids off to college or on various adventures. Hanging out with Dave Grohl and running an artist development/services firm.
Who are your biggest influences?
02.05.20
My children, my child self. I live in a state of ever present wonder and possibility.
Who is your secret star crush?
02.05.20
This is a long list, and not any of the people are secrets. I'm not a player, I just crush a lot.
Words to live by?
02.05.20
Don't be a turd.
You're given a magic wand. What do you do with it?
02.05.20
Plug it in.
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