about
Prairie born, mountains raised, and calling downtown Toronto home, Elias James is no stranger to the landscapes and soundscapes of Canada. A gifted wordsmith and multi-instrumentalist, Elias expresses the pluralities of Canadiana through well-crafted and thoughtful songs. Deeply rooted, but never standing still, Elias’ folk inspired style of country music is reflective of his experiences traveling across his country.
His latest single ‘Same River Twice’ is an ode to the places he’s left behind. The title comes from Greek philosopher Heraclitus musing on the constant state of change, both in the outside world and within. The lyrics tell of a homecoming, the singer placed back in a town he doesn’t recognize; realizing that storefronts close down, people grow up and move away, and skylines only sprout upwards, he longs for a time and place that no longer exist.
As a writer and producer, Elias has amassed millions of streams, two Top 100 songs at country radio (including one top 50), two NSAI Awards, and a CMAB Single of the Year win for the Hailey Benedict breakout ‘Damn You July’.
PRoduction
Production services
As a producer, Elias has a long and eclectic history. From creating demos for his early songs at music school in 2009, to mainstream commercial radio success across North America, and most places in between. He’s scored independent short films and full length movies, had work featured on networks like HBO, MTV, and Food Network, and created small budget podcast intro clips in his home studio to full scale country music productions at CBC soundstage in Toronto.
A skilled multi-instrumentalist (he can learn anything with strings, and some without, as he says), Elias can handle a wide variety of genres. Though mostly working in country, folk, and rock, recent productions include hip-hop, pop, and R&B projects. His lo-fi ambient project ‘Formant’ has millions of streams across online platforms, and his self-produced work under ‘Elias James’ has garnered thousands of spins on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country station. His recent work ‘Heavy On Me (AKF Edition)’ with Andy Penkow was used for a nationwide ad campaign by the Australian Koala Foundation.
Operating out of his home studio, with partnerships at several other major studios around Toronto, Elias is able to offer flexible rates on single song, EP, or full album productions. Contact below to discuss your next project!