There's a 'single white female with a guitar, rocking around town', unleashing herself onto various live music venues. That's how Jane Eliz likes to see herself. One of the few - perhaps even the only - female singer-songwriters on the local circuit, Eliz is hoping to capitalise on being a novelty.
'I want to bring something unique to Hong Kong and I feel at the moment I am. I'm getting good, appreciative crowds. I believe in what I'm doing, there's not many females here that can do what I do. This guitar gives me that extra edge,' she said.
Performing in Hong Kong since July, the Australian-native has been spotted at LA Cafe, the Fringe Club and Gig, The Music Cafe. Eliz these days can be seen at Staunton's on Wednesdays, a stint that ends next week. Apart from the joy of performing live, Eliz is determined to keep her name in the public eye in order to promote her debut LP. The five-track album recorded in Sydney and Hong Kong is, hopes Eliz, a step towards a major label deal.
'It's pop folk, balladry and some funky sounds,' said Eliz. 'I'm a mixture between Natalie Imbruglia and Jewel, most of the time unplugged. I tend to just explore the guitar. I love the guitar,' said the garrulous 20-year-old.
Eliz discovered her passion for music at a young age. At five, her parents, impressed by their daughter's ability to repeat songs she heard on the radio, bought her a guitar. Enrolled at Sydney's School of Guitar Technology, Eliz says her talent began to sharpen when she was eight and by 15 she had begun to hone her song-writing skills.
Lyrical inspiration, she says, comes easily, with her songs based on personal experiences or people around her. Her greatest lyrical inspirations come from her favourite artists, which include Oasis, George Michael and Sting.
'I love different lyrics, I don't like things that are too clear cut, like the 'I want you baby, I need you baby'. I really try to make people think 'what is she talking about?' 'I'm just trying to relate. That's what sells a record for me. I'll hear a song and think, 'those are really great words'. I'm not trying to send a message, even though someone once said to me my songs sound so personal, I don't mean them to sound like stories of my life. They're not really. Music is a mood breaker, I like to put out positive vibes with my songs.' Although Eliz's sets are primarily of originals, she does tend to throw in a few covers: not surprising considering Hong Kong is primarily a covers market. Not content to stick within the female pop-folk genre though, Eliz has put her own slant on a Lenny Kravitz track, among others.
