A Chat with Elare André (02.06.26)
Elare André is a fascinating multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter. His latest release, MUSIC FOR ALL OCCASIONS, is a reflection of an artist committed to creating without concession. We chat with Elare André about the release below.
OSR: MUSIC FOR ALL OCCASIONS was originally released in fragmented form across streaming platforms before being reassembled into its intended sequence for vinyl. At what point did you realise the order of the songs fundamentally changed the meaning of the project?
Elare André: This album was written across a span of years, with the most recently written and produced being ‘Fuck That’ followed by ‘Baby, you should get in too’ and ‘Swinning in AI’ respectively, but before the very first track was out, I already knew the intended order for the album. It felt important for the narrative arc and lyrical tie-ins. Even ‘What’s Baby’s Name?’ following the newly written and recorded ‘Baby, you should get in too’ was intentional for the play on the word “baby” in a love song, followed by a simultaneous homage, excessive use, and critique of the word “baby” in music in general.
OSR: You’ve described parts of your sound as ‘tainted disco’. What does that term mean to you emotionally and sonically, and why did it feel like the right language for this album?
Elare André: Sonically, I think it kind of means I came to truly appreciate disco later in life. The day that disco died happened well over a decade before I was a kid in rural Michigan. I missed the prime of disco as a “younger” gay and honestly thought it was cheesy, but I came to really appreciate the unbridled joy that it embodies later in life. I find that my music still embodies some of that unbridled expression, but it’s a bit more tainted – bleeding heart, emotive, passionate ex-Christian who went through years of self-hatred – in its perspective. Aka: Tainted Disco.
OSR: A major theme throughout the album is overstimulation and digital fatigue. Did making this record help you process your relationship with technology, or did it intensify those feelings while creating it?
Elare André: I think I’m honestly still very over social media and would love to declare an exit of some sort, but I’m not in a position to make an exit. Creatives “need” the potential exposure. I still need it even if I’m bad at it. These tech billionaires are ruining us. I’m still overstimulated hahaha.
OSR: Tracks like ‘Fuck That’, ‘And then I paused to take a selfie’, and ‘Swimming in AI’ critique modern internet culture while also feeling deeply personal. How do you balance satire with vulnerability in your songwriting?
Elare André: I think it’s so important to just muse in life. I take life and people’s lives very seriously. I see a lot of dark futures in tech oligarchy and AI in the USA and the world at large, and I think we all have a lot of collective musing to do about where we’re heading.
OSR: Queer identity runs throughout the emotional architecture of the album, sometimes overtly and sometimes more subtly. Was that integration something intentional from the start, or did it emerge naturally as the songs came together?
Elare André: I knew this album was always going to be about queer identity. I wanted it woven in and casual. The dirty parts in this album are pretty dang casual; even though I know to the right ears they’re quite lewd. I think that balance of a bit of both was exactly what I wanted.
OSR: ‘Baby, you should get in too’ introduces a surprisingly warm, country-adjacent atmosphere compared to some of the album’s more fractured electronic moments. What inspired that stylistic shift, and how did recording around your wedding celebration influence the song emotionally?
Elare André: So my fiancé (now husband) loves country music. It’s not typically my bag, with a few exceptions. I intentionally wanted to write a country love song to him, with a few winks and kisses thrown in. I also wanted to “pull a fast one” before the next track ‘What’s Baby’s Name?’ because the genre is about to be a journey. This is not my homogenic. We did actually record footage at our wedding, but I haven’t gone through it yet. We got married on the back of a truck bed surrounded by friends, family and bamboo. During the ceremony, we blasted this song from the cab and sang it to each other. It was a sweet moment. I’ll always cherish it.
OSR: You wrote, produced, and performed nearly every aspect of the album yourself. Did having complete creative control feel liberating, isolating, or both?
Elare André: I love having complete creative control, but that also means I don’t love calling a track or a record done. In that sense, it is a bit isolating if you don’t seek any outside opinions. I almost love to think of this album as a resume for my production. I think getting to creatively produce a record is something I’m built for and want to do again.
OSR: There’s a noticeable refusal of perfection across the album: emotionally, lyrically, and even in the production textures. Were there moments where you intentionally kept imperfections because they felt more honest than a polished version?
Elare André: The last time I produced a record was with my childhood band FILMLOOM – 2015’s ‘Perennial’. Some of our recording time was spent in Cincinnati recording with Chad Wahlbrink – he knew I was very into James Blake, and he introduced me to Jai Paul. I really vibed with those early tracks that were unfortunately leaked, but some of the crazy mixing choices (whether or not they were intended for the final album) felt really raw and inspiring. The honest core of it is that I hate releasing music because I usually feel disappointed in the final product, like there was still untapped potential. With this record, I aimed to put that to rest and embrace the imperfections when you are self-writing, recording, producing, etc.
OSR: Artists like James Blake, Frank Ocean, Sampha, and Björk have been mentioned in conversations around your music. Are there specific artists or records that shaped your approach while making this project?
Elare André: I feel like all of these artists really shaped my taste in music at different times of life, but they all still live with me now. It’s super flattering if this is genuine, honestly. Björk and Sigur Rós got me through being gay in small-town America. James Blake’s self-titled and Overgrown alongside Jai Paul really steered my desire for more experimental production and into rap, hip-hop, R&B, and into Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange and Blonde. I’m always in an explorative spiral, and didn’t start listening to pop artists or like Arianna Grande until circa 2015, but I did get there. I think that whole journey has led me to want to be experimental with genre and with the concept of “pop” music. Frank absolutely inspired me to get more inventive with instrumentation changes. I’d love to do more of that in future projects.
OSR: The album closes with ‘Heaven is a place I wanna go if I can still go down on you’, which feels provocative, funny, spiritual, and deeply sincere all at once. Why did that feel like the right final statement for the record?
Elare André: Some things as an artist just feel correct. Even track 13 literally being titled ‘Heaven is a place I wanna go if I can still go down on you’. I said what I said. It’s blunt, and it’s humorous. It’s track 13, baby. Will I go to heaven or hell when I die, if those places exist? It depends a lot on who you ask. I think plenty of people think I’m an angel, but to some people, just being gay, or doing burlesque, means I’m hellbound. It’s sincere, humorous, and provocative at the same time.
Many thanks to Elare André for speaking with us. Find out more about Elare André on his Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Spotify.
