Eloise Viola- ‘Trying To Love Ya’: Pretty, Preppy and a Downright Pop Star
Rating: 3 stars
November 2021
Get ready to say “Sayonara” to Selena, “Do one” to Dua, and a “Bye-Bye” to Beyonce, as there’s a new kid on the block- and Eloise Viola is ready to do battle for the coveted title of pop princess.
Fresh off her debut tour supporting mega-boyband Lawson, the London based singer-songwriter has just released her latest single ‘Trying To Love Ya’- and it’s ticking all the right boxes. With six singles AND an EP already released in 2021, this new release is yet another achievement to add to the future pop star’s ever-increasing repertoire of catchy melodies.
Tinged with disco-fuelled melodies and a lust for seemingly never-ending summer days, it’s the perfect release to tease fans as to what they can expect from an upcoming debut Viola album. And with the rate Viola’s churning out music, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her debut album released very soon.
One thing for certain with Eloise Viola is that she delivers. Her releases are fun and funky- and ‘Trying To Love Ya’ is just that. On her journey to find a quintessentially ‘Eloise Viola’ sound, she appears to have stumbled on a brand that works for her: up-tempo, and heavy guitar riffs alongside a complementary range of electronic beats.
Viola’s shown she has no fear in trying something new in the past — like the stripped-back ‘Love It or Leave It’, but why stray from a musical recipe that seemingly has all the right ingredients? What’s worked before in previous electronic releases of ‘B.O.D.Y’ and ‘What You Gunna Do’, has worked once again within ‘Trying To Love Ya’, but does raise the question: when will this ‘perfect’ recipe wear thin?
Eloise, although well on the rise to stardom with over 220,000 monthly listeners belting out her anthems, is seemingly remaining authentically herself. Demonstrated within the access all areas behind-the-scenes video for ‘Trying to Love Ya’, where the singer can be seen slapping a fresh face of make up on the top of her self-described “hangover makeup”, in the passenger seat of a beat-up Mazda MX5 with a blown tyre- the dizzying heights of the industry have clearly not stolen Viola away just yet.
This release however does see Viola place greater depth on her lyricism and the meaning behind the release and video. Look closely amongst the pumped-up prep of this funk-fuelled disco ballad, and there’s a more serious message of self-love and acceptance, of embracing our true selves within the midst of an influencer culture: the digital age filled with constant comparison and photo retouching. In the accompanying music video, Eloise can be seen on a disused racetrack, battling her own inner demons in the form of ‘Good Eloise’ (in white) versus ‘Cru-Eloise’ (in black latex… obviously).
As the meaning of the song builds, the tempo does too- with Viola taking back control of her alter ego over a high point of toe-tapping drums and a bass heavy riff.
Its clear Viola’s work ethic is one to be rivalled, a powerhouse performance not too dissimilar from the soulful and compelling tones of Dua Lipa and Adele, able to carefully craft a performance embedded with meaning and a sing-along-factor that has audiences immediately pressing replay.
One of the only downfalls from this performance is it wasn’t released sooner. ‘Tryin To Love Ya’ deserves to be heard at full blast in the middle of summer- not a bitterly cold winter’s day. If released in the summer gone by, I truly believe Viola would have received the appreciation this track deserves, rather than the mere 4,000 listens amassed on Spotify since its initial release the end of October.
However, if this body-positive performer continues on the same path (although hopefully not the abandoned racetrack), continuing to create even more melodic earworms like ‘Trying To Love Ya’, then Viola has a glittering future ahead — watch out Queen Bey!
