Elissa Mielke may have gotten her start as a model and actress, working various high-profile gigs like scoring a lead role in The Weeknd’s 2012 “The Zone” video with Drake. But now, Mielke is pivoting to focus on her songwriting. The singer gave a taste of what she has in store with two debut songs, “Trying” and “Palace.”
Along with sharing the two songs, Mielke released a reflective video alongside her track “Palace.” Directed by Laura-Lynn Petrick, the visual offers a brief snapshot of the singer’s life, showing her fluidly moving between locations like the ocean and a brightly lit carnival.
In a statement alongside her “Palace” video’s release, Mielke described how important songwriting is to her:
“Writing songs has helped me navigate, survive and gloop through so many strange, dark, or confusing times. Even when I’ve been deeply discouraged about finding ways to share my music, grieving, struggling through isolation (or one of 3 concussions-oops!), sitting at a piano always makes some invisible thing click, heal, clarify. I can often address my inner critic with clarity through music in a way I can’t otherwise, and through writing I can dialogue with fear instead of running away. […] These songs already did what they needed to for me, so now I just hope that listening to any songs I put out in the future offers you any feeling of what making them offers me. Thanks for joining me at the start of this new musical journey, this is just the first song!”
Watch Mielke’s “Palace” video above.