Musical Spotlight: Eli Smart

Raised by a family of musicians on the tropical Hawaiian island of Kauai, Eli Smart creates music in a genre he has coined “Aloha Soul” — a style that fuses the spirit of Hawaii with the grit of British soul music. Smart, who studied at the Paul McCartney-founded Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, pairs the vibrant sounds of the Hawaiian lap steel guitar with the dark, captivating sounds of the bass. The result is a groovy sound that references the styles of The Beatles and Tame Impala. 

The Audacity discovered Eli’s music last summer when they heard “Fiesta 99.9FM,” a track with a unique indie-rock vibe he had not experimented with in his previous music. 

“I made this tune with my best mate James Kerr in London. We just started it around a fun up beat groove. It became a bit of a nostalgic driving anthem that reminded me of driving back home on my favorite road. I always enjoy trying to fuse new sounds and stumble upon different moods.”

It seems Eli Smart was destined to join the music scene, having grown up working shifts at his parents’ record store, Hanalei Strings in Kauai. Today, his family continues to work alongside him. His father played the Hawaiian lap steel guitar on his iconic track “Highschool Steady,” while his grandmother, Denise Kaufman (of rock band Ace of Cups), toured with Eli last summer on bass when he opened for indie star Declan McKenna.

“My family has always been incredibly supportive of my choice to pursue music. They’ve shown me my favorite artists and always made music accessible growing up. I’ve been so lucky to have been raised in an environment where music and creativity was encouraged so much.”

After being raised in sunny, laid-back Kauai, in 2017 Eli moved over 11,000 kilometers to study music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. From the tropical landscape of Kauai to the buzzing streets of Liverpool — this radical location shift and experience was a defining element in shaping his musical style.

“It definitely took me out of my comfort zone. It’s a cool thing to experience and it shaped me creatively in many ways. Just being able to live a very different kind of life gave me new things to be inspired by. I met a load of wonderful people, too. Being surrounded by very talented crews gave me new incentive to push myself, as well. I also love the Beatles so just knowing I was in their city gave me creative fuel.”

Eli says moving to Liverpool was a much needed refresh. The city has a lively musical scene and is packed with up-and-coming artists and clubs — a buzzing energy so different from his peaceful home island. 

“It was just an instinct to stretch my comfort zone and try something completely different. Liverpool felt like a total opposite to Kauai. I knew it would be an adventure and I felt like that was what I needed at the time.”

In 2021, Eli released his first EP, “Boonie Town”, a project inspired by his two homes of Kauai and Liverpool and the juxtaposition between the two. His second EP, “Aloha Soul I”, was inspired by the move back to Kauai from Liverpool during lockdown. He continues to draw inspiration from his travels.

“I think real life continues to be my main inspiration. I’ve been spending a lot of my time in London — this new environment has definitely been a source of creativity. I think the more places I can experience (I’ve been very fortunate to be able to experience a few), I’m able to draw from them all with more perspective and synthesize them into new sounds and songs that resonate with me. That’s what I’ve been enjoying doing.”

“Aloha Soul I” was recorded with acclaimed producer Gianluca Buccellati (who has worked with Arlo Parks and Lana Del Rey). Together, they dreamed up a project that united Eli’s love for aloha and soul while also incorporating electrifying guitar lines, enchanting harmonies, and nostalgic beats.

“We had a great time making tunes together. It can take any shape or form. Usually it will start with ideas that I come up with when playing the guitar or something I’ve started to write around a drum groove. Then it’s fun to just develop them naturally from there. When working towards a larger body of work, it’s really cool to see how the collective identity of a tune starts to take on a new form when they sit together.”

Eli credits his travels from Hawaii to England and back again as being essential to him establishing his unique Aloha Soul sound. 

“That’s my way of paying homage to the musical cultures and environments that have inspired me growing up. Music is so deeply rooted within Hawaiian culture and I’ve been lucky enough to grow up around it and witness its power in the community, bringing that mindset with me has helped me find my homes away from home. I also enjoy using it as a fun creative label to help put a context around the music I make, especially in the creative process if I’m searching for sounds or moods.”

Eli’s tour with well-known indie musician Declan McKenna took him and his music across the mainland U.S. from New York to Nashville. The two artists originally met through mutual producer Gianluca Buccellati. McKenna — who has been quoted as calling Eli “easily one of the best guitar players he’s ever met” — has since featured Eli playing lap steel guitar on his tracks “Sympathy” and “Elevator Hum”. 

“It was my first time being a part of a tour like this. It’s been amazing! Declan and his whole crew were so amazing to work with which made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. I would love to be able to do something like that again.”

When The Audacity asked if we were going to see future collaborations with McKenna, Eli simply answered…

“Maybe someday!?”

Apart from rocking out on the guitar in McKenna’s upcoming album, What Happened to the Beach?, Eli has big plans for his own music in 2024. 

“I’m releasing an EP, some singles and a full length debut record!”

Keep updated on Eli’s upcoming music via his Instagram: @smarticuss.