Elliot James Reay

At just 22 years old, Manchester's own Elliot James Reay has already captured the hearts of a global audience. The comparisons to Elvis and Orbison are inescapable, and that’s just fine by him. Elliot has a genuine, lifelong love for not just the music of the ’50s but the entire era, and he has the voice, look, and magnetism to seemingly transport his fans back in time. But a close listen to his intoxicating forays into doo-wop and rockabilly reveals decade-hopping flourishes, knowing nods, and the occasional bent melody or distorted peel of guitar that would’ve caused uproar in Billy Fury’s day. Instead — and despite those who told him he’d need to change his sound to succeed — Elliot’s grown a huge fan base via modern means, organically amassing over 4.7 million followers and hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms.

And to think that by the time Elliot logged those massive numbers, he’d only released a single original song, the instant classic “I Think They Call This Love.” Over a heavy dose of malt shop swagger, Elliot opens with the swoon-worthy couplet, “They say you know when you know / So let’s face it, you had me at ‘Hello.’” The romantic cut scored over 10 million views before its full July release — and over 10 million plays in its first month on streaming services, not to mention hitting Spotify’s Viral charts in over 27 countries while reaching #14 on the Global Viral 50. Elliot was already a star, though, with a social video presence that’s casually mesmeric, finding him singing oldies while making coffee, cleaning counters, or combing his coif. His kindness shines through, and so does his authenticity — sometimes he breaks out a poodle-skirt-pink guitar.

Elliot grew up listening to all kinds of music in the town of Bury, outside of Manchester, but he was drawn to the oldies from an early age and took it farther than most, thrifting for vintage clothes and busking the town center as a teen. As the crowds grew, so did his confidence, and after earning more than £2,000 in a single day fundraising in the wake of the 2017 Manchester tragedy, Elliot realized the power he had to reach others. He was only 15 years old back then, and ever since he’s been working on bringing his velveteen voice to an expanding audience whose appreciation for his music transcends generations, time zones and, yes — to see his fans’ comments about his work — quite possibly time itself. Now with Interscope/Island EMI behind him, Elliot is crafting the stories and sounds that will fill out a highly anticipated original repertoire.