About Ocie Elliott
Ocie Elliott pen tunes that feel lived-in. You can hear their memories, moments, and emotions in the dusty acoustic guitars, the sparse production, and the graceful harmonies between Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy. Their experiences as a couple pour into a living and breathing vision for 21st century folk amplified by alternative nuance and unassuming pop appeal. After gathering hundreds of millions of streams and earning widespread acclaim, the JUNO Award-nominated group take another leap forward together on their 2023 Know The Night EP [Nettwerk Music Group].
āWe each bring separate things to the table,ā notes Jon. āFrom the first time we sang together, we instantly reacted like, āWow, this feels so goodā. Sierra forces me to be a much better songwriter. There was a connection and synergy when we started harmonizing, and itās only become stronger.ā āMuch like our relationship, thereās something unique about us singing together,ā adds Sierra. āIf Iām weak in some way, Jonās voice will be there. Iām a severe perfectionist, and Iām quite ADHD. I can never finish anything. Having Jon there, heās so prolific. Heās always getting things done. Both of our personalities forge better music than we could make separately.ā
Theyāve become quite the presence as a unit tooā¦. You can hear, see, and feel their evolution across a series of projects, including EP [2018], We Fall In [2019], Tracks [2020], In That Room [2020], Slow Tide [2021], A Place [2021], and What Remains [2022].
Averaging over 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, āDown by the Waterā reeled in 41.5 million Spotify streams with āTender Loveā at 36.4 million Spotify streams, āI Got You, Honeyā at 28.4 million Spotify streams, and āBe Aroundā at 21.1 million Spotify streams. Plus, they landed major syncs in Greyās Anatomy and NETFLIXās Sweet Magnolias in addition to earning acclaim courtesy of American Songwriter, Atwood Magazine, Exclaim, and PopMatters, among others.
Moreover, Ocie Elliott packed countless headline shows and shared stages with Joshua Radin, Sons of The East, Kim Churchill, and Hollow Coves. Not to mention, the pair picked up a nod in the category of āBreakthrough Artist of the Yearā at the 2022 JUNO Awards.
After spending much of 2022 on the road supporting their previous EP What Remains and writing in between, the musicians entered the studio with John Raham behind the board as engineer in 2023 to record Know The Night. Throughout the process, the EPās central theme crystallized.
āThe link between many of the songs is the exploration of light and dark inside of us,ā notes Sierra. āYou can give into the darknessāhence the name Know The Nightāor you can choose to look at life in a different light. Post-COVID, we did so much traveling. Our mental health improved, and we began to think and feel more positively.ā
The first single āFreeā coasts along on breezy guitar as Sierraās breathy harmonies instantly transfix. She declares, āI am free. Iām free in my mind,ā as Jon counters over the soft rhythm of a cymbal. āNo matter how trapped you are at work or by duty, you have a choice to be free in your mind,ā says Sierra. āItās something nobody can take away from you.ā
āFor me, the song is about those moments in life where youāre relaxed yet also excited and recognize a kind of infinite potential,ā adds Jon. āThe world is your oyster, so to speak.ā Then, thereās āThis Beautiful Life.ā With an upbeat and buoyant spirit, it filters various memories into a sweet and nostalgic anthem.
āThe song is a series of moments and vignettes,ā adds Jon. āWe went to Salt Spring at one point during the spring of 2021. It was stunning. It was in the middle of the Pandemic, and we were finally away from home at a cabin. I was playing guitar out on the porch, and it inspired the song. Lithe strumming sets the tone for āCome On By.ā
Jonās gravelly intonation resounds with an invitation and a plea, āCome on by and make the noise in my mind go quiet.ā āItās about times of feeling down, uninspired, and low,ā Jon continues. āYou have these certain friends in your life who will take you out of it. You forget your troubles because they make you smile, laugh and feel happy.ā
In the end, Ocie Elliottās relationship and music are as beautiful as ever. āThereās a special feeling when Iām singing with Sierra,ā Jon leaves off. āItās hard to describe, but itās incredible.ā Sierra concludes, āWe want you to be able to listen to our music and feel like a song is on your side, understands you, knows you, and supports you.ā