All the world’s a love song for Elijah Woods

Let’s get it out of the way: not Frodo. The same year Elijah Wood (the actor) starred in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Elijah Woods (the singer) was seven years old, already learning to produce music.

The fact that he (almost) shares the same name as an actor is perhaps the least interesting thing about Elijah. His song 24/7, 365, which took over TikTok in 2023, makes it appear as if he came out of nowhere; in reality, he was almost a decade into a music career already, having won a televised singing competition in Canada as part of the duo Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine.

The duo parted ways in 2020, prompting Elijah to begin his solo career. Since then, he has released six EPs, moved to Los Angeles, and gotten married. He did a sold-out Asia tour last year. In Manila, he succumbed to the audience’s request for an encore and did a short acoustic set after the show.

He returns to the Philippines, a nation of “love song-loving people,” this July 25 and 26, with shows in Manila and Cebu. Below, Elijah tells Young STAR about his experiences writing love songs that reach the other side of the world and what it’s like to make a name for himself, literally.

YOUNG STAR: You share your songwriting process on social media, and I noticed that you release songs almost as soon as you finish them. I know some artists tend to dwell on the work before showing it to the world—why do you think you work more quickly?

ELIJAH WOODS: I feel really lucky that I have the luxury to put music out as quickly as I can make it. I make 90 percent of it myself, and I have a studio at my house. But some songs would be great in the package of an album to give it more context, and fighting the urge to put everything out as I make it is really difficult sometimes.

If I have a really strong opinion about a body of songs, I try to advocate for the larger vision of it rather than (saying), “All right, let’s put it out and I’m on to the next thing.” Songs have lives outside of (their) creation. To release a song is to give it away; as soon as I put the song out, it’s not mine anymore. It’s the story of whoever’s listening to it. They can make it whatever they want. I try to approach that with as much delicacy as possible.

You released Lights, your first song as Elijah Woods, in 2021. Before that, you were in a band and writing songs for other artists. How did you know Lights was going to be your song?

It was the most honest I’d been in a song, and it was so literal to an experience I had in a past relationship. I was like, “There’s no way anyone’s gonna sing this. This is quite literally me sneaking out of my ex-girlfriend’s house at eight in the morning.”

There’s a level of identity that I haven’t had in any pitch demos or in the band I was in. It felt like a path presented itself. I taught myself to sing and kept making music.

What was the process like of finding your own voice? Especially since, as a listener, I find your sound now very distinct from the work you’ve done before.

I love to know that my music is a reflection of me as a human being. We’re all unique, but where some artists get lost—and I can speak to this on my own journey—is that it’s really easy to be like, “Oh, this person likes this for me, so I should go do more of that.”

I asked myself three questions during my solo career: Can I make songs? What do I want to say? Why do I want to say it? The songwriting has taken an evolution. Rather than thinking if I can sell this, it’s more like, can I tour this and have this real reaction with humans? Can I meet people who connect with the music and, by extension, connect to me? Can I make somebody feel seen?

That’s been the journey in the last couple of years, but the beginning was like, will people even care? And I can’t believe anyone is listening. I can’t believe anyone cares, and I just feel so grateful.

You not only make your own music, but you also own and publish all of it. Why was this something you’ve been deliberate about since your debut as a soloist?

I’ve been really lucky to have good people around me in terms of management and creative mentors. I was in a band and I went through the major label system, and it taught me about what value-add a label has; what they can and can’t have.

I’m in a unique position where it costs me zero dollars to make a record: I don’t have to pay for studio time or producer fees. For me, there was no frontend investment needed. It was more like, “Can I afford to live while I make this music”? And I was lucky enough that my success previously and moving forward (gave me) the time to figure things out.

I love going A to Z with a song. I love coming up with a concept, turning it into a song, making the idea fit within a world, then marketing it to people and seeing what they think. But as things scale—I’m putting out my debut album in the fall—I understand the investment required, both (money) and time. I understand why people need a record label to bankroll music videos and do the whole thing. But for me, it comes down to control and making sure I’m delivering the most honest version of myself to my fans and the people I care about.

Do you have any influences that are not just in terms of music, but also how you advocate for your music outside the studio?

I grew up with bands like The Rolling Stones, who were very in control of their masters. My mom also instilled a good sense of the business side of things in my brain, and it’s funny because she’s not the musical one in our family. My dad taught me guitar at a young age. I get a lot of my core beliefs from them.

Musically, I recently got into Laufey, and what’s interesting with her is that as she gets bigger, I feel like she’s becoming more herself. It’s exciting, and I try to embody that.

What are you looking forward to on your second time here in the Philippines, especially since you’re not only stopping in Manila but also Cebu?

(Filipinos are) the most energetic, love song-loving people I’ve ever met. Y’all can sing better than anybody; I don’t know if you guys are born with it or if it’s like a mandatory subject in school. I can’t wait. I got a lot of feedback for the setlist (from last year’s Manila show), so I’m investing so much energy, love, and time into it. I’m making sure that if the Philippines is showing up for me, I’m showing up for the Philippines.