From viral heartbreak anthems to sold-out stages across the world, elijah woods is having a moment—and he's bringing it straight to Singapore. The multi-platinum Canadian pop artist is making his highly anticipated return to the region with his Give Me The Sunlight! tour, stopping in town at The Theatre at Mediacorp on 10 August.
With a devoted fanbase and over one billion streams to his name, elijah woods is more than a sensation—he's a fully DIY creative force. Whether he's penning deeply personal lyrics or producing chart-toppers like '24/7, 365' and his latest single 'Could You Love Me?', every beat carries his signature blend of infectious hooks and emotional clarity.
Known for his heartfelt performances and genuine connection with fans, elijah promises something extra special for Singapore this time. (Spoiler: he’s bringing a fan-requested surprise track that’s exclusive to the city.) Ahead of his show, we caught up with him to talk about emotional storytelling, connecting with Asia’s most passionate fans, and why Singaporean chicken rice just hits different.
View this post on Instagram
Singapore is gonna be one of the one of the first stops on the tour. I think it's the third or fourth, and it's always such a great place to play. So, last year, everybody was requesting one specific song, and I don't wanna tell you what title it is because it is a surprise. Yeah. But, it's a song I didn't play last year. And I'm very, very excited to be playing that specifically for Singapore. I might not play it anywhere else, but I'm gonna play it in Singapore, but come to the show to find out which one it is.
You’ve always shown love to your Asia fanbase - now that you’re back on tour here, what’s something about this region that creatively recharges you?
I mean, one, the food is always just the best. Pick a place in Southeast Asia or Asia food is just my favorite in the world. So, whether it's Singaporean chicken rice or sushi in Japan, it's just absolutely my favourite.
I think the one thing that actually really recharges me and one thing that I really wasn't prepared for last year when I came, or even when I came back into February for the one off show, is just the love and the the attention to detail that all the fans have when they come to the show. Like, they're very prepared, and they listen to all the music, and they really care. And that's something that I really don't take for granted.
So when I'm up on stage and, there are moments where I can connect with, like, one person in the crowd that really locks with me, and I feel like that happens so often in Asia, and that is just so special to me. I feel like everyone's just really invested with this attention. It's so much fun for me.
You’ve got a knack for transforming everyday emotion into pop bangers - what’s something about your songwriting that you're especially proud of?
I've found that it's very rare for people to take a song and turn it into a song themselves. I feel like there's always a lot of people involved, and I'm really fortunate. I've built this world where I can write a song myself, and then I can produce it myself, and then I can record it, and then I can perform it, kind of all by myself.
I do all my own live programming. I mix and master all my records from conception to its final stage which is something that I'm really, really proud of. And I feel like that's what really comes through my music is just the authenticity. It is me. You know what I mean? It's an extension to me in the fullest sense.
With every project, you reveal a bit more of yourself. What’s something you’ve learned about your own identity that music helped you articulate before you even realized it?
The main thing that I've discovered about myself just through music is, my need for constant communication, and my next project is really, really about that. It's about these tough conversations that I've had in my life and my willingness to have, whether it's confrontation or awkward conversations or, really great conversations with telling somebody I love them or telling somebody I don't feel so special about them.
Those conversations are often really hard, and I feel like music is is a vehicle for that because I think it kinda gives me the courage to say it in a song before I maybe say it to that person. So it's like a trial run, a little bit. That's kind of where my lyrics often come from, is through life experiences and difficult or really, really great conversations.
Do you ever revisit older songs and hear the "old you"? If so, what track would you rework now with your current lens and why?
It's funny. I do it all the time, and I'm always like, oh, if I had to do this song today, I would have produced it like this, and I would have recorded this guitar this way or would have sang it this way, whatever. But I think you could perpetually do that. I think if you keep doing that, the songs never come out. And when I listen to songs like - ‘wildfire’ is a great example - I put that song out, I wrote it in a couple days, and I recorded the guitar, and it was kinda like an acoustic demo and I was like, oh, whatever. It's like, I hope somebody finds it and really, really loves it.
And then all these years later, it's like one of my favorite songs to sing at the shows. But then I listen to the actual recording and I'm like, "oh my god". I don't sound good on this, on this song. But it's one of the songs that people have discovered me from, and that's really important. Like, I think songs are, like, time capsules. So if you mess that up, maybe the song wouldn't be as impactful or be as special. And even though it maybe not be as the best version of me today, it was the best version of me then. So I treat them as as little chapters in my life, like little seasons.
I think if there's one that I could go back on and re-record, it would be, it would be ‘wildfire’. The vocal recording for me is just, like, so strange, I think I was sick or something, and I recorded it. And I was like, oh, it sounds pretty good. Like, I think I hope somebody likes it, and I didn't think much of it because I thought it was just kinda like a B-cut. And now every show, everyone's screaming, “Uh-oh, uh-oh”.
For fans seeing you live in Asia for the first time, what’s one emotion or message you hope they walk away with after your set?
I hope that everybody who comes to show feels really seen. I really put a lot of emphasis on making sure that if you're buying a ticket or if you're coming to the show with a friend, you get what you paid for and you get what you came out for. I have my favorite shows in the world when I go to see my favorite artists are the ones where they're really interactive with the crowd and they make everybody feel seen and loved.
And I think the important thing for me, at an elijah woods show, is to make sure that if you're showing up and you're participating, I'm gonna give that all that energy back to you. So, I'm so grateful because I think last year was obviously my first time in Asia, but it was my first time experiencing that love from such a generous community. And I didn't recognize how loving, my Asian fans were. And to experience that in person, I kinda took it home, and I took a year to think about that. I'm just so grateful for that. So as much as I can give that back give that back to people, then that that makes me feel good.
View this post on Instagram
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
-