Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Elijah The Boy is a self-made viral sensation. Get familiar with this VIPER Presents interview…

What five words define your sound?

Five words that I would use to describe my sound are fresh, relatable, passionate, fun and catchy.

Tell me something unique about your creative process

Something unique about my creative process is that eight out of 10 times the context of the song is based on what my producer names the beat.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?

It’s crazy because usually if you’re an artist your favourite song you made isn’t your most popular, but my record ‘Apt 159’ is my personal favourite. Though, if you are just getting put onto me then I’d suggest spinning ‘Noah On Sunday’.

What inspired you to make that song?

I was inspired to make ‘EGO’ by the environment I grew up in and the relationships I’ve had with women over the years.

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

My most vulnerable writing would probably have been while making my project ‘First Summer Without You’ because it’s based on a real life situation that I went through being cheated on and healing. Most men wouldn’t admit to getting cheated on publicly, but I am open about my experience and embraced the growing stages I was in during that part of my life.

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?

My favourite onstage memory is probably my sold out show last year in Rutherford, NJ. I brought my mom on stage and she was so proud.

What is your favourite song to perform?

My favourite song to perform is my new song ‘EGO’. I recently performed it for the first time and the crowd’s reaction and energy was amazing.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?

Drake, J Cole, and Eminem are my biggest musical influences. I draw a lot of my storytelling abilities from the influence of these artists and from them I learned to be vulnerable in music.

What’s the meaning behind your name?

Honestly, I was originally just going to go by “Elijah.” I use to refer to myself as “The Boy” in my songs a lot so I decided to make that my Instagram handle because “Elijah” was taken. Then, when I went viral in 2017, the fans kinda just called me my IG handle “Elijahtheboy” so I made it my artist name.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?

I’m not sure what I would be doing if it wasn’t music, but I know it would be some sort of hustle and creative driven job. My drive is my best character trait.

What’s success to you?

Success to me is being able to pay your bills off of your creativity and doing what you love.

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?

Dropping out of college and realising I don’t know where my life is headed and knew I wasn’t chasing my passion, which forced me to take it more seriously and really bet on myself.

Where can people keep in touch with you?

I’m really active on my instagram @elijahtheboy and my TikTok @officialelijahtheboy and you can also find my music on any streaming platform by searching my name “Elijah The Boy.”