EllaHarp

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Ella Dawn Jenkins (born 1988 or 1989), also known by her artist name EllaHarp, is an American harpist and singer.[1] She first received attention in the 2010s, as a blogger in the tiny-house movement.

Early life and education[edit]

Jenkins grew up in Malibu.[1] At age 16, her family moved to Frazier Park, in Kern County, California.[1][2] Her paternal grandfather was arranger and composer Gordon Jenkins.[3][4]

At age 7, Jenkins began taking piano lessons, but she switched to harp at age 8 after discovering her love for the instrument.[3][4][5]

Jenkins attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Scottish Music.[1][6] While attending school, she sometimes busked in Glasgow to supplement her income.[6]

Career[edit]

In the early 2010s, one of Jenkin's harps was destroyed when she checked it on a flight.[7] She learned to play the banjo, a more easily transportable instrument, as she was worried about flying with a harp again.[7] In mid-2016, Jenkins decided to design a harp specifically with airplane overhead luggage compartments in mind.[5][7] Her smaller model has an aluminum frame, which allows strings to have more tension compared to a wooden frame; aluminum is also more durable and less at risk to temperature fluctuations than wood.[7][8] Her model has only 29 strings, rather than the usual 30; she left out the high A string, as she rarely used it.[1] Jenkins and her then-boyfriend began experimenting with several different models, and by 2022 the pair had made three aluminum harps, two of which Jenkins has flown with successfully.[7] Jenkins has also built a banjo, which fits into a harp case.[5]

Jenkins released her debut album, Who Asked you Back, in February 2018.[1][6] Her goal with the album was to challenge listeners' perceptions of harp music, with some tracks having blues influences.[6] Guitarist Sam Eigen guested on several of the album's tracks.[6]

In 2021, Jenkins released her second album, Screaming into the Void.[8] The titular track was released as a single in April 2020,[9][10][11] and a music video for the song was released in September 2021.[8]

In June 2023, she released her third album, Lost in January.[12]

Tiny-house movement[edit]

In the early 2010s, Jenkins was a blogger in the tiny-house movement.[13][14][15] She also taught tiny house workshops throughout the United States while working for Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.[13][16]

Jenkins built her tiny home over the course of a year, with her stepfather's help, in the driveway of her parents' house.[17][18] She lived in her tiny house for about five years, at times with her boyfriend and dog.[16] She moved out of her tiny house in 2017, saying her "life goals...outgrew the tiny house".[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Hamlin, Jesse (2018-01-31). "Half Moon Bay's Ella Jenkins: Harp that shimmers in a whole..." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  2. ^ "Issues & Ideas: Ella Harp - Making new sounds on a very old instrument". KCBX. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  3. ^ a b VandenTop, Elyssa (2020-12-19). "San Francisco Harpist & Americana Songwriter EllaHarp Releases Newest Bluegrass-Fueled Revenge Ballad 'Shotgun Sadie'". Music Mecca. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  4. ^ a b Raphael, Louis (2018-01-18). "Local Artist Spotlight: EllaHarp | Music in SF". Music in SF® | The authority on the San Francisco Music Scene. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  5. ^ a b c Frahm, Jonathan (2020-03-01). "Interview | FFS 5 with EllaHarp". For Folk's Sake. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  6. ^ a b c d e Guz, Sarah Griego (2018-01-31). "Local harpist releases new CD". Half Moon Bay Review. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  7. ^ a b c d e Bresler, Alex (2022-04-14). "This Musician Designed Her Own Instrument To Fit in Airplane Overhead Bins". Matador Network. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  8. ^ a b c Whitmore, Laura B. (2021-08-18). "EllaHarp's 'Screaming Into The Void' Is a Beautiful Musical Paradox". Parade. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  9. ^ Craig, Sherryl (2020-04-03). "From the Pop Sounds of EllaHarp Comes "Screaming Into The Void"". Nashville Music Guide. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  10. ^ Daly, John (2020-02-23). "Ella Harp Quietly Captures Wistful Times with New Single". East Coast Rocker. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  11. ^ "Singer/songwriter, EllaHarp, shares title track single "Screaming Into The Void" from upcoming LP". That Music Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  12. ^ Leah (2023-06-23). "EllaHarp Releases Compelling New Album Lost In January". CelebMix. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  13. ^ a b c Jenkins, Ella Dawn (2019-02-13). "Moving Out - Tiny House Blog". tinyhouseblog.com. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  14. ^ ethan (2018-05-11). "5 Harps in a Tiny House with Ella Dawn Jenkins - #006". The Tiny House. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  15. ^ Koch, Wendy (2015-07-21). "These Tiny Homes Live Largish But Would You Want One?". Science. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  16. ^ a b "Great Things in Tiny Packages – Tiny Homes". Sonoma Magazine. 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  17. ^ Frey, Thomas (2014-02-26). "The futurist: The huge potential of the tiny house movement". ColoradoBiz Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  18. ^ Burton, Lynsi (2012-05-10). "6 Ideas for Sensible Homes". YES! Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
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