Elin Grace, an emerging and talented 21-year-old singer songwriter from Crossgates, near Llandrindod Wells, has today released her newest single ‘Steps’.

Currently based in Manchester, Elin’s music blends the warmth and intimacy of indie-folk with the textures and progressions of jazz and classical music.

Her new single ‘Steps’ stems from bittersweet nostalgia: a song for adolescence, for childhood friends, and for the heavy, end-of-summer feeling knowing that everything is soon to change.

After moving to a big city from rural Wales, Elin’s writing focuses on the fear of losing people as you move and grow, and her experience of feeling disconnected and lost in the past.

“Essentially, ‘Steps’ reflects on the childhood friends who shaped you, encapsulating the feeling of being a teenager, and the strange wistfulness of growing up: longing for old faces, and experiences you can never relive,” said Elin.

“I wrote the song at the end of my first year of university in Manchester, feeling quite disconnected from my old friends and old life.”

The EP was recorded in 2024 with Toby Ollis-Brownstone, whose discography has amassed over 8 million streams, and regularly features on various editorial playlists. He has worked with labels including Dirty Hit and had radio plays on BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 6.

It was mixed by Tchad Blake, the Grammy-winning producer and mixer known for his work on Arctic Monkeys' AM, as well as collaborations with Fiona Apple and Celeste - many of which are direct inspirations for Elin. Phil Kirby brought a tasteful approach to mastering. The overall unparalleled quality of mixing/ mastering/ production perfectly pairs with Elin’s Writing.

Talking about the song, Elin said: “The use of a genuine upright piano was crucial, as I wrote the song on my childhood home piano. We used a gorgeous upright, making the most of the pedal noise, and natural piano sounds.”

With influences ranging from legendary artists like Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling to contemporary icons such as Fiona Apple and Celeste, Elin’s songwriting displays a rare depth for someone so young. Her work is defined by a unique combination of poetic lyricism, complex arrangements, and raw, emotional authenticity. Radio 6 said Elin was “One to watch” and Adam Walton from BBC Radio Wales described her as “Prodigiously gifted.”

While developing her sound that has culminated in the EP, Elin achieved a major milestone with her first appearance at a major UK festival, performing at Green Man Festival. The following year, she opened the Market Stage at Truck Festival 2024 presented by So Young, where she debuted some of her new material to an enthusiastic crowd.

Born and raised in the Welsh countryside, Elin draws heavily on her rural upbringing and Welsh identity as a source of inspiration. The landscapes, silence, and solitude of Wales seep into her lyrics, informing her perspectives on themes like girlhood, mental health, identity, and the bittersweet process of growing up. This contrast between her rural roots and her current life in a bustling northern city creates a compelling narrative tension that gives her music its edge - the contrast of rurality and the overwhelming city, this EP is Elin simply trying to make sense of herself and the world around her.