by abby crabill
photo by alex lopes
Tim Wu, better known by his stage name, Elephante, is the son of immigrants, and a Michigan native. As a graduate from Harvard, he wasn't always on the path to the music industry. Being raised under the belief that, "being an artist wasn’t a real career path or possibility," he chose to work in corporate America instead.
After finally reaching his breaking point, Elephante made the leap into the music industry. He is multitalented with skills in both producing and songwriting. Elephante recently released his newest single, along with a unique music video, titled, “High Water.” Having several headline shows under his belt, including two national tours and Lollapalooza, it is safe to say that Elephante is eager to return to performing in front of live audiences.
Can you describe a little bit of what your childhood was like growing up in Michigan?
Elephante: “A lot of shoveling snow out of my parent’s driveway. It was pretty normal — I played sports, loved video games, and was fat as a kid. Fell in love with a girl, she broke my heart, and I decided, ‘hey, if I become a rockstar then maybe she’ll love me.’ And here we are.”
Have you always seen yourself as a musical artist?
E: “It took me a long time to come around to it. I always loved making music, and I’d bend the rest of my life to make room for it — skip class, call in sick to work, miss friends’ birthday parties. But the way I was raised told me that being an artist wasn’t a real career path or possibility. It wasn’t frowned upon, it just wasn’t realistic. So it took me 22 years to finally reach the end of my rope and take the leap because I knew I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try.”
How did you decide to finally make the leap from working in corporate America to becoming an artist in the music industry?
E: “I just got to my breaking point. In the end, it wasn’t even a decision — I was either going to be miserable for the rest of my life, or I was going to go for it and see what happened.”
Who do you consider some of your musical influences?
E: “I grew up loving hip hop, alt rock, and singer songwriters. I wanted to be John Mayer growing up (still kinda do). Loved Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Damien Rice, Jimi Hendrix. Avicii and Kaskade were the ones who made me want to dive into electronic music.”
What does your song “High Water” mean for you?
E: "‘High Water’ is about my experience in my younger years withdrawing from opioids. It’s about that darkest moment in addiction where your mind gets so twisted that all you can think about is getting back to that high. During the pandemic, I thought a lot about that time in my life and saw a lot of parallels with life in quarantine, where all I wanted was to get back to the way things were pre-COVID, no matter the cost.”
What was your experience like shooting the music video for “High Water?”
E: “Absolutely insane looking back, but at the time it just felt exciting. Before we shot, I didn’t really think about how challenging it was going to be — I was just set on the concept and was accepting of whatever physical pain I needed to to make it happen. The underwater scenes were exhausting — I had about 12 hours straight in the water, and by the end I was completely destroyed — dizzy, violently shivering, and a nasty case of pink eye.”
What are you most excited about when thinking about the future of your musical journey?
E: “I just feel like the world is at my fingertips. Writing this song and shooting the music video really broke through any preconceptions on what I thought was possible creatively. If you told me six months ago that I’d be singing underwater and floating from a crane, I’d be like, ‘I’ll have whatever you’re on.’ Oh, and I’m excited about actually playing shows for live humans again — what a concept.”