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Bahamian-New Zealander Rachel Clarke is a singing teacher and composer based in Auckland exploring new musical endeavours as a solo artist. Her soulful voice and songwriting skills are reflected in her new project Elisa, a name inspired by her middle name Elisabeth which she felt was more fitting than her ‘simple Scottish name’.
Bahamian-born Tāmaki-bred musician Elisa Photo: Milly Hoyte
At age eight, Elisa began learning piano, taking theory exams, and writing her own songs. She credits her primary school teacher, Mrs Sadgrove, with nurturing her musical interests through children's songwriting workshops.
“She was an amazing woman. She harnessed all the creative talents that us kids had at that school, and just made a really beautiful environment for creativity for kids at such a young age”.
Elisa returned to The Caribbean as a teenager with her mother for a family wedding. During the trip she performed Elvis Presley’s Only Fools Rush In, which sparked her passion for performing. The visit helped her discover a strong musical bond with her cousin, who introduced her to The Bahamas' vibrant live music scene.
“That holiday when we were there he and I were doing lots of singing together and he very kindly would get me up on stage when he was doing gigs and stuff”.
Later, Elisa earned a spot at the University of Auckland’s Jazz School, where her degree provided her with a broad understanding of both theory and performance.
“The best thing about being in that tertiary environment was the connections that you make as a musician. Being able to find people that you're gonna actually play with and perform with and learn how to have a really efficient band practice and have a really good band dynamic”.
Elisa’s combo instructor during her studies was the esteemed Aotearoa jazz saxophonist and world-class composer Nathan Haines, who became her mentor and is now her colleague. In 2023, the jazz maestro invited her to join him on a trip of a lifetime to perform two concerts at the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
After she received the phone call from Haines, “I just got off the phone and burst into tears. I was just like, this is the biggest thing I have ever done in my entire career. It was so fun! We were there for three days. For context, I had friends who went to Gisborne for the long weekend, and I went to China for the long weekend”.
Elisa teaches singing at multiple schools throughout Tāmaki Makaurau. She finds the role rewarding but acknowledges that she is deeply committed to it. “It’s challenging,” she says, “when I, along with other itinerant teachers, see the potential in students and the significant growth they could achieve with just a bit more effort.” Her favourite aspect of teaching is working with a wide range of students, from rappers to theatre performers. She enjoys the broad spectrum of talents she gets to experience.
Can everyone sing?
“Everyone can improve 100% and I think the thing is it's like anything. It's like any other instrument. You know, if you struggle to play the saxophone, or if you struggle to
play the piano or guitar or whatever if you don't put in the work you're not going to get the results”.
Elisa is passionate about demystifying songwriting, making the process simpler and more accessible.
“In reality a song can be anything that you want it to be. It doesn't have to be a standard, like verse, chorus, verse, bridge, outro, whatever it can be, as simple as saying five words and repeating it over different chord changes. Or I like to teach my students, like Haiku writing”.
Tāmaki Makaurau artist Elisa releases her sophomore single ‘What am I’. Photo: Milly Hoyte
Elisa’s brand new single, What am I? has taken years to write. It started out as a “sweet, little R & B, anthemic moment” and turned into a song that reflected personal trauma and growth.
“Several years later I was in a really tricky place with someone that I thought that I was in love with but it just didn't really work out between us. I was having trauma come up and dealing with things within myself that I didn't realise were there. I was at my parents house and I was just sitting with a guitar and I was just writing and being a little emo girl crying while I was writing. I just put all the just like just poured all the lyrics out by myself and then I took the song to
to my friends who were producing for me at the time”.
Jessica Penson and Carly Gill who are the DJ duo Kedu Carlo offered to produce Elisa after being offered NZ On Air producer funding. The pair produced her first single Despondent and What Am I a process Clarke thoroughly enjoyed.
Songwriting is very cathartic for Elisa and after writing the song so long ago she feels she has moved away from the heavy themes she was exploring.
“At the time, it was very much like this felt so heavy. Looking at it now I'm just in a totally different place”