HOT GIG ALERT (09.02): Elliot James Reay opens up for Benson Boone at TD Garden tomorrow (Interview in Post)
Over the past year, twenty-three-year-old Elliot James Reay has soared into the spotlight. The English singer-songwriter has brought the nostalgic sound and crooning vocals of 1950s love ballads into the present day with his 2024 debut single “I Think They Call This Love,” which went viral on TikTok, and currently has over 140 million streams on Spotify. Reay followed this initial success with his debut EP, All This to Say I Love You, in June 2025, and is currently opening for Benson Boone’s “American Heart” tour. I sat down with Reay to talk about sonic inspirations for the EP, his experience of touring with Boone, and his reflection on his whirlwind of a year.
New England Sounds: You released “All This to Say I Love You” this summer. How has it felt to share this body of work with the world, and how has the response been?
Elliot James Reay: It’s been great. I was really excited to have it out as soon as possible because we recorded it quite early on. We were waiting to do the whole release plan of what’s next, and an EP made sense. All the songs were added at the same time, written at the same time, and they felt like a body of work. So it just made sense to really put them together and showcase what I’ve been working on at that time. And the response has been incredible. I’ve loved every second of seeing all the videos and everyone’s reaction to it. It’s been a quite surreal moment.
NES: The EP is rooted in a fifties and sixties sound but has modern flourishes. How did you strike a balance between vintage inspiration and contemporary style?
EJR: I try to use as many old school recording techniques and take inspiration from as many artists as I can from the era. But I think trying to keep the lyrics as modern as possible really helps with connecting with an audience. I think that’s probably the most important, for an audience of today’s world, to really understand and feel the music, because lyrics back then were slightly different. Things were worded in a different way that maybe doesn’t connect the same way. So I definitely think [that connection is] rooted in the lyrics.
NES: Is there any one song on the EP that is most personal to you or most resonates with your emotional experience?
EJR: “I Think They Call This Love” is probably one of the strongest ones for me. It was written with my partner, and it was written about our story, if you like. It just flowed quite easily. It wasn’t a difficult song to write, which was probably why I connect with it so well.
NES: As you approach your halfway point of opening for Benson Boone, what are some reflections of your performances thus far and goals that you have for the remaining shows?
EJR: It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Being on this tour and being around this scale of a show is so interesting. I’ve learnt so much. My confidence has grown on stage. It feels right. It feels like this is what I’m meant to be doing. And I think that this opportunity coming when it did was the perfect moment for me to take it and to run with something so big.
NES: What do you want Benson’s fans to take away from your set?
EJR: The main thing that I wanted [listeners] to take away from it is probably a new genre of music that maybe they’ve never listened to before. And, hopefully, it’s something that they can share with their parents and their grandparents: love for this style of music. It’s something that can unite families and give them something more in common. [Boone’s] audience, demographic-wise, is everyone – all ages, all walks of life. So it’s the perfect audience because people can get on board and start enjoying it, which is a lot of fun to see happen as well.
NES: What initially drew you to create music in this fifties crooning sound, and why do you think it’s resonating with listeners today?
EJR: It happened naturally. I was never really pushed into it by anyone. It was kind of the other way around. I was wanting to do it, but people would tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing. And I said, “nope, this is what I like doing.” I enjoy this kind of music, and it feels natural to me. I [didn’t] really know what to expect from putting out “I Think They Call This Love” as a first single because I didn’t really know if there was gonna be much of a market for it. I very quickly learned [otherwise]. It was quite wholesome to see people on TikTok and Instagram saying they enjoy the song. They shared it with their family members. They’ve had a moment with their grandparents. Things like that are what I do it for.
NES: “I Think They Call This Love” has over 140,000,000 streams on Spotify. What has it been like achieving such a level of virality so early in your career?
EJR: It’s been crazy. The main thing that I keep in mind is that nothing in life’s changed. But still, my career has taken off, and I’ve been given some opportunities that are incredible. They’re a once-in-a-lifetime thing that I never thought I ever would have, and I’m forever grateful for the people that have supported me and who love the music. I’m gonna keep doing it as long as they want me to do it.
NES: Social media has played a big role in building your fan base. How do you balance being present online with staying focused on the music?
EJR: It’s a little difficult. I’m not the greatest with posting and social media in general. I usually just post about singing and music, and then nothing else. So I think it’s easy for me to just be that singer on TikTok, and just be that guy that no one knows anything about other than his music or his singing. Now I’m trying to balance the idea of giving a little bit more personality online and giving a bit more of myself that I’ve never given before. It’s not easy for me to do that, but I’m getting there with it. And I think it’s going down well with the people online, which encourages me to do more, to be a bit more of myself online, which is fun.
NES: Looking ahead, where do you see your sound evolving? Do you anticipate continuing to lean into retro rock and roll or explore different directions?
EJR: It’s a mixture of things. Wherever I naturally wanna go, whatever I listen to, however I feel in that moment when I’m writing a song, I just tend to write to that. As I grow and as I change as a person, my music will change with it in small increments. I don’t think it’s necessary to lean into: “Now I’m gonna do, like, seventies or eighties music.” I think it’s just gonna be a natural progression. But I have no idea. The door is wide open. It could go any way.
Elliot James Reay plays TD Garden tomorrow, opening for Benson Boone, doors open at 7 pm, and Elliot plays at 8 pm sharp. The show is sold out, but limited verified resale tickets remain available HERE.
Featured image by: Julian Buchan
