It’s called ‘chemistry’, an elusive quality that can be part history, part mystery and all intangible until the moment that you feel it. It’s a meant-to-be melding of the emotional and creative that can happen between songwriters, performers, best friends or life partners. For Josh and Nicole Johnson – the duo Elenowen – that connection is all of the above and much more. The chemistry they share is as rare – and real – as it gets.
Though emerging from the same Nashville-based Americana-folk scene as The Civil Wars, Elenowen deliver a sonic glow all their own. Amidst haunting harmonies and elegiac lyrics, their songs flow with an undercurrent of yearning, surrender and unexpectedly sharp edges. The sound itself is roots-driven. Even the name Elenowen is an authentic nod to heritage, with Ellen being Josh’s mom’s middle name and Owen being the middle name of Nicole’s dad. “They’re the sides of the family we each got our music from,” explains Josh. “What’s in our hearts will always come out in what we do.”
With their original songs providing the backdrop to pivotal moments on popular television shows - including NBC’s Revolution, CW’s Pretty Little Liars, Lifetime’s Army Wives, CW’s One Tree Hill, and MTV’s World of Jenks - Elenowen are discovering that the truth of what they do is bringing them new fans nationwide. In the midst of writing and recording for their upcoming album, they hit the road in the spring of 2013 on their first headlining tour, The Drifting Closer Tour, which stopped in over 20 cities nationwide. Currently, they are traveling across the country and sharing the stage with artists like singer/songwriter Matt Wertz and rock band, Green River Ordinance. But what about that thing called chemistry? For Elenowen, it’s a one-of-a-kind formula that is about to become bigger than the both of them.
