Beth Elsden on finding her way back to music after years spent in the waiting room

Self doubt and grief are heavy burdens to carry. After a period away from music Beth Elsden has found her way back with a clear sense of purpose. Now with three singles under her belt and an upcoming EP on the horizon, we got the lowdown on how she rediscovered her passion for music, learnt to trust her instincts and why taking her time made all the difference.

You originally started out in musical theatre. Tell us about your journey from here to becoming an artist…

Yeah as a kid I was brought up on a lot of musical theatre soundtracks like Annie and I also was a Disney kid in the era of Hannah Montana and Camp Rock so I just gravitated towards these kind of musical movies and music where there is a vivid story behind it. I was also writing songs from 9 years old but it didn’t come as naturally to me once I got to high school, maybe because of the amount of theatre I was doing!! I really valued musical theatre because it allowed me to get on stage as a character and as part of a group. I found performing and nurturing my own music a bit harder because there was nowhere to hide, I still find performing as myself quite scary to this day! 

Ultimately I realised the through-line between my love for musical theatre and my own songwriting was being able to tell stories, convey emotion and explore meaning through music. I think I'll always carry that theatrical essence in my songwriting and that ability to create strong visual, emotional and sonic worlds is usually what draws me to other artists as well. 

After time away from music you brought it back into your life. Why do you think music drifted from your life initially, and what was the catalyst for bringing it back?

It was a combination of factors like well-meaning advice to pursue a realistic career, some knocks in my confidence from various rejections in high school and I also went through a huge family loss in my first year of university so it took me a bit of time just to sort of find my way as a person, let alone as an artist. 

What really catalysed everything was just meeting the right people who believed in me. In 2021 I got to play my first lead role ever in my favourite musical of all time (Heathers: the musical) and then from that, I got a gig opportunity which led me to meeting Abby Wolfe. She was the one who encouraged me to jump in the studio with her and record my music. Her belief in me helped me to get out of my own way and just see what happens if I took my music and writing a little more seriously. I used to have a mindset that I needed to be the most talented or have someone’s permission to make music. Now I see it as something I’m always going to want to do because it simply makes my life more exciting and fulfilling. 

You spent years working on material before releasing anything. What made 2026 feel like the right time?

Honestly it just took that long to get it ready! I had finished the recording process at the end of 2024 but then it took a whole year to get everything mixed, mastered and organise the visual elements. Ironically the concept of my EP was born out of that impatience where I felt like I needed to have music coming out and only then could I feel happy and fulfilled in life. 

I’m really glad we took the time to create a whole body of work instead of just releasing one song at a time, it sort of goes back to what I was saying earlier where I really value strong visual and sonically cohesive albums and eras. I think my music up until this point is such a time capsule of those first few years of finding my feet and I’m really happy to be putting it out as ‘The Waiting Room’ EP. The time it took really allowed me to build confidence in my art away from external influences. This year did feel like the right time to release because I just felt extremely proud to put it out whereas I think if I'd done it any earlier, I would have been perhaps a little too focused on external validation. 

Putting yourself in the public eye can be daunting, yet artists are forced to exist in this space. Following the release of these recent singles, how has your experience played out?

My experience so far has been nothing short of wonderful because I have so many amazing, supportive people I have met along the way that make every release feel special. I do agree though, it can sometimes feel like you are shouting into the void as there are so many talented people chasing the same dream as yours and it can also feel like all of your insecurities have gone under a microscope. This is the kind of thing I had to really prepare myself for over the last few years through therapy and building my self esteem. I still find myself picking apart my appearance after photoshoots and filming take after take of my song covers trying to get every note perfect because social media can entice you to play into that ‘perfection’. I have to remember that my purpose is connecting with people through music and there’s not a specific threshold of beauty or talent that you have to achieve for that to be possible. It’s about being vulnerable, authentic and having something to say. 

In your own words, how would you describe your sound?

I think my sound is light, dreamy and cinematic. I have a lot of pop inclinations in my songwriting but I also love folk music so I feel like that has trickled in as well. My music so far features a lot of harmonies and synths and washed guitars, I didn’t feel like a track was ready until I had an insane amount of vocal stacks so I guess that is the musical theatre/choir girl in me coming through!

In creating this EP, how important was it that you were surrounded by trusted collaborators? If listeners could take one thing away after hearing your upcoming EP, what would that be?

Working with Abby on every part of this EP was so important because I think as a woman who loves pop music, I needed to meet and work with someone who loved the same music as me and saw my vision. My music is dreamy and romantic and emotional and I think in the wrong hands, some of that essence could have been stamped out. I found it hard to advocate for my own music taste in the Dunedin scene where the popular music was more of a surf and grunge rock vibe. Loving pop music can sometimes be internalised as having bad taste or girly taste, clearly a societal message that is steeped in misogyny. Working with Abby allowed me to just focus on what sounded good to me and nurture my love for that kind of music. 

If there’s one message to take away, it is that the moments in your life where you are still healing and still blooming can be just as magical as when everything is going your way and you’re thriving. You just have to notice it.