Elle Cordova

Last updated

Elle Cordova
Reina Del Cid First Avenue Minneapolis (26864573768).jpg
Cordova performing in Minneapolis in 2018
Background information
Birth nameRachelle Cordova
Also known asReina del Cid
Born (1988-03-08) March 8, 1988 (age 36)
Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Origin Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • acoustic guitar
Years active2008–present
Website ellecordova.com

Rachelle Cordova [1] (born March 8, 1988) known professionally as Elle Cordova and formerly as Reina del Cid, [2] is an American singer-songwriter and lead of the folk rock band Reina del Cid. She is also known for her online comedy sketches, rhyming spoken word poetry, and videos celebrating literature, space, technology and nerd culture. [3] She was formerly based in Minneapolis-St. Paul and is now based in Los Angeles.

Contents

Early life and education

Cordova was born in Fargo, North Dakota, on March 8, 1988, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2010. After graduating from college, Cordova worked as an editorial assistant for University of Minnesota Press.

Career

Cordova adopted the stage name "Reina del Cid" in 2007 for her YouTube channel as a reference to Spanish heroic literature: having nicknamed a guitar "El Cid" after the Castilian nobleman of the same name, she added the name "Reina" ("queen" in Spanish) to become "queen of my guitar." [4] [5]

Reina del Cid first gained big attention as a band with a residency at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in downtown St. Paul performing every Monday night for nearly two years from 2013 to 2015. [6]

Reina del Cid in 2018 Reina Del Cid First Avenue Minneapolis (40025583784).jpg
Reina del Cid in 2018

Alongside creative partner and lead guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Toni Lindgren, Cordova has released five full-length studio albums as Reina del Cid: blueprints, plans (credited to "Reina del Cid & the Cidizens") (2012); The Cooling (2015); Rerun City (2017); Morse Code (2019); and Candy Apple Red (2022). The Cooling and Rerun City were recorded at Pachyderm Studios. [7] [8] [9] Songs from The Cooling were featured on NPR [10] and Baeble Music. [11] Paste magazine featured her subsequent single release, "Death Cap", and its filmed-in-Iceland music video. [12]

She released Morse Code on October 4, 2019, with a concert at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. [13]

Cordova and Lindgren moved to Los Angeles in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their fifth studio album, Candy Apple Red, was released on April 28, 2022, with a concert at the Turf Club in St. Paul. [14]

In July 2023, Reina del Cid "reintroduced" herself as Elle Cordova to reflect new "songs and poems that feel more personal...than ever before." [15] As a self-professed "English major nerd with a penchant for sci-fi tv shows," [16] the artist has released poems, skits, and songs on science, space, sci-fi, and literary themes, some set to hip-hop beats. She launched a YouTube channel under the new name. The Reina del Cid channel was renamed, first to "Sunday Mornings HQ" and then to "Elle & Toni", where Cordova and Lindgren continue to post weekly covers and originals. The band's new album will be an Elle Cordova release; previous material will retain the Reina del Cid moniker. [17] [18]

In her April 2024 TED Talk, Cordova presented "Poetry and music that reaches across the digital void", performing her original song "Carl Sagan" and exploring social media and human connection. [19] TED presented her as a musician known for online comedy sketches, rhyming spoken word poetry, and videos celebrating literature, space, technology and nerd culture. [3]

As of October 2024, their YouTube channel had more than 450,000 subscribers; their 350-plus videos had a combined 131 million views. [20] They regularly release original and cover songs in their YouTube video series, Sunday Mornings, and frequently tour with singer-songwriters Joshua Lee Turner and Carson McKee.

Band members

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerds (candy)</span> American confection launched in 1983

Nerds is an American candy launched in 1983 by the Sunmark Corporation under the brand name Willy Wonka Candy Company. Nerds are now made by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero Group. but is still distributed internationally by Nestlé. With their anthropomorphic covers, Nerds usually contain two flavors per box, each flavor having a separate compartment and opening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Thomas III</span> American actor and musician (born 1993)

Leon George Thomas III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. After early roles in Broadway and providing the singing voice of Tyrone on the Nick Jr. animated series The Backyardigans (2006–2008), he played Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010–2013), for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhett & Link</span> YouTube comedy duo

Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III are an American comedy duo. Self-styled as "Internetainers", they are known for creating and hosting the YouTube series Good Mythical Morning. Their other notable projects include comedic songs and sketches, their IFC series Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings, their YouTube Premium series Rhett & Link's Buddy System, their podcast Ear Biscuits, their YouTube series Wonderhole, and their novel The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girlicious</span> American girl group

Girlicious was an American girl group originally formed by Robin Antin, creator of the Pussycat Dolls, from The CW reality TV show Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious. The group was originally signed to Geffen Records and composed of members Nichole Cordova, Tiffanie Anderson, Chrystina Sayers and Natalie Mejia. Their self-titled debut album was released in Canada in August 2008 and reached number two on the Canadian Albums Chart. After Anderson left the group in June 2009, Girlicious signed with Universal Music Canada and released their second studio album, Rebuilt, in November 2010. Mejia and Sayers departed the group in February 2011. Nichole Cordova later announced the end of Girlicious, and her joining a new girl group called Girls United.

Elle is a female given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoann Lemoine</span> French music video director, graphic designer and musician

Yoann Lemoine, known professionally as Woodkid, is a French music video director, graphic designer and singer-songwriter. His most notable works include his music video direction for Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", Taylor Swift's "Back to December", Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die" and Harry Styles's "Sign of the Times".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyanda</span> American singer-songwriter

Nyanda Janelle Thorbourne, better known by her stage name/mononym Nyanda, is a Jamaican-American singer and songwriter from Kingston, Jamaica. Nyanda is a member of the R&B/reggae duo Brick & Lace whose debut album, Love Is Wicked, was released through Geffen / Kon Live in 2007 and featured the chart-topping single "Love Is Wicked".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Days (Brooke Candy song)</span> 2016 single by Brooke Candy

"Happy Days" is a song recorded by American singer Brooke Candy. It was written by Cassie Davis, Sean Mullins, Ali Tamposi, Olivia Waithe, Talay Riley, and produced by More Mega for Candy's unreleased album Daddy Issues. It was released as the second single from the record, following the previously released "Rubber Band Stacks". In 2017, Candy left RCA to focus on releasing a second extended play (EP), and the release of Daddy Issues was canceled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupcakke</span> American rapper (born 1997)

Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter known for her hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long as I Live (Toni Braxton song)</span> 2018 single by Toni Braxton

"Long as I Live" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton from her eighth studio album Sex & Cigarettes (2018). Written by Braxton, Paul Boutin, and Antonio Dixon, whom also produced the track, it is a "soulful '90s-style" R&B and soul track that finds the singer struggling with breaking up and moving on from her past lover. The song was released on February 9, 2018 by Def Jam Recordings as the second single from the album, with an accompanying music video premiered on March 23, 2018 to coincide with the parent album's release.

<i>Amala</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Doja Cat

Amala is the debut studio album by American rapper Doja Cat. It was released on March 30, 2018, by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. The album's deluxe version was released on March 1, 2019, and featured her breakthrough singles "Juicy", "Tia Tamera", and "Mooo!". Her first commercial release in four years, Doja Cat has expressed strong disdain towards the record for a number of reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Spender</span> British musician and YouTube personality

Mary Spender is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and YouTube personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomasa del Real</span> Chilean Singer and reggaetón artist

Valeria Cisternas, better known by her stage name Tomasa Del Real, is a Chilean singer, composer, and reggaetón artist. She is regarded as a pioneer of Neoperreo, a social-media-inspired offshoot of reggaetón, and is referred to as "La Reina del Neoperreo", Spanish for "the queen of Neoperreo".

Niki and Gabi are an American duo composed of twin sisters Niki DeMar and Gabi DeMartino. They rose to prominence following the creation of their YouTube channel, where they posted covers and vlogs. They partnered with Awesomeness to produce several web shows, including their self-titled reality series which has run for five seasons. They made their acting debut in the 2016 comedy-drama film Dance Camp, and their official debut single "First" was released in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Lee Turner</span> American musician

Joshua Lee Turner is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and internet personality based in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for his eclectic guitar and vocal covers posted on his YouTube channel Josh Turner Guitar for which he and long time collaborator Carson McKee have gained millions of views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Me Reintroduce Myself</span> 2020 single by Gwen Stefani

"Let Me Reintroduce Myself" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani. Stefani wrote the song with Ross Golan and the sole producer, Luke Niccoli. It was released on December 7, 2020, by Interscope Records as the intended lead single to her fifth studio album, which was ultimately unreleased. The song's development was unexpected, as Stefani doubted herself and questioned if her fans would seek new music. Fellow No Doubt member Gabrial McNair and Gwen's brother Eric Stefani, amongst other performers, provide instrumentation. A departure from Gwen Stefani's previous country and holiday music releases, "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" is an energetic Latin-sounding reggae, ska, and pop track inspired by her early work with No Doubt. The upbeat and playful song refers to Stefani's career in the music industry, per the suggestion of Golan. Most critics gave the song positive reviews, calling it catchy and making favorable comparisons to No Doubt's releases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Clap (song)</span> Song by Gwen Stefani

"Slow Clap" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani. She wrote the song with Ross Golan and the song's sole producer, Luke Niccoli. It was released on March 11, 2021, by Interscope Records, originally as the intended second single from her fifth studio album. It also debuted alongside a line of Amazon-exclusive merchandise. The song is a reggae and pop track that was compared to Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" and work with No Doubt. "Slow Clap" originated as an emotional love song, but transitioned into a positive one following recommendations from Niccoli and Golan. The song's lyrics speak of resilience and its title was inspired by films that portray an underdog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reina Scully</span> Japanese-American YouTuber (born 1988)

Reina Suzuki, better known by her stage name Reina Scully, is a Japanese-American YouTuber, vlogger, translator, and voice actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kylie Cantrall</span> American actress

Kylie Lorena Cantrall is an American actress and singer. She played the lead role as Gabby Duran in the television series Gabby Duran & the Unsittables (2019–2021), a recurring role as Dani in the fourth season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2023), and the lead role as Red in the Descendants spin-off film Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024). She also voices Savannah in the animated film Ron's Gone Wrong (2021).

References

  1. Allow me to reintroduce myself , retrieved July 16, 2023
  2. "Fargo native Reina del Cid, making an impact on Twin Cities music scene, comes home to play this weekend". inforum.com. February 5, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Elle Cordova / Writer, musician, comedian/ Personal profile". TED.com. April 2024. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024.
  4. "It's her time to shine with popular band". Star Tribune . Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  5. "Prairie Pulse 1306; Nelda Schrupp, Reina del Cid". Prairie Public . November 6, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2018 via YouTube.
  6. "Reina Del Cid talks about her musical evolution". MPR News . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  7. "From the Horse's Mouth: Reina del Cid on The Cooling". GhettoblasterMagazine.com. June 16, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  8. "How a Netflix 'X-Files' binge inspired Reina del Cid's new album". CityPages.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  9. "Reina del Cid Store". reinadelcid.bigcartel.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018.
  10. Boilen, Bob (February 23, 2015). "10 Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Also Loved". NPR . Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  11. Bogart, Aviva (May 29, 2015). "'Sweet Annie' Is Everything Except Sweet". Baeblemusic.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  12. "Video Premiere: Reina del Cid – "Death Cap"". Paste . Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  13. "Reina Del Cid Album Release Show with Carson McKee". www.thecedar.org. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  14. "Reina del Cid Turf Club First Avenue". first-avenue.com. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  15. "Hey all. Please allow me to reintroduce myself". instagram.com. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  16. "Reina del Cid". Patron Hunt. March 4, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  17. "Allow me to reintroduce myself". youtube.com. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  18. Garro, Adrian (February 1, 2024). "Elle Cordova and Toni Lindgren: Q&A from The NAMM Show 2024". Rock Cellar Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  19. Cordova, Elle (April 2024). "Poetry and music that reaches across the digital void". TED.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024.
  20. "Reina del Cid" . Retrieved July 15, 2023 via YouTube.
  21. The Cooling at AllMusic . Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  22. Rerun City at AllMusic . Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  23. Morse Code at AllMusic . Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  24. Candy Apple Red at AllMusic . Retrieved April 29, 2022.