# Eli (musician)
**Eli** is the mononym of Eli Miller (born 2000), an American singer and songwriter from Norfolk, Massachusetts, who works in queer pop and Y2K-styled pop and R&B. She first gained recognition on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic for voice-driven pop ballads recorded in her childhood bedroom, and broke through in 2025 with the viral singles "Marianne" and "Girl of Your Dreams" and the debut album *[Stage Girl](https://www.edgepedia.org/stage-girl-album)*.[1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli) • [2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and origin | Eli Miller, born 2000, from Norfolk, Massachusetts; performs mononymously as Eli[1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli) |
| Breakthrough | Teased "Marianne" on TikTok in 2025; clips of "Girl of Your Dreams" also went viral[1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli) |
| Debut album | *Stage Girl*, released October 2025, a 10-track concept album inspired by 2000s reality singing competitions such as American Idol[3](https://www.thefader.com/2026/03/19/eli-stage-girl-tour-interview/) • [4](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/ones-to-watch-music-2026) |
| Deluxe edition | *Stage Girl (Not A Dream Anymore)*, released 2026 on RCA, with new tracks blending Radio Disney pastiche and 2000s R&B-pop[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/) |
| Themes | Confessional lyrics on past relationships ("Marianne") and on dysphoria and the performance of gender as a trans woman ("Somebody I'm Not")[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098) |
| Audience | About 166,900 Last.fm listeners and 2.7 million scrobbles; co-signs from SZA, Doechii, Troye Sivan, Addison Rae, and Zara Larsson, among others[1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli) • [6](https://www.sonymusic.co.uk/artist/eli/) |
## Early life and beginnings
Eli grew up in Massachusetts and, as a middle schooler at an all-boys [Catholic school](https://www.edgepedia.org/catholic-school), secretly listened to [Ariana Grande](https://www.edgepedia.org/ariana-grande)'s R&B debut *Yours Truly* and followed lower-placed [American Idol](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-idol) contestants such as season 7's Amanda Overmyer.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/) She has named the competition-show contestants and winners she watched and voted for in childhood, including Amanda Overmyer, Kree Harrison, Adam Lambert, Jessica Sanchez, and Kelly Clarkson, as the inspirations behind her debut album.[4](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/ones-to-watch-music-2026)
After going viral on Vine as a young teen, she moved to New York for college, briefly studying Recorded Music at NYU, then dropped out and moved to Los Angeles to pursue music.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/) In Los Angeles she writes, produces, and performs in front of her laptop, and built her audience through TikTok livestreams.[6](https://www.sonymusic.co.uk/artist/eli/)
## TikTok breakthrough
Eli's early recognition came from vulnerable, voice-driven pop ballads, often recorded in her childhood bedroom and posted during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli) In 2025 she teased snippets of "Marianne," which drew online critical acclaim and led to its release on streaming platforms; clips of "Girl of Your Dreams" went viral in the same period.[1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli)
Her rising profile attracted public support from established artists. Sony Music UK lists co-signs from SZA, Doechii, Troye Sivan, Addison Rae, Zara Larsson, Audrey Hobert, and ADÉLA, along with media personalities such as [Zane Lowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/zane-lowe).[6](https://www.sonymusic.co.uk/artist/eli/) Who What Wear, naming her one of its 2026 artists to watch, described her as pop music's breakout of 2026.[4](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/ones-to-watch-music-2026)
## Stage Girl
**The debut album.** *Stage Girl* was released in October 2025 as a 10-track concept record chronicling the journey of a pop-star hopeful, framed around the experience of a child watching and voting on 2000s reality singing competitions.[3](https://www.thefader.com/2026/03/19/eli-stage-girl-tour-interview/) • [4](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/ones-to-watch-music-2026) Eli told Pollstar that the concept centers on "Eli from Massachusetts, a random small town" whose dream is to sing, set in a "glittery, hot pink, poptastic world" inspired by shows like *American Idol* and *The X Factor*.[7](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/06/15/eli-is-living-her-stage-girl-dreams-with-global-tour-dates-on-the-way/) NME named it one of the best debuts of 2025.[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
The album's songs carry the concept into personal territory: "Marianne" deals with the pain of past relationships and lesbian situationships, while "Somebody I'm Not" interrogates dysphoria and the performance of gender as a trans woman.[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098) Pitchfork's review of the deluxe edition describes the original *Stage Girl* as pitched as "The Rise and Fall of a Northeast Doll," with a narrative focus on Eli's pre-transition life.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/)
**Deluxe reissue and singles.** In 2026 the album was reissued as *Stage Girl (Not A Dream Anymore)* on RCA, with new tracks that Pitchfork's reviewer Hannah Jocelyn described as blending [Radio Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-disney) pastiche and 2000s R&B-pop.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/) The single "Glitter," released in late 2025 on Zelig/RCA, drew a positive Pitchfork track review comparing its slow-jam groove and late-1990s-flavored production to a radio hit remembered from childhood.[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/eli-glitter/) Later singles include "Feel Your Rain" and "The Comeback," both released in 2026; Apple Music lists "The Comeback" as a single on September 18, 2026, while Last.fm lists a release titled "clueless" dated September 28, 2026 as her latest.[9](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/eli/1802895652) • [1](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli)
## Style and themes
Eli's sound is built on 2000s pop references. Pitchfork describes her as having "an effortless knack for evoking 2000s pop alongside cheeky storytelling about life as a small-town trans girl dreaming of stardom and love," and notes that her promo artwork and persona wear their homages openly, from [Mariah Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mariah-carey) imagery to Radio Disney-era pastiche.[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/eli-glitter/) • [5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/) NME characterizes her songs as theatrical, Y2K-coded pop with deeply confessional lyrics.[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
The *Stage Girl* project extends beyond recorded music into a two-year rollout that has included one-woman theater shows, a web series, two releases, and a world tour.[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098) Eli has said she does not view the album as nostalgia or cosplay of any single reference, but as an exploration of childhood memories of what becoming a pop star might have meant to her.[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
## Touring and recognition
After the October 2025 release, Eli mounted a headlining tour that included a sold-out New York City show, drawing a largely trans and queer audience; [The FADER](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-fader) reported concert-wide singalongs and celebrity guests including [Demi Lovato](https://www.edgepedia.org/demi-lovato), ADÉLA, Zara Larsson, and [Madison Beer](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-beer) appearing at her Los Angeles one-woman show.[3](https://www.thefader.com/2026/03/19/eli-stage-girl-tour-interview/) She was announced as an opener for Zara Larsson on tour,[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/) and Pollstar reported global tour dates tied to the *Stage Girl* era, with a theater run across Europe planned.[7](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/06/15/eli-is-living-her-stage-girl-dreams-with-global-tour-dates-on-the-way/) • [2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
Her visibility has also brought hostility. In 2026 she spoke publicly about waves of death threats and transphobic abuse, which led her to deactivate her X account; she described the experience as a lesson in accepting that she cannot control how her messages are understood.[2](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
## References
1. [Eli music, videos, stats, and photos, Last.fm](https://www.last.fm/music/Eli)
2. [Eli's pop star fantasy gets real, The Cover, NME](https://www.nme.com/the-cover/the-cover-eli-interview-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore-3972098)
3. [Eli won't stop being Eli, The FADER](https://www.thefader.com/2026/03/19/eli-stage-girl-tour-interview/)
4. [6 Artist Discoveries We Won't Stop Talking About in 2026, Who What Wear](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/ones-to-watch-music-2026)
5. [Eli: Stage Girl (Not A Dream Anymore) Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/eli-stage-girl-not-a-dream-anymore/)
6. [Eli, Sony Music UK](https://www.sonymusic.co.uk/artist/eli/)
7. [Eli Is Living Her 'Stage Girl' Dreams With Global Tour Dates On Way, Pollstar News](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/06/15/eli-is-living-her-stage-girl-dreams-with-global-tour-dates-on-the-way/)
8. [Eli: "Glitter" Track Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/eli-glitter/)
9. [Eli, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/eli/1802895652)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 2000s to present › Mainstream pop singers, 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license