Luke Elliot

Hailing from New Jersey but catching his big break in Norway, Americana singer/songwriter Luke Elliot has a dark, brooding tone and a storytelling style that have drawn comparisons with Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave. Born in 1984 in Princeton, New Jersey, the son of a poet and an English-language professor, and brought up in nearby Lawrence Township, he grew up in a music-loving household and began piano lessons at the age of eight. He became interested in rock after his elder brother bought him a Jimi Hendrix tape and he learned to play guitar. He began writing songs in his early teens, and dropped out of college to pursue a music career. Working a variety of jobs to make ends meet, he focused on songwriting, playing live, and releasing his 2010 debut EP, Death of a Widow. He gained more attention after writing the title song for the movie Benny the Bum, which won best local film at the 2012 Philadelphia Independent Film Festival. He then met former Rihanna manager Christa Shaub, who persuaded him to move to New York and put out his second EP, 2013's Provisions, on her own label. Elliot was starting to gain more positive attention when a chance meeting with an influential journalist led to his music being promoted in Norway's biggest daily newspaper, and soon Elliot unwittingly found himself with a large Norwegian fan base. Having never before been outside the U.S., he traveled to Norway, formed a band, toured the country, and recorded his debut album, Dressed for the Occasion, there with storied producer John Agnello. The album was released in 2015, and Elliot toured Europe and the world to enthusiastic response. Later he moved permanently to Norway, met and married a Norwegian woman, and had a child. His second album, The Big Wind, was released in 2020. ~ John D. Buchanan