Elle Varner, born Gabrielle Serene “Elle” Varner on February 12, 1989, is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, hailing from Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Born to songwriting and publishing parents Mikelyn Roderick and Jimmy Varner, Elle Varner spent much of her childhood in studios and green rooms, before learning to play the flute age six. Varner moved on to other instruments including the guitar and piano and enrolled in a number of music programs, notably Wendy Raquel Robinson’s Amazing Grace Conservatory and the highly esteemed Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at New York University. After graduating in 2008, the singer-songwriter signed with MBK/J-RCA Records in October 2009 and was featured in BET’s Music Matters campaign in 2010.
In 2011 Varner released her debut single “Only Wanna Give It to You” featuring rapper J. Cole. The single peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Chart and was followed by her second single “Refill”, of which she earned a Grammy nomination for. Prior to the release her debut, Varner performed alongside The Roots at their Pre-Grammy Jam Session at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, increasing the singer’s exposure.
Varner’s debut studio album “Perfectly Imperfect” arrived on August 7, 2012 and impressively debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The album highlighted the singer’s soul and hip-hop influences and subsequently spawned the singles “I Don’t Care” and “Oh What a Night”. Staying in the charts for 10 weeks, the album boasts a number of producers including Oak & Pop and father Jimmy Varner.
Hayley Williams
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