Vulnerability, sobriety, and the “Second Arrow”

It’s no surprise that Ella Collier, who recently performed at the Troubadour on Oct. 3, has had a knack for music her whole life. After all, the Atlanta-raised performer began writing songs and performing at open mics at just 11 years old. At 18, she made the leap to Los Angeles to fully immerse herself in pursuing her music career.

Ever since she was a little girl, Collier knew she wanted to be a performer. From open mics from places all around the US with just her and her guitar. She eventually found a space where she could collaborate and grow.

“I started in music theater, and when I was 11, I started taking guitar lessons at a studio in Atlanta. When I came out to L.A., I went to the University of Southern California, and I was in their pop music program, which was life changing to me. It was like Camp Rock, and it was my first experience being around people my age that did music,” Collier said. 

While she has grown exponentially, both by honing her craft and meeting visionaries, like her, in her music trajectory, Collier takes pride in her latest extended play: “Second Arrow.” 

“I’m just so proud of it. I know everyone says that, but I made that in my first year of sobriety. It just ended up being really personal, even though [my producer, Sam and] I, didn’t mean for it to be,” Collier said. “I feel like it really opened the doors of possibilities for me of what I have to say and what I'm willing to say and be vulnerable about, as well as the soundscape. It's just my dream, and I think that’s the highlight of my career, [so far].” 

According to Collier, the “second arrow,” which is a Buddhist principle, allows for one to cope with the pain of a “first arrow”— any hardship or inconvenience that happens in one’s life. 

“Basically the principle is that the first arrow is an inconvenience that happens in your life. So it could be you got a ticket on your car to going through a breakup, whatever surface level thing that hurts when it happens, but the second arrow is the thing that actually puts you in a place of pain, and that second arrow is how you handle the pain of the first arrow,” Collier states. 

Ella describes the second arrow as her own mind. In the title track she says, it's her way of villainizing people, places, and things and trying to control and twist things to be her way - and that’s usually what hurts her the most. So instead of lashing out and letting it ruin her week, she has been working on understanding her emotions through her music. Turning it into something more practical and beautiful. 

“I think that mostly with my sobriety, it just helps me to be more honest and vulnerable with who I am and actually figure out, like, what I'm saying,” Collier said. “In the future, I think my goal is to connect and make people feel seen. So as long as I'm continuing to do that and continuing to make music, even from a hard place, that's my overall goal.” 

Collier, who is in the midst of working on two new projects, is focused on her growth as an artist, while making sure not to limit her true potential.

“I’ve learned along my path that sometimes being so specific can limit you. My five year plan is to continue to make music from the deepest parts of myself that I’m willing to share,” Collier said. 

Her biggest goal, however, is quite simple: to connect with not only her fans, but people as a whole. 

“My goal isn’t to write the next pop hit. My goal is to keep doing this and meet people. When I journal and manifest, and I look at my life, I love my life the way it is, [and I can’t wait] to have it a little more elevated, but maybe in a less conventional way.”