Eli Releases Jaw Dropping Debut Album "Stage Girl"
by Kelsie Barlow | January 4th, 2026
Album Artwork by Anthony Nguyen | @satananthony
On October 31, 2025, Eli released her stunning debut album, having created amazing and unique music for years. I found Eli’s music years ago on TikTok when she released Zoom, a collaboration with Juliet Ivy, and I was immediately hooked. Eli has an incredible range, and it’s showcased beautifully in her music. Stage Girl is heavily inspired by the sound of late 90s and early 2000s pop girls. The songs explore Eli’s experience as a transgender woman, confidence, the struggles of the dating world, and combine that with nostalgic pop sounds and jaw-dropping runs.
Marianne and Girl of Your Dreams are the two singles off Stage Girl, and the songs took the internet by storm, getting attention from many highly praised artists such as Gigi Perez and Doechii. Girl of Your Dreams is such an earworm that it made it into my top 100 most listened to songs of the year, and Marianne had my algorithm in a chokehold when it was being advertised. The whole album fed me with the fun, poppy vibes I love, while also showing great emotional depth and the experience of living as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The advertisement for the album also turned Stage Girl into a world of its own rather than just an album. Eli made a series of videos as if she were auditioning for an American Idol-type show called “Stage Girl”, making her campaign to be the next Stage Girl. Her mock audition videos featured songs off the new album, and were very DIY as she dressed up in her room, pretending to have her popstar moment. These videos felt very authentic, reminded me of the videos I used to make in my bedroom as a teenager, and pulled me into the story as I watched it unfold through her Instagram @journalofadoll.
This nostalgic, jam-packed album was a perfect debut, and after its release, she showed no signs of slowing down. Currently, Eli is riding a wave of virality from her new song Glitter which features 90s pop instrumentals and the iconic lyrics “It should feel like glitter (when you’re at the club). You should be his baby, not his babysitter.” This song has been having its moment on TikTok for weeks (as it deserves), and I’m glad Eli has been getting so much recognition and hype with her incomparably amazing music. With the new year approaching, I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Follow Eli: Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music
