Your initial confusion is understandable. It would be one of countless instances where Elijah Woods had folks do a double-take at his name. No accident, as you’ll learn later. His appearance, however, is a different story. Towering at a lean 1.94m, there aren’t too many lookalikes you’d mistake him for. The height certainly lends well to the photoshoot.

Woods speaks freely, professionally yet affably; giving the sense that he isn’t the type to conceal his opinions, because it’s nothing too personal. The Canadian-born musician has no qualms delving into the insane past year he had turning 30. What he calls the most polarising time of his life featured big highs and lows—falling out with a close friend; marrying the love of his life; selling out his Asia tour; contracting a lung infection that put a pause on his singing…

Oh, you thought we were done? Moving to Los Angeles. Adopting a retired show corgi. We wouldn’t say it’s too storied a trajectory as his career. Musically influenced since young, Woods’ path (apart from having teenage NBA dreams humbled) comprised deejaying and producing. It was only after going solo off a duo act—established in college that later won a reality TV competition, see what we said about storied—when the musician started to find his voice. Somewhat literally.

Bootleg YouTube lessons plus basic ones with a real vocal coach found results in a song he eventually performed. One too much his own for another to express. Needless to say, “Lights” did more than ok. Going from full expertise in tuning anyone’s voice into a decent hit to the unmediated vulnerability of singing live, Woods has had quite a journey. His latest single, “Could You Love Me”, marks a new chapter.

Like the interview, he takes it all in good stride.

ESQUIRE SINGAPORE: I heard you were up at 5.30am, and went for a run.

ELIJAH WOODS: I did. It was hot. I was kind of getting up anyway.

ESQ: Is this something you do every morning?

EW: I don’t get up at five every morning, but I do work out most mornings. It just starts my day off. We have a hot tub and a cold plunge [back home in LA] so I do that after and it wakes me right up. Then I drink six litres of coffee and I’m good to go.

ESQ: You were here last year as well.

EW: Yeah, for my first time, so this is the second time in Singapore. I’ve never been to Asia prior, so it was pretty wild. We announced the tour and it sold out so fast. The venue’s small but I just didn’t expect people to show up. It’s so weird I made all this music in a bedroom in Canada, and the fact that it resonates over here is nuts. It’s pretty surreal and very, very cool. I remember people showing up [for me] at the airport. I was like, who do you think I am?

ESQ: “Elijah Wood”. You do have a song titled after the actor, on top of many stories of mistaken identity.

EW: I tried to get him in the music video. I got his number from a mutual friend and texted him, sent him the song. Ignored. But yeah, I always get Lord of the Rings questions on emails and social media. I always respond yes, that’s totally me. I was in that movie, I was incredible, great time. We made the strategic decision to keep it since it is my actual name. My mother named me that pre-him becoming famous. And he doesn’t have social media, so I’ll get all his traffic on top of mine.

ESQ: What would’ve been your stage name if you had to have one though?

EW: [ponders] I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it too much. I deejayed in high school and I went by DJ Baseline, because it has “ELI” in it like Elijah? It was terrible, awful. I would not go back there. I actually sold merch when I was a kid too. Tank tops with “DJ Baseline” and I made so much money. When you’re 15, CAD700 felt like I was rolling in money. My friend still has one, pulled it out the other day and I was like, those are legacy. Probably worth money now.

ESQ: You should sign them as “DJ Baseline”. If you weren’t doing anything involving music, what would you be doing?

EW: I think I’d be in tech. I love tech. A YouTube tech reviewer. I would have made my world into that. It’s super nerdy but I’ll get into something and won’t stop until I figure it out. I picked up cameras a couple of years ago and bought all the best gear, and learned everything I could about lenses and focal lengths. Then I dove into lighting, editing, the whole thing. Or, a barista. I make pretty good coffee at home. I have the whole set up and I love coffee. You can’t even tell this is like my third one today.

ESQ: Would you describe yourself as a bit of a control freak?

EW: Massive. To the point where it’s a little bit debilitating. I get frustrated with people on my team who are extremely good at what they do, but if it’s not done exactly how I want it to, [I’ll want to] go back to redo everything myself. I hold myself to a very high standard but it’s impossible to be perfect. The best thing you can do sometimes is just focus on what you’re good at and trust the people around you to support. I feel really fortunate. I have a lot of control in my career. I own and publish all my own music. It’s a double-edged sword as you are very invested in the outcome, good or bad.

ESQ: Do you think you are learning to let go a little more as you get older?

EW: I’m more specific. When I was younger, I was throwing things and seeing what stuck. Now that I have a few things that have worked, it gives a colour palette of what the standard is and how to achieve that or better. There’s less ambiguity in decisions, which almost makes it easier but more meticulous. The creative process is not affected as much but the refining and perfecting are. Age is also a scary thing too. You can’t ignore it. Like, how much longer can you be a pop boy? But I’m grateful, I’m blessed with great genes. I drink a lot of water and sleep early. My wife is a very responsible sleeper. She likes us being in bed at 10 o’clock. She’s like, I want you to look young forever.

ESQ: You’ve mentioned that you knew she was the one for you within days.

EW: It was quick. Like too fast. I’m glad she felt the same way ‘cause I would have sounded crazy. We were supposed to be on one date but I ended up staying at her place that weekend. Then I told her that I love her. It was a lot. We met through a mutual friend when reconnecting. The first message that I sent her was a DM on Instagram. When I met her family, I knew instantly that they were lovely and amazing, and families reflect who you are deep down. Our vows are so funny. During the rehearsal I go into great detail of the moment I knew this was going to happen, while she told this vague thing of the way she loves me, and it’s only because she’s not that kind of communicator. I told her she’s gotta rewrite that how I would want to hear it, she did and I was sobbing at our wedding. It was very, very sweet. Little things like that.

ESQ: How would you define love?

EW: I don’t think I have anything too insightful about it. It’s instinctual and there are phases of emotion, but what it comes down to is a willingness to put an effort. It’s prioritising that ahead of everything else. It’s constant work, and not in a bad way. It has its seasons, so just riding with the ebbs and flows while making sure you [feel] connected; communicating that I’m there for you no matter what. For us, we’re very respectful of each other’s independence. We move at our own pace but we come together to help each other. We all communicate on certain wavelengths, so your version of love might be quite different from mine. It comes down to what you need, and I found somebody who complements what I need.

ESQ: Another thing you feel strongly about is making music independently, which you’ve broken down the financial sense behind. Do you see yourself helping other musicians in this area in the future?

EW: Yes and no. I have visions of eventually starting a non-predatory record label, but it’s very difficult to run a business because it is capitalism at the end of the day. The reason I would want to do it is to put on artists that I really believe in, but the only way you’re able to afford that is by signing three or four artists to the label. They’re paying for all the overhead for the rest. Then if one artist does really well, you have to allocate more reserves to them then other ones start to fall off. So it’s a delicate balance. It’s one of those things that would be an ultimate goal but I haven’t figured out the way to do it yet. I feel lucky because I had some money upfront from previous projects, and I don’t have to pay a producer because I have those skills. I literally upload my music directly to my fans and do my own marketing.

ESQ: Would you feel like you’re also in a bigger competing pool since the process of making music is so democratic now?

EW: There’s a mindset that music is competitive and there’s only a fixed number of spots in a genre. There are certain business scenarios where sure, I wouldn’t put a show the same week another artist is if we’re likely to have similar audience profiles. But there are a gajillion people in the world and I’m not going to be tugging at the exact same heartstrings. The audience I find is unique to me. So it’s about being an authentic version of you. People can see through any sort of marketing ploy, especially when it’s so direct on social media. I wouldn’t have a career without social media. You had to have a record label trying to make it in the ’90s and ’00s, and it cost a lot of money. I’m a product of technology, and I truly appreciate that. Even the fact that I can come here to see one person is really cool too. A comment on the screen is one thing, seeing someone sing along to the lyrics in person or just saying what’s up in a meet-and-greet is very special.

The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Photography: Shawn Paul Tan
Creative Direction and Styling: Asri Jasman
Art Direction: Joan Tai
Hair: Christvian Wu using DYSON
Makeup: Kat Zhang at THE SUBURBS STUDIOS using DIOR BEAUTY
Photography Assistant: Chay Wei Kang
Styling Assistant: Erica Zheng
Makeup Assistant: Sophie Soh at THE SUBURBS STUDIOS