Mary Elle is a singer/songwriter based in the Czech Republic. Originally from Oklahoma, USA, Mary Elle first came into the music scene after a video of her singing at a school music festival was discovered online by musician and producer Gregory Darling, sparking the beginning of a musical collaboration. 

Her latest single “Religion” is about the difference between man-made religion and real faith that comes from connecting with God. The songwriter explains, “It's about the lies that sometimes obscure the truth. And the people who play a role in that. But I like to believe that if we hold on to faith, we'll always find our way back to the right path.” 

Written in collaboration with Darling, the two bring together a beautiful mix of potent storytelling, fused with a melody, chord progressions and arrangement which capture the true essence of the song at heart. Sonically, “Religion” is beautifully haunting, sending shivers down your spine with celestial harmonies and a bold and graceful piano melody that evokes a rich, organic warmth, feeling both grounded and expansive. 

Mary Elle shares, “I started writing the words during a time I was really struggling with my faith, especially with everyone telling me what my faith should look like and how I should act. The pressure from these expectations only grew when somehow I had attracted the part of social media that continuously talked about the Rapture and how we’d all be going to hell. If you don’t know what the Rapture is, it’s a time at the end of the Bible when the world is essentially ending.”

Mary Elle thought she had good friends, but struggled with her mental health and lacked true, supportive connections. She found it hard to find people who genuinely lived their faith, as many used religion to judge others. The lyrics reflect these expectations, pressures, and fears of the world that often sparked from religion. The artist continues, "It's important to make clear that religion and faith are two separate things. Religion is made by people, Faith is from God. Our relationship with Faith is so important, and whilst religion is intended to support this, I believe throughout history it’s often done more harm than good. But that's not God, that's people. Real faith brings people together and closer to God whilst the religions and rules man has made tears it apart. And I don’t want man-made religion to crush the beautiful power of my faith.”

“Religion” is intended to help people find and strengthen their Faith, even when the world makes that harder than it should be.

With streaming numbers in the tens of thousands, and support from the likes of Earmilk, Atwood Magazine and NOTION, to name a few, Mary Elle is proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

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