When he was around 6, Elijah Delgado started writing songs — at least in his head.
“I would be like — Mom, I’ve got a song coming on and I need you to write it down for me,” he said after band practice earlier this month at the Orb Recording Studios in Southwest Austin. “They were just kind of nonsensical words and lyrics.”
Courtesy of the Delgado family
Elvia Delgado says her son, Elijah, was a performer early on.
Lyrics like: “I want to rock the city down / Down into the underground.”
His mom, Elvia Delgado, kept all his early songs in binder. She said she knew early on he would be a musician.
“He was probably about 3 and already had just a knack for performing and turning any object into a microphone,” she said.
Neither of his parents are professional musicians, but Delgado grew up with music and instruments in the house. He picked up a guitar before he could wrap his hand around the neck.
When he got a little older, his father taught him some basic chords.
“I would draw little figures, you know, hand figures for him on, hey, this is what a C chord looks like and this is a D chord looks,” Gabe Delgado said.
In his early teens, Delgado started busking on South Congress, playing songs in front of Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds.
“I’d sit there with my case open and play covers and the little originals I had at the time,” he said.
Now 23, he has an EP coming out this summer. And after growing up going to South by Southwest as a music fan, he played his first official showcase this year.
Courtesy of the Delgado family
Delgado picked up a guitar as soon as his hands could hold one.
A celebration of hard work
Delgado said performing live is the culmination of countless hours of writing and rehearsing.
“It just feels like a celebration of all the work that I — and we — have put into it,” he said.
Delgado calls his music indie rock lullabies. The songs are emotion-driven and melodic. His voice sometimes ethereal. He said he writes personally but vague enough for people to connect in their own ways.
“If we can do that then it’s a success,” he said. “That’s what makes me feel fulfilled and remember why I’m doing it.”
Elik Jazdzewski plays bass in Delgado’s backing band. He said the band members have chemistry and it’s fun to play together. All the work is worth it when you see the crowd’s response.
“It’s very gratifying when you’re at a show to see that reaction happen to people, to see people jump around, to see people smile, to see people cry, to see people sing along with you,” he said. “You get to see that result.”
Overkill (cover) Elijah Delgado
Delgado remembers seeing bands when he was young and wondering how they made it. He still can’t answer that for himself.
“No matter the show, it’s never lost on me how grateful I am,” he said. “I just kind of found myself in this position.”
Delgado wasn’t just looking forward to performing at South By. He planned to network and go to conference sessions on building his career, meet with potential mentors and have his music critiqued.
He said he was open to whatever comes from it.
“At the end of the day, you’re just doing something because you love it and want to and you kind of hope that things come from it,” he said, “but even if it doesn’t, we get to hang out and play together.”
A SXSW success
When Delgado takes the stage at Lefty’s Brick Bar on Monday night, the crowd is sparse at first — mostly friends and family. It’s chilly and the heat lamps are glowing.
But the patio of the East Sixth Street venue slowly fills up, and Delgado urges folks to move closer to the stage. Heads are bobbing. Bodies are swaying. People yell out his name between songs. The band plays for about 45 minutes to kick off an official showcase of Austin musicians.
Delgado laughs with his band during soundcheck before Monday’s show. From left: Elik Jazdzewski, Delgado, Evan Anderson, Ibra Martinez and Sammy Flores.
After the show, Raul Torres said he listened to one of Delgado’s songs before coming out, but wasn’t familiar with him. He just wanted to support local artists.
“I am just really grateful to catch him today,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to where he’s going in the future because there’s so much talent. His voice and the blend of the genres is so unique, and I just think he’s definitely gonna make it big.”
As Delgado packed up his gear, he said he was happy with the show.
“I felt like I expressed myself in a way that I wanted to, and I think people received it well,” he said. “It was a great turnout.”
His first South By in the books, he can now focus on his upcoming EP — starting with a new single coming out Friday.