Minnesota-native ELSKA and songwriting partner Owen Sartori started writing in 2019, exploring her deepest passions, concerns and fears. It became clear that music with purpose was going to drive her debut album "On the Shoulders of Giants", which birthed songs like "Stop Talking, Listen," an anthem about the social dialogue around mental health and mental illness, "Endless Winter," an introspection on depression and its crushing weight, and "Hummingbird," a tale of wanting (and deserving) what you can"t have. It was during this process that she decided to adopt a stage name that reflected the seriousness, strength and heart of the music itself. She chose ELSKA, which is a Norse word roughly translated as "love."