College freshman goes the distance from LA to Penn with new EP

“You say you’ll be back in time, but time’s just a sharpened knife and I can’t stand to be cut from you,” College freshman Elizabeth Goran sings on her new EP titled “Distance.”

The EP, which was released this February, is the second in three years for Goran. She has been singing since she her days in elementary school choir at five years old and writing songs since she was eight years old, but she didn’t have formal training as a singer until she was 12 years old.

“My parents kind of recognized that these songs were pretty good and they helped foster my singing through voice lessons and helping me pay to make my EPs,” Goran said.

Goran released her first EP, “Fight,” in 2014 when she was just 16 years old. She categorizes her own music in the pop genre, but stresses that music doesn’t neatly fit into labeled boxes. Her biggest influence is English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.

Manal Kaddoura, a high school senior in Goran’s hometown of Los Angeles, became friends with Goran before the release of her first EP.

“One of the reasons me and Liz became friends was because of music,” Kaddoura said. “It’s always been such a big deal to the both of us. Liz has always had a huge passion for music.”

For the past five years, Los Angeles-based vocalist John Deaver has coached Goran. Deaver and Goran have both recorded instrumental piano tracks for the EPs. The EP, “Distance,” was recorded in his studio and was produced by him and his sound engineer Gabe Lopez.

“She’s a very talented girl,” Deaver said. “She writes very commercial songs that work well in the pop medium that she’s going for. Her voice has come a long way as far as having more power and more high notes.”

Goran draws some of her inspiration for her music from real life.

“It mainly comes from real life, but a lot of the time it will be based off a small concept and I’ll just expand on it,” Goran said. “I was writing love songs at the age of 14. I knew nothing about love. I still know nothing, let’s be real. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t write about those experiences. Or you hear your friends’ stories and that inspires you.”

Specifically, she drew the inspiration for the song “2AM” after the end of a friendship.

“A lot of people have interpreted it romantically, but interpretation is part of the music experience,” Goran said.

In addition to writing and recording her own music, Goran writes for the radio station WQHS, serves on the marketing committee for SPEC Concerts, shoots concert photography and is a member of Wharton’s MUSE Consulting. Although Goran enjoys creating her own music, she wants to pursue music production after college.

Goran does not feel like she will be releasing another EP anytime soon because she wants to maintain the quality of her music.

“I’m very picky and my ear is attuned to even small things,” Goran said. “I wasn’t satisfied with [the EP] over the summer so I had to wait until winter break to fix it.”

College freshman Luis Bravo became friends with Goran at Penn.

“I feel like her personality really comes through in her music. Even though she takes her music seriously, she’s still shy and reserved and that comes through. Her style is very unique and true to her personality,” Bravo said.

Bravo added that he has listened to the entire EP. Envisioning the EP as the soundtrack to a movie, Bravo said, “I feel like there is a sunset and we’re at the shore. There are two people walking dramatically and holding hands. And the sun is slowly setting.”

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