Elle Varner is R&B music’s latest “It” girl, and deservedly so. While the Los Angeles native awaits the release of her debut album, Perfectly Imperfect (out August 7th), she’s already made an indelible mark on the music scene by releasing two unforgettable singles — the sultry yet fun “Refill,” and the 90s hip-hop inspired “Only Wanna Give it To You,” featuring rapper J. Cole – both videos have over three million YouTube views, respectively.
We’re certain we’ll hear Varner’s name lots more in the coming months, so it’s time you got to know her better. Here, she shares seven things about herself.
She was bullied as a kid: Some people don’t know that I looked completely different growing up. I was overweight, wore glasses, played in the band — a nerd, basically. I was bullied a lot. The name of my album, Perfectly Imperfect, really just sums up my journey because it’s my life story up until this point, going through being bullied, being told, “Oh, you can’t dance, you can’t sing.” No boys liked me. It’s just crazy how things come full circle. I hope young girls can be inspired by the fact that you can really have anything you want and you can be anything you want. You can have the body you want.
Her guilty pleasure is…Blogs — they’re such crap, but I love reading them. Celebrity blogs, fashion blogs — all of them. I know the day that I see myself out of context from music I’m probably going to stop reading them. But until then, I’m reading.
Her splurges since getting a record deal: I took my whole family to the Cayman Islands around Christmas time. I bought a used car to get around. My most recent splurge was a $700 MCM bag. That was a lot, but I’ve been working hard. I deserve it. Other than that, I’m frugal.
She hates air conditioning…Even if it’s really hot, I hate it. It’s just something hat’s unnatural to me. I’ve had my air on once this whole summer.
Her favorite meal: My mom makes these crazy seafood enchiladas that I love.
The movie she’s obsessed: The Story of Us with Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis is a real guilty pleasure of mine. It just reminds me of my life a little bit.
She feels sexiest when…I’ve got a great pair of shoes. They make me feel powerful. I love the sound heels make when they click on the ground.