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Eli: 'I wanted to be Hannah Montana when I grew up' | My Life In 20
29 August 2025, 17:27 | Updated: 16 February 2026, 11:20
To celebrate the release of her new single 'Like a Girl', we asked rising star Eli to take a trip down memory lane and answer our 'My Life In 20' questions.
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20) What album could you listen to 20 times over and not get bored?
I’m gonna go with SZA's Ctrl. It’s the most absolute classic timeless album, especially for my generation I think. It was truly the first album I was proud to call my favourite.
19) What topic could you talk about for 19 minutes straight without notes?
The cultural impact and shift that is, was and will forever be 'Diet Pepsi' by Addison Rae.
18) What was the most important thing to happen in your life when you were 18?
I started to accept my mental health issues like OCD and depression. I also began to try, and fail, to work on coping with and managing them. It was a moment of clarity and fear but an important step in my mental health journey.
17) Who was your crush at 17?
This guy JT. We matched on Tinder and then realised we used to play soccer together. I thought it was serious. We Snapchatted for a week and then he called me clingy. I’m still not over him. He’s stunning.
16) What can you remember about your 16th birthday?
Water bottle in my basement with wine in it.
Eli - Like a Girl (Lyric Video)
15) What did you hate at 15 which you love now?
If I said the truth, the fandom would eat me alive so I’m just gonna say sushi?
14) What TV show were you obsessed with at 14?
American Horror Story because it was fabulous terrifying brain altering television.
13) 13 is unlucky for some. Do you have anything that you’re superstitious about?
I have OCD so a lot of things which I will not be getting into.
12) If you could live the life of any other person for 12 hours, who would you be?
Simone Biles. I wanna know what’s it like to fly.
11) Who was your best friend when you were 11?
I feel like 11 was a turning point in my social life where I was no longer on speaking terms with the boys but I did love a girl named Shayla. She was and still is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known.
10) Which bad habit do you hope to have quit in 10 years time?
Yearning for people who don’t care about me.
9) What was your biggest fear when you were 9?
I was afraid of this recurring dream where my house became an endless hallway and I became Mowgli from the Jungle Book and the tiger was chasing me.
8) When you were 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 8, I wanted to be Hannah Montana when I grew up.
7) Which of the seven deadly sins are you most guilty of?
Honestly, I don’t know what a seven deadly sin is and I even tried to google it but I am gay so that’s apparently a sin or something.
6) You can invite six people to your dream dinner party, who would you invite?
Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, J.Lo, Rihanna and Frances Whitney.
Eli - Girl of Your Dreams (stage three: audition girl)
5) Name five things you can't live without.
Oxygen, water, food, shelter and community.
4) Describe yourself in four words.
I am a girl.
3) Your top three songs of all time.
My top threes songs of all time are:
- Bonnie Rait - 'I Can’t Make You Love Me'
- Frou Frou - 'Only Got One'
- SZA - 'Normal Girl'
2) Name two things on your bucket list.
Hook up with a clown in the universal studios lot at Halloween Horror Nights and meet Ariana Grande.
1) Who or what is your one true love?
Halloween is my one true love. Also Nathan Fielder and Alex Consani, strictly parasocial.
Eli's 'Like a Girl' is out now and available to stream and download on all platforms.
Read more My Life In 20 here:
- Chappell Roan: ‘I had a crush on a Vine star that I shall not name because it’s too embarrassing’
- Henry Moodie: Dream dinner party? 'I'd love to get One Direction back together'
- Chloe Qisha: 'If I hear the One Tree Hill theme song, I go absolutely feral'
- Jae Stephens: 'Beyoncé's B’Day is literally perfect. Not one skip!'
- Victor Ray: 'I don’t think I ever outgrew my Spider-Man phase'
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