Elijah Delgado
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Elijah Delgado performing at ACL 2026. Photo: Dusana Karam / ACL Fest.
Austin singer-songwriter Elijah Delgado began writing music at six years old. At 24, he has released his five-song EP Wherever You Go, There You Are and performed at ACL Festival, an event he first attended as a teenager. During our conversation, we explored his relationship with music, the people behind his solo project, and his perspective on building a professional career while learning to live in the present.
AUSTIN | By Pablo Herrera
One of the things that caught my attention during my conversation with Elijah Delgado at ACL Festival was his attitude toward the future. At 24, with a new EP, a growing career and plans to take his music beyond Austin, he seemed remarkably comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with being an independent artist.
He has ambitions, of course. But he doesn't seem particularly interested in trying to control everything that might happen along the way.
Growing up in Austin, Elijah was surrounded by live music and a family that appreciated it. He began writing songs at six years old, and by his early teens, attending concerts had become an important part of his musical education. He remembers the physical experience of live performances, the sound, the lights, and the anticipation of watching a band walk onto the stage.
“There’s something about that experience that I felt as a kid that just lit a fire under me.”
Those early experiences motivated him to learn his craft and figure out how to build a career in music. He played in several bands during high school, taking different roles as a guitarist, singer and bandleader, before eventually performing under his own name.
But Elijah doesn't consider the project an entirely individual undertaking. His bassist, Alec, has played alongside him since his first show, and the musicians have developed a collaborative relationship that extends into songwriting and arrangements.
Elijah Delgado performing at ACL 2026. Photo: Dusana Karam / ACL Fest.
Most songs begin with an acoustic guitar or a chord progression. He follows the emotions suggested by the music, develops melodies and arrangements, and generally writes the lyrics later. The result brings together influences as different as Bon Iver, Gregory Alan Isakov, Phoenix and Young the Giant.
When preparing new material, Elijah records basic demos at home using Logic, establishing an initial direction before bringing the songs into rehearsals. Once the other musicians become involved, the arrangements take on new possibilities.
“When everyone does that, it’s bigger than me.”
His latest EP, Wherever You Go, There You Are, introduces another aspect of his personality that became central to our conversation.
Released during the summer of 2026, the five-song project examines the difficulty of being present while navigating the accelerated pace of everyday life. Elijah connects those questions with his own experience of being in his early twenties, developing a career and trying to maintain healthy relationships with family and friends.
He compared the songs to journal entries, written while attempting to make sense of those experiences.
“How do I maintain a healthy relationship with the craziness and be present with my family and my friends and just be a healthy person?”
Elijah Delgado performing at ACL 2026. Photo: Dusana Karam / ACL Fest.
I found that perspective particularly interesting. We tend to associate the early stages of a music career with urgency: releasing new material, playing more shows, reaching bigger audiences and pursuing the next opportunity.
Elijah wants those things too. Touring extensively across the United States is one of his objectives for 2027. But he also recognizes how much of a professional career lies outside an artist's control.
We talked about the possibility of working with record labels, the pressures of professionalization and the challenge of making decisions without knowing where they might lead. His response was remarkably simple.
“I’m just going to do my thing. I’m going to write my music. I’m going to go and play it and whatever happens happens.”
That attitude becomes even more interesting when considering his history with ACL Festival.
Elijah remembers attending the festival around 2014 or 2016, including a performance by Young the Giant that left a strong impression on him. More than a decade later, he was back at the festival, this time as a performer.
During our conversation, he pointed out that he had no idea how to reach that stage when he was younger. Yet there he was, experiencing something that once seemed distant. There is a certain logic in that progression. Years of writing, rehearsing, playing shows and working with other musicians had brought him to a place he once experienced only as a member of the audience.
We finished our conversation talking about social media and the additional responsibilities facing independent musicians today. Elijah recognizes the contradiction: digital platforms have made it easier than ever to distribute music and reach audiences, while introducing new pressures to create content and maintain a constant public presence.
He doesn't claim to have figured it all out. Instead, he is trying to understand how to participate in that environment without allowing it to dictate every aspect of his career.
“I think it’s like the easiest time it’s ever been to be an artist and also the hardest.”
Perhaps what I appreciated most about our conversation was the absence of grand declarations about success. Elijah is ambitious, disciplined and eager to expand his career, but he is also aware that professional growth involves uncertainty, patience and constant adjustments.
At 24, he already has a few important experiences behind him, and many more ahead.
His EP's title, Wherever You Go, There You Are, seems particularly appropriate for this moment in his career. Wherever the next tour, recording or professional opportunity takes him, the challenge remains the same: being present enough to experience what he has worked so hard to achieve.
Our full interview with Elijah Delgado at ACL Festival 2026 is available below.
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