From messing around with GarageBand at a young age to overnight success, Elliot Platt refined his skills as a hyperpop artist on TikTok as ElyOtto.
His infectious beats and introspective lyrics have grabbed the attention of people nationwide and he has become an inspiration for a generation wanting to break free from societal constraints. However, Platt finds himself now in a trial of resiliency navigating gender identity and self-expression in the limelight.
At 16, Platt posted his song “SugarCrash!” on TikTok, which received 204,000 likes over seven months. The exposure led to popularity on Spotify, where the song accumulated 100 million streams. Platt would have never dreamed that his experimentation with hyperpop, an underground genre that has scattered, fast beats and distorted vocals, would become a viral sensation. Platt recalls the rush he felt then.
“I refresh the page, 1,000 likes. I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ I keep refreshing the page and the likes just keep going up and up and up. I keep getting more interaction. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’”
His creative outlet, which he considered a safe space, became public property and became the target of a multitude of opinions. Although the majority of comments he received were endearing and thoughtful, some were not. Platt has identified as trans since a young age. Before his TikTok fame erupted, transphobic comments were uncommon for him.
“You have to just learn that it’s not even ignorance, but curiosity. And people have a tendency to be really rude about the ways in which they’re curious, especially on the internet where you can be anonymous.”
Elliot Platt
“That stuff still keeps me up at night. You remember stuff in high school that people said to you, right?” says Platt. “It’s been especially hard for my gender identity. I feel like self-exploration is a beautiful thing that we all get to experience and should experience freely. But once you’ve already got an image established and a lot of stuff out there about yourself, it’s hard to change that without pushback.”
As Platt grew older, he felt the need to express himself more femininely, and he wasn’t able to do this immediately. He concluded fear and insecurity were restricting his pursuit of self-exploration and realized that being held back by the opinions of others was a lost cause. Platt admits he still struggles to be completely carefree of what people think, but he has gained perspective to help encourage an unapologetic version of himself.
“You have to just learn that it’s not even ignorance, but curiosity. And people have a tendency to be really rude about the ways in which they’re curious, especially on the internet where you can be anonymous,” he says.
Platt continues to express himself through lyricism and musical projects. He recently started playing guitar in a grindcore/thrash metal band with some friends. Although there is quite a contrast in Platt’s musical endeavours, the fast-paced energy between thrash and hyperpop is comparable.
Susie Aggarwal is the drummer of their band, UGIS. She says Platt has “a very diverse music taste. Whether it be a hyperpop solo project or a thrash metal band project, his expression always shines through in some way.”
The making of music has been a release for intense emotions and a tool for translating certain experiences into something tangible for both of them.
“We share the transgender experience. And we’ve talked about writing songs about things regarding queer youth, and the state of the way things are for queer people all over the world,” Aggarwal explains.
When Platt puts down the guitar and picks up the synthesizer and microphone, his lyrics follow an underlying theme about dealing with self-hatred induced by the nature of capitalism, dissatisfaction with the ways society is run, and how humans respond to living in a dystopia. Platt accompanies these themes with a joyous pop beat.
“It’s the contrast that makes hyperpop. So, my brand of hyperpop is fun, in my opinion, because it’s danceable. But if you listen to the lyrics, it’s like, ‘What the f**k?’”
“I hope I can just be like, ‘Hey, I’m here too and I’m making sick art. You should do the same.”’
Elliot Platt
At his shows, Platt aims to create a comfortable environment for everyone. He hopes his music can inspire people to dance and express themselves freely. Chloe Baumann has attended many of his performances.
“I think people become drawn to electronic music because you can make songs on GarageBand for free. You can become innovative. I find hyperpop extremely pushes the bounds of what pop music can be,” says Baumann. “You can change the gender of your voice through a little knob on the synthesizer if you want. You can change the pitch up or down.”
Platt used this evolution of musical technology to push the boundaries of mainstream pop music.
“It’s an attempt to make a connection,” says Platt. “At the end of the day, I feel like that’s what most art is — an attempt to reach other people with your own mind and see if they’ll agree with it.”
His degree of contrast and authenticity turns heads. Fans have approached Platt to thank him for being himself.
“I hope that I can be… not a role model, but a figurehead for queer kids and weird kids that don’t really conform to societal norms,” says Platt. “Yeah, I hope I can just be like, ‘Hey, I’m here too and I’m making sick art. You should do the same.’ I hope I influence people to create stuff. That’s the most I can hope for from my art.”