This week’s Portage Life in the Spotlight is Lexi Elisha, a 2011 Portage High School graduate and a recording artist whose first EP, Let Go, made
it to the top 20 on the ITunes Christian charts after it was released. Lexi was also the 2010 Portage Junior Miss, now known as the Distinguished Young Woman program.
Lexi is the proud daughter of Jeff and Julie Elisha. She has two siblings, her little sister Jillian, who is an equestrian hunter and jumper, and, her brother Kyle and sister-in-law Elise who are both photographers.
“My family is incredible. First and foremost, they are my biggest fans, my best friends, and my backbone,” Lexi said “None of this could have been done without their support.
She is a 2011 graduate of Portage High School and has been a proud Portage resident her entire life. Currently, she attends Valparaiso University. After graduation, Lexi plans to continue her music career as it is something that she has always enjoyed doing since she was a young girl.
“My parents raised me in church, and singing was a huge part of that,” she said “I loved praise and worship. I can still remember sitting at the computer watching Darlene Zschech videos. My Mom always told me to follow my dreams, not to worry about what other people thought. So it was natural that I ended up writing songs and falling in love with music.”
Lexi said she started to become serious about her music career when she lost a vocal competition at the age of 15.
“’Don't quit your day job’, still rings in my ears, as the judges tore me to shreds. Devastated, broken, yet determined, it was on a mountain top in Estes Park, Colorado that I wrote my first song, "Just a Girl". From that point on, I starting training my vocals and writing” she said.
Lexi’s EP, Let Go, debuted in 2011 and shot to the top 20 on the ITunes Christian Music chart. A dream for Lexi came true when she saw her first album debut on ITunes.
“Seeing my music on Itunes was great. Watching it soar into the top 20 Christian albums was even greater. The video on the other hand, was totally different. It was all the excitement that I had when I released the record, but even more so, because I got to bring the song to life for people. They could finally put a face with my song and a story behind the lyrics. "Without You" is a video that expresses the pain I went through after a break up,” she added “Yes, even Christian girls have trouble with boys.”
The video has reached over 36,000 views since being released on YouTube last week.
“I'm so blessed, and can't say enough thank yous’ to everyone who watched it, shared it, and have supported me” she said.
Lexi has been very involved in the community since the day she was born. She credits her love of music to her parent’s raising her through church where she had many opportunities to sing. She was also very active in theater while in High School. She was the President of the show choir, a natural helper, Portage’s 2010 Junior Miss and a peer tutor. She is a member of the National Honor Society Alpha Lambda Delta and continues to be involved with her local church.
“I love my community” she added.
With her music career taking off, one wonders how Lexi keeps being inspired to write her music or perform in front of audiences while touring.
“For me, inspiration hits me daily. It is not only the really incredible life moments I experience, or the really tough break ups I go through. It is the emails that I get about how much my music has touched someone's life, or certain fans at shows that really appreciate what I do. It's humbling and inspiring. My fans really do it for me, they are the best” she concluded.
Because of her commitment to bettering her community and the feelings that she expresses through her music, Lexi Elisha is undoubtedly a Portage Life in the Spotlight.
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