Mannequin Elena Matei can also be pursuing a music profession, because of trend godmother Donna Karan.
New York Submit photograph compsite
Rising up in Moldova on her household’s farm — promoting cheese to the native village and herding cows — Elena Matei by no means dreamed that she would turn into a world-class mannequin. In truth, she didn’t even know that modeling existed as a profession.
“I'm from a easy household,” Matei, 26, informed The Submit. “I grew up in a small village and we didn’t have fancy issues in our head. My mother may be very shy. She would by no means do something like this.”
By “this,” she means flying across the globe, modeling for manufacturers like Seashore Bunny, Guess and Victoria’s Secret, gracing the covers of worldwide editions of Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle — in addition to launching a solo singing profession with the assist of clothier Donna Karan.
Initially, singing was a passion loved by all the ladies in Matei’s household. Her grandmother and mom sang people songs — tunes that had been handed down by the generations — whereas they labored, again when Moldova was a part of the Soviet Union.
Matei, in the meantime, dreamed of being an expert singer, like Madonna. “I had large hopes,” she mentioned.
She would sing to the cows all day on the farm and fake the pasture was her stage. “My mother would say, ‘Oh my God, cease it. Our neighbors should assume that your father is doing one thing unhealthy to me, the way in which you scream,'” Matei recalled. “I wasn’t really screaming; I used to be attempting to launch my voice.”
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The function taking part in labored. As a young person Matei gained a singing contest the place the prize was a spot at a prime performing arts faculty in Romania. Shortly after relocating there, she was “found” by a mannequin scout on the streets of Bucharest and launched into a trend profession that took her to Paris, London and Milan.
“I turned a mannequin by mistake,” Matei mentioned. “I by no means anticipated this to occur.”
She hardly appears prefer it was a mistake. Standing five-foot-nine soulful blue eyes, soiled blonde hair and a sleek however commanding presence, Matei seems made to mannequin.
One other pleased “accident” occurred in 2016, on her first day in New York Metropolis. Matei, then 20, had moved to the Large Apple to pursue modeling extra critically and was scouted by an agent from Elite Fashions proper on Fifth Avenue.
“I used to be strolling down Fifth Avenue with my pal and instantly someone stopped me and mentioned, ‘Are you a mannequin?’ I mentioned, ‘Sure, I'm a mannequin.’ And Elite signed me up that day,” she mentioned. “My life modified instantly. On Fifth Avenue, goals can occur! I do know it sounds loopy, however that is the actual story of my life.”
Matei spent the subsequent few years constructing her portfolio. She turned the muse of legendary photographer Russell James, and, in 2018, appeared in his limited-edition pictures e-book, “Angels,” alongside supermodels Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima and Kendall Jenner. Campaigns for Seashore Bunny and Uncooked Spirit adopted, and the leggy Jap European additionally walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger.
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Fortuitously — or unintentionally, Matei would possibly say — working with James additionally fueled her music profession. The photographer launched Elena to clothier Donna Karan at some point whereas they had been capturing on the Stephan Weiss Studio within the West Village, which Karan owns and is known as for her late husband.
“Russell casually talked about that Donna Karan can be stopping by,” Matei recalled. “When she arrived, he informed me to sing to Donna. I felt like fainting, however ultimately, I sang. Whereas I used to be singing, I seemed up and realized Donna was on the cellphone calling the tremendous proficient icon of music Barbra Streisand! Slowly, by these connections, I started to enter the world of music.”
One other connection, TV anchor Giselle Fernandez, launched Matei to Neil Portnow, the previous head of the Grammys and president of Nationwide Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). The retired Portnow is now serving to the mannequin along with her debut album, which is at the moment being recorded in Los Angeles. (In 2020, Portnow was accused by his ousted successor, Deborah Dugan, of getting raped a member of the Academy. Portnow known as these allegations “ludicrous, and unfaithful.”)
Matei can also be working with a voice coach in LA to tamp down her Moldovan accent.
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Matei hopes to be a pop singer within the vein of Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Ariana Grande.
“I’ve all the time heard in regards to the American dream, however instantly I'm residing it,” she mentioned of her luck. “I can’t consider that that is actually taking place to me.”
TikTok has helped, too. With practically 52,000 followers on the social media platform, and video views of over 300,000, it’s been a robust instrument to be seen and heard. “TikTok is an excellent platform as a result of many proficient individuals can go viral with their songs,” she siad. “They will turn into stars in a single day if individuals love their music.”
Whereas she’s primarily been releasing covers on social media — together with Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” — Mattei additionally writes her personal music, just like the dreamy love music, “Magic World.”
“It’s about love and magic,” she mentioned. “It’s about the kind of a woman who may be very harmless and pure and the kind of love which each and every lady would like to have of their life.”
Relating to her love life, Mattei is reticent, solely saying that she is at the moment single and solely targeted on music.
Whereas she’s recording her debut album, she’s nonetheless modeling in addition to portray. Matei additionally likes to journey, though she hasn’t been again to her native Moldova in years. Her household has moved from the nation, which is just one hour away from the border — and conflict — in Ukraine. Latest posts on her social media embody fixed refrains to “finish conflict,” together with a passionate cowl of “Zombie” by the Cranberries devoted to ending conflict.
Nonetheless, the US is the place her coronary heart and residential are actually.
“I really like all the things about America,” Matei mentioned.. “I really like that persons are free. I really like the range. There is no such thing as a one kind of pondering, such as you’ve bought to do that, and also you’ve bought to try this. All the pieces is the way in which you are feeling, and the way in which you need to be. I really like that.”
Images: John Chapple for NY Submit; Stylist: Philippe Uter/The Solely Company; Hair: Doug Mengert/The Solely Company; Make-up: Dominique Della/The Solely Company; Location: Melrose Rooftop Theatre & E.P. & L.P., West Hollywood.
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