Singer-songwriter and model Elena Ramona shares her positive message of mental health awareness with the world. In addition to having music that will make you want to dance the night away, she has also had the opportunity to be a finalist for Ms. Great Britain 2020! Elena Ramona is not only a singer/songwriter, but she is also a model!

Elena grew up in the Greek island of Skiathos but she currently lives in South London. She has performed in many different festivals, and in college, Elena studied for a BA (Hons) In Vocal performance at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM). She constantly strives to spread empowering and positive messages through an eclectic and expanding catalog of lovingly crafted songs. According to Elena her goal with her music is for listeners to feel the story behind her songs.

Her song ‘The Neon Lights” is about mental health and raising awareness. She wants listeners to feel bright and bold like a neon light, she also wants to get the message across that it’s okay not to be okay. I think that throughout her music Elena is spreading a great message of positivity towards yourself and your body.

As a lover of music myself, I interviewed Elena to try and learn more about her journey in this world as a singer/songwriter and how she spreads experience and knowledge through her musical career.

Mental health is a big part of your music tell me about what made you decide to focus on that when running for Miss Great Britain?

Having suffered from anxiety all my life, it is a topic that I keep close to my heart in whatever I do.

Having a great mindset about your body image is important for everyone. What do you want to tell women who are struggling with their body image?

Please love what you see in the mirror, I know it is hard to believe me it has taken me years to accept myself. I want you to look in the mirror every day and tell myself 5 things you love about you.

You have qualities, you are unique and you are enough.

Tell me a little about your journey as a model and how you decided that was a career you want to pursue.

I have always wanted to break the mold in the modeling world since the age of 11. In magazines and on tv, I would see women representing my generation who I could not relate to and I wanted to be the girl that changed the game with a healthy and positive outlook. I started out doing test shots and really enjoyed being photographed, it made me feel powerful.

Do you have any goals you want to get out your time competing for Ms. Great Britain?

Reaching out to people who may feel insecure or not good enough, to pursue their dreams has been my main goal. I, of course, wish to raise awareness for mental health conditions, and how bullying and name-calling can affect you in later life.

What was your inspiration for competing for the next Ms. Great Britain?

I did not have a healthy relationship with myself growing up. I would love to be a role model and inspiration to anyone in that position now. I want to be the person that I needed when I was a teen. To win this competition would be an honor, however, to be given the opportunity to get this far and raise awareness for such a current and important cause is a privilege.

When you started singing and writing songs, did you have any doubts about any negativity towards your music? If so how did you get over that? Also what advice do you have for individuals dealing with negativity in their life?

When I started out releasing music I was worried someone might not like it or send me rude comments, as I have grown as a musician and a person I am proud to say I write and release music for me and no one else. Not everyone will like my work and this is ok. My advice to anyone dealing with negativity in their lives is, remove yourself from the situation.

Firstly, there is nothing more important than you and your mental health. Negativity has a bigger impact on our wellbeing, even if you think you can help or change the situation, most of the time you can't. Do not let time pass you by, set yourself free and enjoy life because it is beautiful.

Was there a point in your life where you wanted to give up? If so how did you combat that urge to give up? How did you deal with overcoming these obstacles?

Winter 2016 was a very hard time for me, a lot has changed in a small space of time and my anxiety was at its peak. I did not do any music or modeling for a few good months and was riddled with negative vibes. I decided to write a song about my experiences, “ The Neon Lights” in order to help anyone in my position and promote mental health awareness. That song still means a lot, to me because of the chapter of my life it was written in.

You can find Elena on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.

You can also listen to her music on Spotify and Sound Cloud.