elle winter

Hey M Girls,

Have you been keeping up with Disney Channel's Next Big Thing contest? There are only two acts left, and the winner will be announced Saturday December 8 at 5:30 p.m.! The big event will feature appearances by R5, Coco Jones, Shealeigh (N.B.T. Season 4 Winner) and Laura Marano--and of course the contestants, Elle Winter and sister act Chloe & Halle Bailey.

Before the big show, we got to chat exclusively with both acts about music, Disney Channel and One Direction! Check it out:

M: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Elle: I am 13 years old and I am from NYC!! I have been singing my whole life and I also love to act and dance. In my free time, I enjoy fashion and spending time with my family and friends.
Chloe: Well we are Chloe and Halle! We love to sing, dance, and act.

M: What has been your favorite part or favorite experience so far since being part of Radio Disney's NBT?
Elle: My favorite part has been performing for and meeting so many great kids from all the different part of the country!
Chloe & Halle: When we first heard our songs on the radio -- it was unbelievable.

M: Who do you look up to in the music industry most?

Elle: I look up to Selena Gomez and Katy Perry.
Chloe: My biggest inspiration in the music industry would have to be Beyonce. She has such a powerful voice and is an amazing performer.
Halle: Mine would have to be Adele. Her voice is just pure gold.

M: 
Who's your One Direction crush?

Elle: Zayn Malik!!
Chloe: I would have to say Zayn! I love all of them though.
Halle: Mine would have to be Harry and Zayn. 


M: Do you have a favorite Disney show?

Elle: Jessie, Austin & Ally, and Shake It Up!
Chloe & Halle: We love all of the shows on Disney! But our top favorites would have to be Austin & Ally, Shake It Up, and ANT Farm!

M:Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?

Elle: I have two dogs that I love!!! One is named Miley and the other dog is named Tashie!
Chloe: Halle's favorite color is purple and my favorite color is blue!

Hey M Girls!

It's M's editorial assistant Michelle here, bringing you an exclusive interview with Radio Disney's Next Big Thing contestant Elle Winter!

Support Elle winter by voting for her tonight (in just a few hours!) at 7 pm EST through Monday, October 29- 11:59 am EST. She requests you vote 10 times per day on all voting mechanism for her to win!

Check out part of our chat, where she dishes about songwriting, her experience on NBT, and her personal life!

M: So voting starts on tonight! Are you nervous?
Elle: I'm a little nervous. I'm really excited. It's been so much fun. I'm looking forward to what happens next!

M: What made you want to try out for the Next Big Thing?
Elle: Well, I've been singing my whole life, so I love Disney Channel and I had an audition in LA I went to work on music, I had a lot of auditions. I waited a long time and then June I got called and then three days later I went to Orlando and had our first real concert.

M: How long have you been singing for?
Elle: I've been singing my whole life, I don't think there was a time that I wasn't singing, but when I started talking, I was singing.

M: Out of all the finalists, who do you think is your biggest competition?
Elle: We're all competition. Everyone is so talented and we're all so different. We have different styles of music and it's amazing. I'm really excited.

M: I love your song "Day Away", it's so catchy! What does that song mean to you?
Elle: I love the message that it sends out of hope and inspiration and not to get discouraged and I feel like that's a really good message to send out to kids my age too.

M: Do you like songwriting? What do you tend to write your songs about?
Elle: I love songwriting and whatever I'm feeling. I'm really inspired by New York and the creativity and how everyone's not afraid to be who they are.

M: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Elle: I want to keep inspiring people with my music. It's my dream and probably sell out Madison Square Garden!

M: What was it like performing with all the finalists at the Hollywood concert?
Elle: That was amazing! It was so surreal. The mic, the sound, it was all so great. We were performing literally right in front of the Hollywood sign!

M: I saw Bella, Zendaya, and Laura all went - did you meet any of them?
Elle: Yeah, I did! They were all so sweet, it was so much fun! There was a whole VIP party. It was great.

M: Cool! Did they give you any advice?
Elle: Yeah! Well Laura and Ross were our mentors, so Laura told me to always be focused and keep my head in the game.

M: When you have free time, what are some of your hobbies?
Elle: I love fashion. I used to fashion blog and I love putting outfits together, especially for the tour and what we've been doing because I get to wear sparkles and all these other types of outfits!

Elle's amazing voice is worth checking out! You can buy her single "Day Away" on iTunes -- you can also check out her cover song of "Want U Back" below:

Let's dish:
-What do you think of Elle Winter? Will you vote for her?

Photo courtesy of Elle Winter's Twitter