Growing up with musical parents who supported established artists behind the scenes gave Elle Varner a chance to basically grow up in studios and on the road, so it was only natural for her to want to pursue similar passions.

After attending New York University’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, she dropped “Perfectly Imperfect” in 2012, found the smash single “Refill” being nominated for “Best R&B Song” at the Grammy Awards the following year and spent the next decade honing her solo craft, adding to collaborations with the likes of Chance The Rapper, J. Cole, Mac Miller, Miguel and many more.

The City Winery gets a special opportunity to hear about it all when Varner unplugs on Thursday, April 4 at 6pm and 9:30pm to kick off a tour through many of its esteemed venues, which prompted a phone call to Chicago Concert Reviews filled with fascinating insight into one of this generation’s most gifted vocalists and lyricists.

How did you get into the pattern of performing at the City Winery?

Elle Varner: So my dad [Jimmy Varner] really put it together. He came from a background of touring, being a musical director for Tevin Campbell and different artists over the course of my life. He worked with Bill Withers, so he really understood getting into different markets, developing a base there, growing that and the power of having fans that come out to see you. City Winery is such a great venue, such a great franchise that people can come, have dinner, enjoy a show. It’s intimate. It’s different from just going to any club or live venue, especially in that way, so it’s really great. I love it.

This particular show is going to be unplugged/acoustic. What does that environment lend to your music?

Varner: I think, especially cause people are seated, really being able to talk about my songs and play them in this stripped down way where you really hear the lyrics. You really feel the passion behind the songs. It’s just different. I think it’s gonna be a treat for fans to get to hear some of the stories behind the songs and the inspiration behind them.

Can you remember prior shows in Chicago or anything about your time here thus far?

Varner: I remember Chicago so well because I was on tour with Trey Songz [at the Arie Crown Theater] and then I did my own tour over ten years ago. We had all this food and I remember having the driver take me to a shelter to donate whatever extra food we had. That felt really nice to be able to give back in some way. That started in Chicago and I continue doing that throughout my years of touring. [I also remember] just coming to work with Chance The Rapper, recording in studios in Chicago, the beautiful shopping on Michigan Avenue and running on the lake. I’ve gotten to spend some time in Chicago and really take it in, the diversity. It truly is such a beautiful, powerful city.

What was it like growing up while watching your parents as working artists?

Varner: I think one thing that was kind of awesome was that, for whatever reason, as a baby I didn’t cry, like as a toddler. My dad would bring me with him to the studio and he said I would just sit there quietly and not make a sound, not ask anything, just take it all in. So I kind of had this special, all access to what it was like being in the studio, being at rehearsal. I remember there was one other kid, he was the engineer’s kid, and we would roll around on carts at SIR [Studio Instrument Rentals], the rehearsal space. I remember us rolling on a dolly. We rolled into Janet Jackson’s rehearsal (laughs), so little cool stuff like that. It really taught me so much. I got to really see the behind the scenes of the music industry and prepare myself as I went in to do my own thing.

What did being a student at Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music offer for you?

Varner: It’s so funny because the music industry has changed like a thousand percent since I was in school and went through that whole program. What I will say is that there’s such foundational things that haven’t changed. The business infrastructure has changed, but like politics in the music business hasn’t changed. Certain protocols, things that you do and certain legal things haven’t changed. So I would say understanding all of that, but also having access to the city, having access to these phenomenal professors. Bob Power was one of the producers and engineers of A Tribe Called Quest. He really founded some of that early hip-hop sound, so being able to study with him, for example. These were really powerful tools to have as an artist, but as a producer as well. I got a little bit of everything from the business to the creative. I just did something with them a couple months ago. With my professor, we recorded a whole album in six hours and it was just like a super master class, so shout out to Jim Anderson for that.

Your debut album, “Perfectly Imperfect,” made a pretty significant splash. What did that period feel like for you?

Varner: Oh my God, it was literally a dream come true. It was everything I wanted. I understood the business intellectually, [but] experientially, I really didn’t know what it was like. You hear stories, but when you’re in it, it’s a totally different experience, so I’m glad I got to have that kind of Cinderella moment. Everything happened for me and it happened so fast. What I will say is that I’ve been blessed to have both where the last couple years have had some challenges around releasing music, around just different things, label things and building a touring business from the ground up, not from having a record. You can loose fans overnight, you know what I mean? A lot of artists aren’t able to maintain a fan base if they’re not consistently putting out music, but like I say, [thanks] to my dad, just building little by little in these markets, I’ve been able to see that I’ll have, God willing, a forever fan base that’s gonna come support regardless. I feel like I have the best of both worlds and I can always build from here. I can do that again, but I did the hard part as well.

How was your Grammy experience of being nominated as “Best R&B Song” for “Refill”?

Varner: Oh man, again, another dream come true. It’s just like, “This is happening really fast. This is unreal.” I grew up watching the Grammys. That’s the ultimate goal for an artist, and to be invited, and participate, and nominated on my first project was like a real stamp that I had done phenomenal work and I really was grateful for that…I remember loosing to Miguel, who’s a friend of a mine and I kind of like chuckled, “Well, alright, I get it.” But going to the ceremony was magical, just getting dressed up in the gowns and the parties. I got to go to Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party. It was really wonderful.

You mentioned knowing Miguel, who’s also a collaborator, alongside Chance The Rapper of course, J. Cole and a lot of other guys. Can you tell us a bit about about any of these or others that stood out?

Varner: I have and you’re right, it’s mostly been males, and male rappers in particular. Chance The Rapper, Joey Bada$$. My favorite of all time was Mac Miller, rest in peace. He was a musical genius. He was a phenomenal friend first. He really had it all, the talent, but also this down to earth, really human quality where it didn’t feel like, “Okay, I’m in the music business today.” No, we’re just hanging out and making music, so it was easy to be around working with him and he was so receptive to my ideas. I’ll always remember that and just let that set the tone for how I want to be received when I work with people. Rapsody, another incredible artist. She’s releasing an album [next] month. Juicy J, another incredible artist. I look forward to many more to come.

How would you describe your growth throughout the “Ellevation” EP?

Varner: I would say I had to grow a lot, like there’s a song on there called “Wishing Well.” There’s two songs, “Wishing Well” and “Be Encouraged,” that were really very honest for me about opening up about some of the things I struggled with. It was obviously a dark time not being able to release music. It felt like the end of the world, but what I learned now on the other side is you have to keep going. Life is very unpredictable. It is always going to present challenges, and the better you’re able to respond to the challenges that day, the better the quality of life you will have cause you can’t control most things, even though we’d like to. But we can control how we respond to adversity and to challenges, so I think that project was really great. What I’m working on now is really something I’m so proud of and I think this is going to really show more of, not just my story where I’ve been, but my growth as an artist, taking more sonic, musical risks. I don’t even have words, but I would say this new music is very raw, but it’s also familiar. It reminds me the most of “Perfectly Imperfect,” but grown up.

There’s always been a lot to unpack sonically and stylistically from your material. How would you classify it?

Varner: I would say there is a lot of soul. There’s classic R&B that I share in a lot of the songs, but one of the accents that a lot of people don’t always realize is there’s really a lot of folk influence in my music and I just kind of apply it to R&B and soul. A little bit of country influence in some ways, but I think the raw, even the blues I would say. When I’m up there and I’m performing, I really leave my body a lot of times and I don’t know if it’s muscle memory, but that’s one of the greatest gifts my dad gave me, teaching me how to leave, let those powers take over me and just give it. It’s something you can learn, but it’s not easy. But it’s doable, so that’s something I’m proud of that I’m able to share with people and hopefully inspire them.

What would you like listeners to take away from your songwriting in general?

Varner: I just hope they feel seen and heard. I hope that they can relate in some way, and if not, I hope that their energy or their mood is lifted from whatever I contribute musically. I feel like life is so challenging and music, when you’re in the arts, you provide a service. We get people through some of their darkest times and help them to blossom or steer them in the right direction, so I take that as a responsibility on my end to just give the best that I can and hope that it lifts someone’s spirits somewhere.

Where do you see yourself headed next?

Varner: I would say what’s really next for me is being a label owner and an entrepreneur in that sense, not just releasing my own music independently, but developing other artists and developing a sound. I had a lot of exposure to some of the great labels, and again back at Clive’s and NYU, just learning about different label structures and what went into it. So I would take some of those classic approaches, mixed with modern marketing, the way things are done now. I’m more excited about that.

As I said, I wasn’t able to release music for a long time, but now that I am, it’s almost like a second coming out. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like I’m doing a lot of things over again, but this time with so much knowledge and experience behind it, so I would say having a successful label. I really want to have a number one sophomore album. I still haven’t put out my sophomore album. I should call it “Better Late Than Never” (laughs), but it’s a gift to have accomplished what I accomplished. Everyone’s road is different. Tina Turner was 45 when “What’s Love Got To Do With It” came out. There’s just so much room to grow and just keep doing it. I think that’s the most important thing.

Is there anything else that comes to mind as you make your way back to City Winery?

Varner: I just want everyone to be safe, to take care of themselves. I think post-pandemic there’s a lot of [problems]. We’re still in some hard times right now. There’s so much going on in the world and I’m just hoping everyone is able to care for themselves the best that they can: mind, heart, body and soul. And just keep going, stay encouraged, be encouraged.

What keeps you going?

Varner: Since I was a kid, I’ve always had some kind of spiritual connection to something bigger than me and I believed that I’m here for a reason, and [practice using] my mind over matter. Like if I leave it to my head, I would’ve given up a long time ago. But sometimes you just have to take one step for that day in the direction of your dream and then just trust, and leave the rest up to the universe, and your higher power, whatever that is. I know I have angels up there and I just keep believing. Like I said, I can’t change a lot of things, but I can have a positive attitude to the best of the my ability, so it sounds a little cheesy, but it really does work.

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Elle Varner performs at City Winery on Thursday, April 4 at 6pm and 9:30pm. For additional details, visit ElleVarner.com and CityWinery.com/Chicago.