At age twenty, Lieb left his hometown of Fairfield, Iowa to pursue music professionally in New York City. In addition to attending classes at The New School and at Pepperdine University, Lieb began singing at local open mic sessions, where he was introduced to Jonathan Daniel of Crush Management. The two began meeting with record labels; Lieb began collaborating with other songwriters. In the course of these meetings, Lieb's father died and he abruptly ceased his music career. Lieb moved back to Fairfield and for more than three years did not play or write a song.
2009–2011: Debut album
In 2009, Lieb began recording covers of popular songs to YouTube from his home in Fairfield. His videos accrued a large number of views while the positive response he received online encouraged him to release independently, his first album, the self-titled Eli Lieb, on October 25, 2011. Lieb wrote, recorded, and produced the album on his own in Fairfield.
2013–present: Post-debut singles and second studio album
Lieb's single "Young Love" was released in July 2013, with music blog Idolator calling it "an instantly catchy, uplifting pop/rock anthem that sounds like a cross between Katy Perry and Bruce Springsteen." In October 2013, Lieb's YouTube cover of Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" went viral and was supported through social media by singers Adam Lambert and Lucy Hale. In 2014, Lieb released a free digital download titled "Safe In My Hands" in conjunction with Allstate's #OutHoldingHands campaign. The song was performed and co-written by Lieb, and was featured in a short animated film for the same campaign. "Safe In My Hands" was also featured in the Season 2 summer finale of ABC Family's The Fosters and won "Best In Show" and "Best Original Song" at the 2015 American Music Producers Awards for Music and Sound. On July 8, 2014, Lieb released a single "Zeppelin" produced by John Feldmann. The accompanying music video was released on July 15, and was directed by Geoff Boothby. On September 13, 2014 Lieb performed "Young Love" at GLAAD Gala San Francisco: Game Changers event for LGBT equality through the media. Lieb went on to release single "Lightning in a Bottle," also produced by Fieldman, and its accompanying music video on November 19, 2014. He went on to work on a second album with Feldmann as producer. As of September 2015, he has over 30 million views on his YouTube channel.
Songwriting
In 2013 Lieb moved to Los Angeles to further his career as a songwriter. He has collaborated with artists including Cheyenne Jackson and Crystal Bowersox. He is also confirmed to have collaborated with Adam Lambert. In 2015, Lieb has written with musical acts such as Hey Violet and Laura Marano alongside writing partner Stacy Jones. In March 2016, Eli and gay singer-songwriter Steve Grand co-wrote a duet "Look Away". By June 2019, the music video had received over 2,300,000 views on YouTube. On June 13, 2016, two days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, Lieb and Brandon Skeie co-wrote a song named "Pulse" and released it in memory of the victims in the shooting.
Personal life
Lieb is openly gay, a subject that is frequently featured in his songs and music videos. Lieb comes from a meditating family and has been practicing Transcendental Meditation since childhood. He credits it with allowing him to "freely create the music that I am creating without any fear." Lieb is a graduate of the Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa, and has knowledge of Sanskrit. He has worked with the David Lynch Foundation to fund teaching of Transcendental Meditation.
