S2-E219 Ellen Alaverdyan

5/27/26

Mike and returning cohost, Legendary Bassist Leland Sklar welcomed 13 year old bassist Ellen Alaverdyan to ConversationsRadio Ep.219. Originally from Los Angeles, Ellen was born to Armenian parents and now lives with her family in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A lifelong lover of music, Ellen discovered the bass at 8-years-old Soon after watching Australian bassist Tal Wilkenfeld on TV, she felt inspired. At first, she thought the bass was a guitar but tried it out and fell in love. with it almost instantly. Initially, her father Hovak – an accomplished musician and producer taught her some bass basics but, Ellen began honing her skills with Yousician and watching YouTube. For the most part, Ellen is learning on her own while Hovak is always there for help and guidance. But basically, Ellen is self-taught. 

Having attended the annual NAAM show, Ellen’s had the opportunity to talk shop with fellow bassists Tal Wilkenfeld, Leland Sklar, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller and others. Ellen is making a name for herself and getting noticed for her impressive music skills. Her respect for her craft is obvious!

Ellen's videos have reached millions with over 700,000 YouTube subcribers. Her music videos reflects her eclectic taste. She often chooses songs that resonate with her personally, occasionally drawn by a compelling bass line.
Early on, Ellen appeared on Steve Harvey’s show, and has played at a Golden State Warriors game. A huge moment for Ellen was meeting guitar legend Steve Vai. Vai’s guitar tech introduced Ellen’s videos to him and she soon found herself on stage performing with him in Vegas.

Victor Wooten stands out as Ellen’s primary musical inspiration. “He was there my whole life,” she shares. Ellen also considers her dad a significant influence. Despite being a huge fan of The Beatles, Ellen believes inspiration can be found everywhere: “Anything you discover can inspire you and make you want to play.”

Her new bass project is Jaminai! The bands first album 'Take Off' is set to release 6/1/26!
Check out EllenPlaysBass.com for details.

You can can find Ellen's videos on YouTube 

You can follow Ellen Alaverdyan on Instagram @ellenplaysbass

Enjoy the Podcast!