ELENI MANDELL "Hard To Be Lonely" born from the vulnerability of needing others

Following a seven-year hiatus, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter ELENI MANDELL has officially released “Hard to Be Lonely“, the third single from her highly anticipated upcoming album, Tailspin. The deeply personal track is available today across all major music streaming platforms ahead of the full album release on May 29th via Schoolkids Records.

Balancing a dual life as a high school English teacher by day and a musician by night, Mandell drew inspiration for the new song from a profoundly moving interaction with a ninth-grade student. The teenager confided in Mandell about her difficult home life, explaining the tragic death of her mother, the painful reality of an absent and abusive father, and being raised by a sister who was barely an adult with children of her own.

The emotional catalyst for the track occurred when the student asked, “Miss, do you know how hard it is to be lonely?” This raw exchange brought both the teacher (Eleni Mandell) and student to tears, and the heartbreakingly honest song was ultimately born out of empathy for the universal human struggle to connect.

Mandell channeled her own vulnerabilities from navigating a difficult breakup and the anxieties of a changing world to write the track. She hopes her audience will hear the song and remember that they have someone rooting for them, noting that making a small difference in a vulnerable teenager’s life profoundly shifted her perspective on teaching, art, and success.

“Hard to Be Lonely” joins earlier singles “Music and Motion” and “How Will I Know” on the tracklist for Tailspin. The 14-song collection emerges from the fog of grief, divorce, and the quiet heroism of single motherhood, feeling less like a traditional comeback and more like a survival kit lullaby. To support the new record, Mandell will embark on a summer tour starting in June of 2026.

Tailspin pre-order: https://schoolkidsrecords.com/UPC/634457240599

see ELENI MANDELL live:

06/02 Los Angeles CA @ 2220 Arts & Archives

06/15 Pendleton OR @ Pendleton Center for the Arts

06/17 Seattle WA @ The Triple Door

06/19 Portland OR @ Polaris Hall

07/15 San Francisco CA @ The Chapel

07/18 Minneapolis MN @ The Hook and Ladder Event Center

07/22 Philadelphia PA @ 48 Record Bar

07/23 New York NY @ Barbès

07/27 Cambridge MA @ Club Passim

07/29 Carrboro NC @ Cat’s Cradle

ELENI MANDELL is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter known for her smoky vocals, sharp lyrical storytelling, and genre-blending style that spans jazz, folk, pop, and indie rock. A longtime favorite of discerning music fans, she’s been compared to artists like Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, and Lucinda Williams — but her voice and sensibility are uniquely her own as she focuses on small stories and intricacies of everyday life, romance, heartbreak and family in the vast landscape of Los Angeles.

With over a dozen albums to her name, including Miracle of Five and I Can See the Future, Mandell’s songs explore love, motherhood, loneliness, and longing with elegance and wit. She’s also a founding member of the acclaimed harmony quartet, The Living Sisters, alongside Inara George, Alex Lilly, and Becky Stark.

Whether solo or in collaboration, Mandell’s music evokes a cinematic world full of charm, ache, and quiet power — the kind of songs that feel like secrets set to melody.