Image Source: Getty / Cindy Ord
Music is, simply put, in Ella Travolta’s blood. “It’s always been a big part of my life,” she told POPSUGAR. “I grew up with music.”
Of course, the 22-year-old didn’t just grow up on music — he was raised to star in one of the biggest movie musicals of all time. his father, John Travoltafamously starred in “Grease” alongside the late Olivia Newton-John, who he recently paid tribute to the 2023 Oscars. During her childhood, Ella recalls spending many hours bonding over music with her father and her late mother Kelly Preston. “He was always singing or just improvising a song and dance,” Ella said of her father. “Same with my mom. That was always a big part of my life — playing music, and him singing along, and me singing with him. It’s definitely been a huge inspiration.”
Today, Ella is following in her father’s footsteps and preparing to release her first EP, titled “The Colors of Love.” “It’s definitely a learning experience and a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve learned so much. I’ve been doing it without a label, just to see how it works and really get my hands into it. It’s been a lot of fun.” Each track on the six-song EP is based on a color, he says, and each one paints a picture of a different kind of love. “Each song is really a different take and a different perspective on the subject, whether it’s a relationship with a partner or a family member or a friend or unrequited love,” he explains.
In addition to inheriting her love of music from her father, she also follows her mother, who died of breast cancer in July 2020. Ella participates in Silk Nextmilk’s Next Gen campaign, which puts a modern spin on the iconic ’90s “Got Milk” campaign. — of which Preston himself became a part. “It’s absolutely amazing. To see that she did that back then — it’s just so beautiful,” said Ella. “They put a cool twist on it. For my generation, so many people are going plant-based and using plant-based products, and it’s great to be a part of that and represent the plant-based ‘stache.”
Image Source: Silk
Between her music and modeling, Ella is busy, but still manages to stay close to her family. In February, Ella accompanied his father to Las Vegas for his 69th birthday. “The trip was amazing. It was a dream of his to recreate the old TWA poster of Vegas,” he laughs referring to a Las Vegas-themed Trans World Airlines poster his father loved as a child. “He really brought it to fruition. It was lovely.”
From her early days performing impromptu musical theater shows for her family to facing tragedies and launching her professional music career, her father has remained a constant in Ella’s life. “It’s amazing,” she says of their relationship. “He’s my best friend and my biggest fan, and I’m definitely his. Having that support is so important, and I’m so lucky to have it from him.”
Below, watch Ella perform a snippet of her first single “Dizzy” — complete with a brief cameo by her father.