Before becoming the front-woman for Land of Talk, Elizabeth Powell began her career as a solo artist performing under the name ELE_K*. Her debut album was released in 2003 through independent Canadian label Sinistre Sound. Powell began writing music at the age of fourteen while she grew up in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. She enrolled in the jazz program at Concordia University where she met Chris McCarron and Mark Wheaton with whom she formed Land of Talk. Eric Thibodeau replaced Wheaton on drums in May 2007 to complete a new lineup.