Elma Ström was born in Bro in Uppland, the daughter of a farmer, and was raised in the home of a relative, the parish vicar Ekström on Mörkö.
Ekström socialized with the local aristocracy and Elma Ström entertained his guests with singing.
In 1836, she was accepted as a student in the operatic class of the Royal Dramatic Training Academy after demonstrating her ability to Isak Albert Berg.
One day Elma Ström and Jenny Lind left the Fundins', from which the students were normally not allowed to leave without permission, to travel around the city in a carriage.
Because she was regarded as the perhaps most promising talent after the departure of Henriette Widerberg and Jenny Lind, great pressure was put upon her by the management to replace them before her voice was fully trained, which resulted in her voice cracking and her career ending before she had the full chance to develop it.