Rising star Ellise has been churning out dark pop hits since 2018, and the trend continues with her appropriately morose new single “Black Balloons.”
Inspired by a bout of the birthday blues, the song finds her preparing for a lonely party for one.
“Tables are set for disaster / Banner says ‘you never mattered’ / everyone here is of my own delusion / I’m all alone blowing up black balloons,” she sings on the moody outro.
The eerie bop has the distinction of being the singer’s first new material since her 2021 album Chaotic. It’s her first release in a while, but it is also the start of a new era of music, with plans to continue churning out content into the new year and beyond.
We spoke with Ellise about what inspired the song, her lifelong ambitions to become a pop star, what to expect in the coming months and so much more. Check out what she had to say!
Click inside to read our interview with Ellise and to hear her new single…
JJ: You’ve wanted to be a pop star since you were a child. What drew you to the industry?
E: I’ve always loved music and had an obsession with singing and songwriting, so for me it was only natural that the music industry was where I would end up career wise. It never surprised me, even back when I was a teenager just starting out, because I always knew this was the path I wanted to go down.
JJ: Who were your idols growing up?
E: Ariana Grande was a big musical influence for me as a teenager. I also got into the “alt pop” scene of the 2010′s heavily, and loved Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez, Lorde, etc.
JJ: Can you talk a bit about what inspired “Black Balloons” and how it feels to have it out?
E: “Black Balloons” is inspired by a culmination of feeling depressed around the time of my birthday, and just generally feeling dissociated from life and not wanting to admit that my depression was getting as bad as it was.
JJ: You mentioned that your birthday is a melancholic time for you, which I can relate to in a way. Can you talk a bit about what is usually going through your mind at the time?
E: I think I’m really hard on myself in the sense that I almost grade myself around the time of my birthday – I check in and see if I made any great strides or achieved anything that I think of as successful throughout the year. Of course, no matter how much success you have, it never meets the criteria in your head. So, it always leaves me feeling depressed, and old, lol.
JJ: Was it cathartic to write and record the song?
E: I would say it was more of a fun moment. Not necessarily “therapeutic” but more “I needed this because it made me realize I can still enjoy writing songs and have fun making music.” I had been feeling really down about all the songs I was making, and “Black Balloons” sort of pulled me out of that.
JJ: How would you say “Black Balloons” differs from the sonics of last year’s Chaotic and Letting the Wolf In?
E: The way I describe “Black Balloons” is like a classic Ellise song, but older, wiser, and just generally more elevated. With Chaotic especially, I was experimenting in new lanes of pop, and trying different sounds. “Black Balloons” is more an ode to my older music, just with a new twist and more years of experience under my belt.
JJ: What do you have planned for the rest of the year and into 2023?
E: I’m very excited to say that “Black Balloons” will not be my final release of the year. I plan on dropping consistently throughout the rest of 2022 and 2023.
JJ: There’s a darkness and edge to your sound. Is that something you’ve always been drawn to?
E: Definitely. I’ve always loved mystery novels, horror movies, and just generally the darker aesthetics in media. I think my love for all of that is partially what inspired my sound in the first place.
JJ: What else are you listening to right now?
E: My Spotify likes are always so random, but currently loving “Shirt” by SZA, “Numb” by Lilspirit ft Blackbear, “Charger” by ELIO ft Charli XCX, “FOH” by Iyla, and “80/20″ by Chloe x Halle to name a few.
JJ: Are there any other dream collabs you’d like to line up?
E: I’d love to work with Frank Ocean one day, I’d say that’s my biggest dream collab. I’d also love to work with some of my amazingly talented friends, like Kailee Morgue and Leyla Blue.
JJ: You’ve been carving out a place for yourself in the industry since 2018. What are you most proud of having accomplished so far?
E: I’d say I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve created something that has helped people. Even if it’s not a lot of people, getting messages from fans saying that my music got them through a rough breakup, or one of my songs is their comfort song genuinely means the world to me. It makes all the hardships of this industry worth it. Music is the main way I’ve always coped throughout my life, so being able to be another person’s safe space is really important to me.
JJ: What are some of your biggest goals moving forward?
E: So many! I have big dreams, but for now I just want to keep releasing music, making stuff I like to hear, and putting it out into the world.
Thank you Ellise!
You won’t believe which major music acts have never won a Grammy.
via Source
