Ellie Goulding Releases Emotional New Single, “Flux”
Following her swanky single “Close To Me” and a recent soundtrack song, “Do You Remember,” Ellie Goulding is back with a brand new ballad. In contrast to the prior two releases, “Flux” is a raw, sad song, and perhaps the most emotional track we’ve ever heard from Ellie.
“Flux” finds Ellie singing with only piano to accompany her at first. Layers gradually come in, gentle strings adding texture and cinematic drama. Ellie sings about how hard it is to get over a breakup, about the back and forth that holds her down. As she confesses, “I’m still in love with the idea of loving you / it’s a state of flux / but it’s not enough.” Her voices soars high on the choruses, adding to the song’s delicacy and innocence.
The song’s music video is similarly understated, showing Ellie caged in a small, stone dungeon. She waits and plays piano, and the eventual underscores her deep sorrow. Shot all in black-and-white, it’s a simply, artfully done video that lets the song take center stage.
Ellie described the inspiration behind “Flux” in a long Instagram post:
Flux is a song that I wrote entirely from the heart that seemed to capture how I felt about not ever being able to let go of a past love, even though it was over for a reason. I feel like I am in a constant state of change and upheaval and it makes me unable to root myself and get over things easily. I think a lot of people have that one person they wonder what life would be like if things had worked out. How would we be living? Would I be the same person?
On this record I found myself taking inspiration from different relationships and stages in my life. The past two years have been the first time I’ve really been able to confront my survival techniques throughout my work- to be able to reflect on how being on tour non stop, performing, and having to be “ok” all the time affected me as a human being and how it took its toll on my relationships. I no longer wish to sugarcoat things and that honesty is the only way I can throw things out for good.
Watch the music video for “Flux” below:
You can stream or download “Flux” on all the major music platforms now.
Ellie has been pretty busy lately, and “Flux” isn’t her only new song! Last fall, she released “Close To Me” featuring Swae Lee and Diplo. Just a week ago, fans heard Ellie’s new song “Do You Remember,” which appears in the film Fighting With My Family.
On top of that, Ellie has been recording a new album, the anticipated followup to her 2015 record, Delirium. While “Close To Me” and “Do You Remember” aren’t expected to appear on the forthcoming album, “Flux” seems to be its lead single.
At this point, we don’t have any concrete information on when we’ll get to hear Ellie’s new album. However, in an interview last October, Ellie did reveal how the new music will sound. She said that most of the songs she’s written are quite sad, written about things that have built up over the years. Luckily they’re “not reflective” of how Ellie currently feels. In contrast to previous records, Ellie’s new songs talk about “quite specific things that have happened in my life, and something specific that happened to a friend of mine.”
Ellie added that her voice is what weaves it all together:
In this record particularly it’s… I hate saying “raw,” but it’s like it’s out there and it’s got nothing to hide behind. You can’t escape what I’m trying to say. I think it’s really important. And it’s nice to be able to hear my voice, because I’ve always had different soundscapes and different backdrops to my voice, but I think people forget that I’m a vocalist, I’m a singer, and that’s always kind of been my thing. I like to use it as an instrument. I feel like my voice is still kind of marmite, you know, some people are not into it, and for some people it really resonates. So I’ve been able to be really instrumental with it.
I also have played a lot of instruments on this record as well. I love bass at the moment… and I play guitar, drums, and piano. A bit of everything.
Find out more by listening to the full interview on BBC Radio 1’s “Hottest Record in the World.”
“Flux” is a stunning, heavy song. Enjoy the single and video for it now, and get ready for more music from Ellie soon. Her album should be out in the next few months, so stay tuned for more details! Keep checking back here for all the latest Ellie Goulding music news.
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