“There was definitely a darkness about [the past two years] that was palpable in the studio, with everyone having gone through it differently,” explained synth-pop siren Ellie Goulding in a statement about her forthcoming studio album.
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“I think for that reason, nobody wanted to sit and agonize over some relationship or some drama,” the “Lights” singer continued. “So that’s how this album came together.”
Titled Higher Than Heaven, the album is a follow-up to her 2020 LP, Brightest Blue, and is set for a Feb. 3, 2023 release.
Goulding has shared a sample of the record, dropping the single “Let It Die” and its accompanying music video. She explains in a post on her Instagram, “‘Let it Die’ is about when a relationship plays out much longer than it needed to. Instead of giving love to yourself you spend it all on someone else and have nothing left, which is when it can become toxic and harmful.”
She added, “When there is intensity and urgency too quickly in love there is often a crash.”
“Let It Die” follows the July release of “Easy Lover,” featuring rapper Big Sean, and most recently “All By Myself,” her collaboration with Alok and Sigala, which was released earlier this month.
Goulding rang in 2022 by opening up about her struggles with anxiety to fans via social media. In an Instagram post, the singer wrote, “I’ve struggled daily, nightly, hourly with a kind of panic I didn’t even know existed.” In her vulnerable messages, she touches on how 2021 was the best year, but also the “hardest of [her] life.”
She concluded her heartfelt message with “I have so much love and energy for anyone going through this. Let’s get through this together. 2022 is going to be a bright year. Positive energy. Together.”
(Photo: Tina Benitez-Eves)
