Exclusive: Elle King Got Sober, Is Feeling God’s Rewards With New Song “High Road”

Elle King didn’t think anyone would ever attend one of her concerts again.

About nine months ago, King was part of the Grand Ole Opry tribute for Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday at Ryman Auditorium. King very publicly flubbed the words during her tribute to Parton and cussed on stage. King later said she’d had one shot too many and sobbed on the floor when she got off stage.
Then, King took time off to care for herself and stabilize her health. She recently launched her headlining Baby Daddy’s Weekend Tour and will release her new song “High Road” on Friday.

“I never thought that any single person would ever come to my show,” King said, explaining she returned to performing about six weeks later. The concert was in Arizona, and she played sober. She was terrified.

“I wore dark shades,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have my usual crutch, and I wasn’t drinking. But I had so much support around me.”

When King stopped drinking, her bandmates did, too.

“They’re like, ‘If you got to do this without drinking, we’re doing that, too,’” she recounted. “We’re with you on this. So, to have an actual family on stage is really incredible. These guys have stuck by me through so much. At the end of the day, this is the gift that God gave me. I just lean into that as much as I can, but that can still be unbelievably nerve-wracking.”

Many months later, King couldn’t be happier with the response to her headlining tour. She explained that America loves a comeback story, and that she has one for the ages.

Elle King: “The World Forgets That You’re Human”

“As much as it’s been humbling, it’s also been beautiful,” she said. “I think that sometimes the world forgets that you’re human. To see people take an opportunity and grow from it is beautiful. I feel more connected to my fans than ever.”

King knows people come to her shows to hear her hits and the songs they know, but she said her fans have been incredibly supportive of her new music.

She wrote “High Road” alone in the shower. King said it doesn’t sound like her other songs as it is the antithesis of four-on-the-floor. Instead, the ballad is a nod to Willie Nelson, The Highwaymen, and the classic country she grew up loving.

“At the end of the day, if I’m going to come out on the stage of life, I want to be my truest and utmost self,” she said. “I want to release music that makes me happy, that I love to sing, and music that is a nod to all the things that have inspired me. I hope people like it.”

Elle King Is Feeling Rewarded

King wrote “High Road” last year and said the song has carried her through the challenges she’s faced over the last several months. She said that her guffaw pushed her to be a better person, mother, performer, and songwriter. King isn’t sure what the world has in store for her, but she does know what she has planned. The singer feels really good and is excited for the future.

“I think God rewards you if you get through a testament of some kind of trial,” she said. “I’m feeling rewarded now. It’s crazy to think that it’s not even been a year. But I can already be like, ‘Wow, it feels so long ago. It feels like a completely different era of my life.’ Thank God, thank God.”

Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

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