Kings Elliot Shares Vulnerable New Single “Bitter Tonic”
Edit: Apr. 15, 2021
London-via-Switzerland indie pop songwriter Kings Elliot made her introduction through two moving singles over the last year or so, letting listeners into her struggles and experiences with mental health. Her third single “Bitter Tonic” is another chapter of her candid self-expression, this time coming to terms with the desire for self-destruction.
Kings Elliot shares, “ ‘Bitter Tonic’ is about self-sabotage, self hatred, self-destruction… all the things I’ve always felt too uncomfortable to talk about. “The bitter tonic is mine” is the idea of desperately clinging onto my pain, defiantly refusing any help, because at my lowest it’s all I possess, all I have control over.”
No stranger to wearing her emotions on her sleeve, “Bitter Tonic” finds a paradoxical delicate strength through Kings’ soft and fragile vocals, lamenting over a lush piano ballad.
“For the video, I saw myself struggling in the water”, King Elliot adds. “At the mercy of the freezing ocean – as a way to physically demonstrate the sensation of being overpowered by your emotions. I couldn’t feel my fingers and my limbs for a long time after the shoot but it’s always worth doing something uncomfortable if it helps people understand my story.”
Watch the video below:
