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Blue is a powerful color, synonymous with water, skies, and, of course, feeling low. In Kings Elliot's debut album Born Blue, the nascent singer delivers a poignant, introspective dive into the feelings that haunt and hurt us but strangely leaves us with a lifting feeling of hope. The synoptic effect of the album is one of empathy, a friend listening, and, of course, that revelatory feeling that even in our troubled lows, we are not alone. Curious and keen to know more about this vocally gifted, lyrically bright artist, we asked for a breakdown of this impressive work, track by track.

"Sick Puppy Prelude"

I built the prelude with the voices of people who have screamed 'Sick Puppy” with me at shows all around the world. It’s a homage to the Sick Puppies and a thank you for being on this ride with me, for building this world together. This album wouldn’t exist without them.

"I’m Getting Tired Of Me"

This one is very special to me. It’s the first song I ever released and it’s about not being able to get away from myself and my thoughts. Still, the song holds an acceptance and peace that is unbelievably comforting. I think sonically and melodically it hugs you like a soft blanket.

"The Promise"

This song is about a very important relationship in my life that came to an end, and it almost destroyed me. I loved making something that almost feels anthemic out of such deep grief. I always imagine people dancing to it with tears in their eyes.

"I Can’t Be Hurt By Anything"

This song explores the strange numbness I’ve felt when I’ve been hurting so much, at some point, it feels like nothing can touch you anymore, making you feel almost invincible. It captures a feeling I’d never been able to express before but had known for a long time.

"Starcrossed"

A '50s-tinged ballad about the love story of two people who were destined to never be together. To me, it feels like a slow dance that ends too soon, a romance frozen in time. It has that classic quality I love so much, and it inspired a lot of the album’s aesthetics.

"Sweet Nothing"

"Sweet Nothing" is where I let my inner savage out to play! It still carries vulnerability, but the edges are sharper, and writing it was pure fun. Performing it live is even better! Hearing the crowd scream it back at me has to be one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. 

"Love And Landslides"

I wrote this song for the love of my life, and I really love the purity of it. It shows love through a BPD lens, where it can feel breathtaking one moment and catastrophic the next, all laced with the fear of being left because it might all be too much.

"Dancing Alone"

"Dancing Alone" describes the same love, but at the very beginning. Using the dance - the steps, the moves - as metaphors, it captures what it feels like to enter a relationship while struggling with your mental health, and how much it affects you both.

"Cigarette Smoke In My Eyes"

This one is about trying to hold it together for the outside world when inside you’re falling apart. Much like its meaning, the song feels gentle and light at first listen, but the lyrics reveal something much more distraught. The lush instrumentation masks the pain, and the choir in the middle eight is one of my favourite moments on the whole album.

"Ashes By The Morning"

I wrote "Ashes By The Morning" straight after a really bad episode, which is why I think it holds such an uncanny amount of pain. It’s raw and heavy, but to me it’s also strangely beautiful.

"Whiskey And Wine"

"Whiskey and Wine" is a celebration of women, and I mean all women. It’s an anthem about my first queer experience and the first song I’ve ever released that didn’t come from a place of pain. Instead, it finally reveals the fun, free, and unapologetically queer side of me! 

"Call Me A Dreamer"

I actually wrote this as a conversation with the happy, carefree version of myself. When she’s there, she makes me believe I’m all good and nothing’s wrong, but when she disappears, it feels like the whole world collapses. It’s one of my personal favourites - painful and epic all at once. 

"What If This World"

This is what I call my doomsday campfire song. It’s like a fever dream about the future and the damage we’ve done to this planet, asking whether we were ever meant to be here at all. It’s desperately sad, but it still carries a small spark of hope. The video we made for it is so important to me, I hope lots of people get to see it.

"Made For Me There"

This is the most painful song on the album. I wrote it years ago, and I still can’t listen to it without feeling its weight. It’s about the afterlife as a place where the happiness I’ve searched for might finally exist, yet it also carries a reminder: we could always leave, but we can never come back. For me, it’s the true emotional closer of Born Blue.