Ellise Reveals Why 'Pretty Evil' Represents a Shift in Her Career

interview

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interview ✦

After the breakout hit "911" catapulted singer-songwriter Ellise into the pop stratosphere, amassing over 440 million streams and demanding attention, she quickly found herself navigating the turbulent waters of industry expectations. With her sophomore album, PRETTY EVIL, Ellise now emerges with a raw, unfiltered vision, chronicling her journey to reclaim her creative voice from the clutches of industry titans and personal conflicts.

From beginning to end, PRETTY EVIL is curated as a dark pop confessional from the singer. An exploration of lust, heartache, and jealousy, drawing listeners into a hypnotic spiral of love and loss. Singles like "dead2me," which landed her the cover of SALT on Spotify, and "valentine," a fan favorite stemming from her performances on Madison Beer's tour, have already showcased her capacity for somber pop and garnered well-deserved praise. 

Other freshly crafted tracks like "bite," with its cinematic commentary on toxic romance, depict her natural ability to blend compelling narratives with captivating visuals. And as a whole, PRETTY EVIL perfectly encapsulates a new era for Ellise; one where she fully embraces her authentic self.

PRETTY EVIL is said to chronicle your journey in essentially reclaiming your voice. Can you elaborate on the trials you faced and how they shaped the album? 

Ellise: Four years have passed between my debut album, Chaotic, and PRETTY EVIL. During that time, I had a completely different record label, different management, no sense of myself as a business person or a person at all… I was very lost. I got into a serious relationship that didn’t serve me for so long, but was too scared to leave. Overall, I was just very closed off and afraid of myself, as well as mostly everyone around me.

I made hundreds of songs over those years, thinking they were going to be the beginning of some larger creation that would become my next album or next musical era. But I kept shying away from all these songs because they didn’t feel like me. I realized after a while that I had to figure out who I even was before I could make music that I loved and fully immerse myself in it. I made monumental changes in my life, in who I kept around me, and in how I viewed myself. I learned things about myself and reshaped my way of thinking in order to leave that part of my life behind. I’d say the growing pains of the past few years have been the biggest challenge, in all their forms. 

Throughout the album, you explore a variety of themes like lust, heartache, and jealousy. How did you translate some of those more intense emotions into your music? 

Ellise: Typically, I’ve always been a writer who hides behind metaphors and obscure lyricism. I wanted to change that on this album. Songs like “valentine” and “feel better together” really highlight that shift in songwriting for me, as I wanted to be super literal and blunt in describing these highly intense emotions. I was feeling everything so wholly during the creation period of this album, it was second nature to get it all out the way I did, which hasn’t been the case previously with my writing. I think I just finally knew exactly what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, and it all started making sense. 

“bite” offers its interpretation of a cinematic, yet toxic romance. What were some of the core qualities you wanted to convey through this particular track? 

Ellise: I wanted this track to feel the way the 2 am drive to his house feels. The secret you keep when you tell all your friends you’re over him, while still secretly wishing he would drunk call you. Sonically, I wanted “bite” to pack a punch and force the listener to feel the bass and guitar heavily, while having that sonic quality also accurately reflect what the song means. 

You've said this album is your most cohesive and ambitious work so far. In what ways does PRETTY EVIL feel like a larger-scale project? 

Ellise: PRETTY EVIL just feels like the new me. The older, wiser, happier me. I’ve never been so sure of a musical project, both sonically and visually. I couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing collaborators I’ve had the opportunity to make this album with, and their artistic vision has helped create this new version of Ellise as an artist. 

Is there a song on the album that you feel is the best representation of your goal for this era? 

Ellise: I think “PRETTY” and “EVIL” are the best representation of the album. I knew I wanted two title tracks, and for them to be the opening and closing tracks of the album. Their concepts are adjacent, highlighting the realization that things are not as they seem, and the apology of falling into the rabbit hole that spits us out on the other side, damaged. The album is meant to represent a cycle, the beginning and end of a love. 

Your music is also known for expressing vulnerability and embracing cinematic aesthetics. What films/artists would you say contributed to your unique artistic style? 

Ellise: Some of my all-time favorite artists are Lana Del Rey, Paramore, The Neighbourhood, Daft Punk, and Ariana Grande. I feel that I pulled inspiration from all of them for PRETTY EVIL, in different ways. For example, I always look to Ariana (my queen) for vocal production inspiration, whereas Lana’s songwriting is what hooks me. I love diving into different artists’ identities and music catalogues to get inspired. 

Now that you’ve had a bit of time to sit with the finished version of PRETTY EVIL, have you already envisioned what might come next? Or are you just enjoying the moment? 

Ellise: I have so much coming up! This year will definitely be a busy one. I have tour plans that I can’t share too much on yet… and lots of new music.

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