Elles Bailey is known for her distinctive, powerful voice and here is another strong vocal performance from the Bristol-based multi-award-winner. The message here is equally strong: this is a song for all those artists who faced hardship during the pandemic as the music industry was turned upside down. It was a situation made worse by the lack of support and understanding from, “…the people in their ivory towers who made us feel like the arts don’t really matter, and to go and retrain.”
She explains further: “This song was born in darkness, desperation and isolation, in a time where information was fed to us by the media before hearing it from those ‘in charge’ and I wanted the video to represent that. To be all alone in the half light yet surrounded by this ‘media noise’.” The concept of being in the ‘half light’ was central to the video, in which Bailey is surrounded by the muted light from candles and bulbs, adding to and reinforcing the song’s mood.
It’s an anthemic, genre-crossing song, full of tension; it builds up slowly and then Bailey delivers a commanding, emotive chorus. ‘Cheats and Liars’, a co-write with Ashton Tucker, is the opening single from forthcoming album ‘Shining in the Half Light’, which is due for release early in 2022. Bailey recording the album just before giving birth to her first child and was still actually checking out the mixes while in hospital. Against the backdrop of the pandemic and global uncertainty, Bailey’s life was transforming. She says: “This album is about finding a new perspective, about learning to be comfortable with a different version of myself, the one without the road, the show, and the splendour.” It looks like we can expect another forceful, tuneful album from Elles Bailey. Enjoy.
