Elle King on some of her darkest times and the music that saved her

one two three they gonna run back to me it was this mega hit X's and O's that made L King a star [Music] her soulful voice in that trap earning her two Grammy nominations I went from being nobody and playing really like small clubs to like the exact like talk about 180 you know and before she knew it she was performing alongside country star Dierks Bentley at the CMAs and for President Obama at the Kennedy Center Honors but she's done a lot of living since now at 29 years old she's been married and divorced and she's got a second album to tell the tale [Music] in songs like sober l revealing her battle with substance abuse and depression you've obviously gone through a journey in the past three years what have you learned about yourself in this time I've learned that I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was I've learned that I can have boundaries and that I can say no to things and to people and that I do have enough respect for myself and my body and my time and my spirit learning to say no is a huge thing a huge thing and it's really it's an uncomfortable thing I'm like getting red in my face right now Ella's learned a lot about herself life and love since her brief and she says tumultuous marriage she met her acts in 2016 and they secretly married three weeks later but it didn't last a year later they were divorced I think it's been pretty public news now that I had a pretty tumultuous relationship and kind of a not so perfect marriage and my marriages started ending early last year and just you know things happen behind behind the curtain and it's hard to keep a brave face to cope Ella says she turned to drugs and alcohol she became depressed and was diagnosed with PTSD she slowly reached out for help documenting her struggles on Instagram in one post she wrote I'm going through a pretty rough time right now but for once I will not accept or admit defeat I will get out of bed I'll take expletive antidepressants like I'm supposed to the only person who can truly change your life is you I think it was maybe like I was crying out for help and aware in a weird way I don't know I think back that time and I was just really lost I'm really scared and I felt really lonely and I don't know but the more I talked about it the more I could start talking I couldn't even look people in the eyes I couldn't leave my house I was just really low and but I I tried to not just sit in it and so I I did the best I could where I was at but ultimately she says it was her band and her that saved her we talked about the last track on the album yeah you know every song hit me like in a different way but that one that you know leaves you thinking and it I it seems like you really had a message that you wanted to get across there the problem wasn't out there the problem was inside of me I'm not broken that song came to me in a really like I was very lost at that time and I was really struggling with PTSD somehow this song just came to me I was singing the the like outro part of that song which is like big boys singing [Music] and it was the first time that I really felt like this joy and months and and I remember like snapping back into my body and falling to my knees and crying and going I'm so sorry guys I'm so sorry and I looked up and my basis Pauly said to me it's really nice to see you again l what was that moment like it was you know it was it was tough leading up to that moment but once it came it was it was beautiful because like I said I've been playing with Ella for you know six years and sorry guys know a little little motion to see my friend back with us you know the person that I know and care about is great it was really cool to see that like she was going through all this hard stuff and then there was a moment like she realized one her music and pick her back up and to this record could really save her life and I feel like it did I feel like we all got to be a part of it now Ella's back right where career started small venues in Brooklyn like Rough Trade taking it all in so are you used to seeing your face on Rolling Stone yet does it get old no I mean it's an honor if any magazine wants to put you in it Rolling Stone wants to review your album it means that people out there who listen to music are listening to your record her famous father Rob Schneider is listening to this morning on GMA for proud dad sending her a surprise message I love you I'm so proud of you and I'm so excited it's a relationship that's evolved in the years since childhood when she first made a cameo alongside him in deuce Bigalow male gigolo how was your relationship with your father grown and developed over the course of your childhood and adulthood and career well my dad was following his dreams for a long time we kind of met in the middle and we're like well let's just drop him it let's enjoy each other I love you we look alike you know I don't know my dad just showed up for me in such an incredible way when I was really needing him and we have just become best friends my mom was pretty big you know when I was a kid and like everywhere we go my dancer like whoa you can do it you know every every show someone shouts you can do it a Rob Schneider at me I used to get pissed but now it's like yeah dude that's my dad and I'm proud of him and so I don't know there's a really lovely and very warm encouragement that comes from both ends of us that he just wants to see me succeed and I want to see my dad succeed and he's very funny and I would never tell him this but I think he's kind of smart sometimes [Music] now a little older and much wiser L is hoping to prove to everyone that the best is yet to come have you reached your own mountaintop or what's next for you I don't know I don't know I think aren't you always kind of climbing a mountain yeah and like if you reach the top wouldn't you want to climb another mountain I would just assume that that's what it would be like so maybe I climb a bunch of Peaks right for Nightline I'm Austan Singh in Brooklyn hi everyone George Stephanopoulos here thanks for checking out the ABC News YouTube channel if you'd like to get more video show highlights and watch live event coverage click on the right over here to subscribe to our Channel and don't forget to download the ABC News app for breaking news alerts thanks for watching

Channel: ABC News

Views: 97,803

Rating: 4.9510522 out of 5

Keywords: Elle, King, Tanner, Schneider, Playing, For, Keeps, Exs, Ohs, American, Sweetheart, Father, Comedian, Rob, substance, abuse, depression, singer, songwriter, celebrity, music, abc, abcnews

Id: _hfNx-zH99A

Length: 7min 33sec (453 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 24 2018