Destiny Elle - Painting With My Teardrops

Trials and tribulations are a few of life’s guarantees. Eventually, we all face a question of how we will respond to adversity: will we be paralyzed by problems or choose to press on? Perseverance is a word singer, drummer and songwriter Destiny Elle uses to describe her debut EP Painting With My Teardrops. The Nashville-based artist holds nothing back as she deals with heartbreak, rejection and growing pains in a way that brings closure to unresolved situations.

Looking back on some of the challenges that required her to persevere, Elle describes one of the most shocking moments of her life, which unfolded during her semester abroad at The Contemporary Music Center (Brentwood, TN) in 2020. During that time, she studied music business, flourished as a songwriter and performer and wrote three of the five songs that would later comprise Painting With My Teardrops. However – Just two weeks before Elle co-headlined a student-led tour – the semester was brought to a tragic halt. After ten weeks of preparation, the tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the artist was forced to return home. “I was absolutely heartbroken,” Elle laments, “… I finally felt like I found my calling and my people, and it was ripped away in a moment.” Although a resolution eventually came in the form of an alumni tour in 2022, the artist recalls, “It really felt like the end of the world for me at the moment.”

The EP’s production process, which spanned a three-year period, was its own battle. “It definitely felt like a fight,” Elle says, “Every time the ball would get rolling, something crazy would happen that would put it on pause." The EP chronicles the stories that inspired Elle to create art from ashes, standing as a testament to her healing journey through the five stages of grief.

Every verse of the title track deals with an obstacle the singer faced over the years: growing up under pressure as a pastor’s kid, struggling with self-image, heartbreak, and, in the artist’s words, “growing pains where the people that should know you the most don’t seem to know you anymore." “I was coming out of a deep depression that I had been in for five years," Elle explains, "and [“Painting With My Teardrops”] was everything that I needed to let out.” The song’s ultimate message is more hopeful – when we press through pain, there is inspiration to be found and beauty to be created. Musically, the track progresses from a subdued choir of washed-out electric guitars to a shoegaze-inspired wall of sound as Elle’s edgy voice cuts through. An infectious hook, rock instrumentation and rap production combine to create a heart-pounding, pop-rock anthem with a rebellious flavor; fellow artists Avril Lavigne, Julia Michaels and Rhianna come to mind.

[“Painting With My Teardrops”] was everything that I needed to let out.”

A snarky guitar riff drives “Stop Blaming Me” while the singer confronts a “bitter middle-aged man” whose dreams never came to be: “You played my heart like a six-string that you’ll never use / tried to break me down saying things that I’ll never do." Written about an oppressive boss, Elle explains, "I decided to write this as a breakup song, but instead of breaking up with a boy, you're breaking up with all the toxic people that don’t see your dream the way you do." Her relentless drumming reflects pain and passion as she belts out, “Stop blaming me / stop taking it out / all your hate for yourself / on me and your doubts” in the bridge.

“Get Away” is a moody, intense break-up song with a sarcastic twist. "It's me showing my true insecurities and poking fun at myself. Guys love to call girls crazy when they break up, so I save the trouble and call myself crazy," Elle laughs. Supported by calm verses that build into an explosive chorus and bridge, Elle's voice evolves from a brokenhearted murmur to a powerful high register as she confronts her flame about the uncertainty of their relationship.

With filtered piano and reverse swells, “Easily Discardable” creates an obscure feeling similar to sinking underwater or watching life in reverse – a musical take on the “weird feeling when your once close friend ends up leaving." The song deals with friendships lost along the path of life, especially when no resolution is reached. The power ballad is pushed along by piano and electronic elements as Elle addresses “the friends that chose to leave,” singing, “I still pray for you before I go to sleep / to all the ones that walked away / I still think about you almost every day.” Each chorus ends with a sobering lament: “I never thought I could be as easily discardable.”

Finally, rapper Chago IV reprises his role in a tour version of Elle’s 2020 single “The Light,” as performed with Elle and other alumni of the Contemporary Music Center during their 2022 reunion tour. The lyrics address technology and social media and how these “lights” tend to blind us from the colorful world around us. Elle is straight to the point when she sings of “people posing for a fake reality,” adding, "Somehow we believe in this insanity."

Other artists left their fingerprints on Elle’s art, too. Chris Binsfeld’s talent shines in both the creative and technical arenas; as a producer, guitarist, and audio engineer, his skill enhances Elle’s vision to create something deep and meaningful. Elle admits, "The final push happened because I got to work with Chris Binsfeld." Guitarist, drummer and audio engineer James Aldrich, producer and vocalist Jacob Fitzmaurice, and mastering engineer Paul Redel are only a few of the others who contributed to the EP. Colton Bowman’s expert baselines are an indispensable staple throughout, alongside Mackenzie Paige, whose smooth vocals harmonize perfectly with Elle’s in “Stop Blaming Me” and “Get Away”. Caroline Birmingham’s guitar playing adds an experimental touch, contributing to the grungy feel of “Painting With My Teardrops,” “Stop Blaming Me” and “Get Away.”

Painting With My Teardrops is a hard-hitting combination of pop melodies, immersive stories, and driving rhythms. It’s also a monument of Elle’s tenacity, and proof that beauty can come about in the wake of hardship: "I hope that [Painting With My Teardrops] can be part of someone's healing journey. Even though they have been through heartbreaking times, there is beauty in the tears they have cried.”

Stream: Painting With My Teardrops

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