Elle King is set to take the stage and co-host tonight’s CBS New Year’s Eve special, Nashville’s Big Bash, and it’ll be the first time fans see King publicly in a hot minute. King suffered a concussion after a scary fall before the holidays, which led to her pulling out of three planned shows due to the lingering effects. However, King is on the mend. PopCulture.com sat down with the singer backstage at rehearsals for the Music City-based special on Friday night, where she updated us on her condition.
“I’m doing awesome. I’m doing so much better than I was,” King said. “I’ve always said that if you don’t take time, then the universe or whatever you believe in will make you slow down. What came from it was a lot of slow-moving things and time with my family, so find the beauty in everything.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
While it was an awful situation to deal with, it did come at a time when King could slow down and enjoy the holiday with her 1-year-old son and her partner, tattoo artist Dan Tooker. King noted she kept things low-key as a result of her health issues, opting for an intimate holiday period at her new home in Nashville. She called this peaceful festive period “the best Christmas I’ve ever had” despite the circumstances. Sometimes you just have to slow down.
King’s break from the spotlight is ending, with her sharing the stage with co-hosts Jimmie Allen and Rachel Smith for CBS Presents New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash. (We saw her stellar sound check during the rehearsals, and it’s safe to say she hasn’t missed a step in light of the concussion.) She then continues to prep for the release of her upcoming album, Come Get Your Wife, out Jan. 27. Her concussion threw off her promotion for the new record, which includes the singles “Jersey Giant” and “Try Jesus.”
“No one ever wants to pull out of shows, especially me. I live for performing. I slipped down the stairs making a bottle in the middle of the night, knocked my ass out, resulting in a concussion,” King wrote in a note to fans on Dec. 8. “I tried to push through and played three shows, but the travel, lights, all of it only exacerbated things. I’d like to thank the artists that stepped in and filled my slots, as well as the radio stations for their understanding and continued support.”
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash airs live on Saturday (starting at 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT and continuing from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET/PT) on CBS (and streaming live via Paramount+). At the top of this article, you can watch our previous Zoom interview with King about the New Year’s Eve special.
