“Nine” by Ellen Arthur Blyth

Ellen Arthur Blyth’s music comes from real, painful lived experience. Her new tune, “Nine”, is a clear statement of how far Blyth is willing to go in putting her vulnerabilities out there – a raw exploration of mental turmoil and self-doubt that uses careful, minimalist instrumentation to put her honest vocals front and centre.

On the tune, Blyth says, “Nine is about self doubt, the ongoing internal dialogue in your head that can keep you stuck. For me it’s about realising it’s always there and I need to live my life alongside it. I think in doing that there’s real freedom.”

That’s a hugely resonant theme for Blyth, who has made no secret of her use of music as a way out of the dark places of life. Her musical career is the product of a lifetime of genuine passion, but it’s also a direct result of the difficult process of recovery under which Blyth has worked for nine years. Having moved through various projects including working in a band and acting, Blyth has settled upon a solo career as the best way to express the hard-earned truths of the life she’s lived.

Fittingly, “Nine” is the title track of a forthcoming debut album – a project which seems certain to be fuelled by the energetic drive of an artist who is looking to prove herself in an entirely new light. It’s a tune which acknowledges the darkness of life and doesn’t look away, but still finds something fundamentally optimistic to take away from it.