Eli’s new single “Glitter” is the kind of pop track that slips effortlessly into your emotional muscle memory, like something you’ve loved for years without realising it. There’s an immediate, sparkling familiarity to it, a warm nostalgia stitched into every slow-jam beat and twinkling Y2K-era shimmer. Eli, who first found her artistic spark watching American Idol, taps into that classic pop DNA with a confidence that feels at once charmingly youthful and sharply self-aware. “Glitter” opens like the moment your best friend sits beside you on the bed, hands you a tissue, and says, “Okay, babe, enough—let’s talk about him.” It’s musical comfort food, but with wit. Eli channels the sweet, melismatic clarity of early-2000s icons—Jordin Sparks being the clearest touchstone—while crafting something undeniably her own: soft, sparkly, and lovingly savage.
At its core, “Glitter” is a pep talk wrapped in a melody, a shimmering self-worth anthem disguised as a sugary breakup balm. Eli’s lyrics hover between affectionate teasing and brutal honesty, the way only a real friend can get away with. She tosses out lines like “You should be his baby, not his babysitter” with a feather-light delivery that still lands like a much-needed wakeup call. The production leans deep into late-’90s/early-2000s pop aesthetics—silky synth pads, a slow, heartbeat-steady groove, and that trademark glitter-dust sparkle in the high end. It’s glossy without being shallow, nostalgic without feeling trapped in imitation. And while the promo artwork openly flirts with Mariah Carey levels of glam, the song itself feels grounded in Eli’s lived experiences, her voice moving between warmth and playful exasperation as she guides you out of heartbreak and back into your own self-worth.
The bridge might be the most memorable moment of the entire track—a spoken-word break that feels ripped straight from a beloved 2008 teen romcom. Eli transforms into the chaotic-best-friend archetype for a few seconds, delivering the kind of comedic honesty that only comes after an ugly cry and a pint of ice cream. “He doesn’t even have a job,” she sighs, before adding with perfect comedic timing, “I mean, we don’t have jobs either, but, like… he’s horrible.” It’s the kind of line that could only be delivered by someone who knows exactly what it feels like to hype herself up after settling for someone who didn’t deserve her. And that’s the magic of “Glitter”: beneath its humour lies a genuine tenderness, a belief that everyone deserves the kind of love that doesn’t drain them. The spoken moment cracks open the emotional landscape of the song, making it feel like Eli is sitting in your room, holding your hand, talking you back into the sunlight.
“Glitter” is another bold, bright step in Eli’s evolution as an artist. Her 2025 debut Stage Girl introduced her as a small-town trans girl with big dreams, a sharp pen, and a soft spot for millennial pop dramatics. But “Glitter” feels like a refinement of that voice, a song that knows exactly what it wants to be and hits every note of intention. It’s warm, witty, emotionally intuitive, and crafted with a deep understanding of the genre she clearly loves. In a year full of artists chasing nostalgia, Eli stands out because she isn’t mimicking an era; she’s modernising it with humour, sincerity, and a perspective entirely her own. With “Glitter,” she becomes the friend you always needed—the one who reminds you that heartbreaks fade, self-worth sparkles, and yes, sometimes the boy you’re crying over truly can’t fry an egg to save his life.
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