Ellie Goulding Is Caught in a Blur in New ‘Hanging On’ Video

Ellie Goulding gets ethereal and seedy at the same time in her new video for ‘Hanging On‘ ( featuring Tinie Tempah), a cover of an Active Child track.

It’s a bit difficult to grasp exactly what’s going on in the video. There are a lot of bright lights (something Goulding tends to enjoy, since they brought her mainstream success), blurry scenes and stark overhead illuminations.

In some scenes, Goulding is completely alone with either a plain white or what appears to be a carpeted backdrop. She wears little makeup and her hair (still cut in the same style as her boyfriend, Skrillex) seems a bit undone — it’s simply her and her voice, hitting notes so high that your dog may be able to catch them before you can.

Goulding looks apprehensive and conveys the tone of the song not just through her vocals, but through her facial expressions. If the Brit’s next album doesn’t do well, she may want to take up acting — the girl’s got an emotive face! We especially like when she raps along with Tinie’s verse (he doesn’t actually appear in the clip).

In the rest of the video, we see crowds of people in dark places: signs for gentlemen’s clubs, bars, bright city lights amidst night skies. There are blurry images of flowers, of Goulding making her way around a metropolis and then, at the very end, what looks like Goulding crying.

If this song doesn’t earn her a Grammy, it should put her into consideration for an Oscar.

Watch the Ellie Goulding ‘Hanging On’ Video