Elle King struggled with a ‘high level of pain’ at drunken Dolly Parton birthday tribute performance

Singer Elle King admitted she experienced a “high level of pain" and was struggling on stage at the time of Dolly Parton's birthday celebration.

After Elle King faced the music during her drunken performance at Dolly Parton's 78th birthday celebration at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, the singer is opening up about her healing process.

The "Ex’s & Oh’s" singer admitted she experienced a "high level of pain" and was struggling on stage at the time. 

"After everything that happened in January, I went to a different type of therapeutic program," King explained on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast. 

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"I was very sad, and nobody really knows what I was going through behind closed doors. … I just took that as … if it wasn't this, it's going to be something else."

Earlier this year, the 35-year-old singer sparked backlash after she fumbled lyrics, cursed at the audience and admitted she was "hammered" during a tribute to Parton at the famed music venue.

"I've had to heal and deal … go through things," she added. "Ultimately, like, I couldn't go on living my life or even staying in the situation that I had been going through.

"I couldn't continue to be existing in that high level of pain that I was going through at the time."

During King’s healing journey, the singer said she found "a silver lining" and is a "different person" following the tumultuous incident.

"I waited to talk about everything until I had better footing," she shared. 

In May, King spoke out for the first time about the drunken performance. 

"I had been going through something very heavy and traumatic in my life at the time," she confessed on the "Dear Chelsea" podcast.

"And that day was a really big day dealing with what I was going through, and that I’m still going through, and I suffer from severe PTSD," King said.

"I hadn't eaten, I hadn't slept in days and I was really overwhelmed. I was like a shell of myself."

King explained to podcast host Chelsea Handler she drank too much between performances.

"I take one shot too many, and I'm just not there in my body. I'm not there," King said. 

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"I don't even remember what I said. I know now what I said. I said, 'I'm Elle King, and I'm f---ing hammered.' And I got the curtain dropped on me.

"Then, I just get flashes of this. And I was totally 100% disassociated. Cut to the dressing room. Me on the floor, just sobbing."

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At the time, the Grand Ole Opry issued an apology on X, saying, "We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance."

Parton previously addressed the issue in an interview with Extra, telling the outlet, "Elle is really a great artist. She’s a great girl, and she’s been going through a lot of hard things lately.

"She just had a little too much to drink. So, let’s just forgive that and forget it and move on, 'cause she felt worse than anyone ever could."

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King postponed a series of shows after the incident, returning to the stage at the Extra Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona, in March.