Ella McMahon (born 1 April 1994), known professionally as Ella Eyre, is an English singer and songwriter. She is known for her collaborations with
Rudimental
Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.
They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and ...
on their UK number-one single "
Waiting All Night" (2013), which won the
2014 Brit Award for British Single of the Year, with
DJ Fresh on his single "
Gravity
In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
" (2015), and with
Sigala on his singles "
Came Here for Love" (2017) and "
Just Got Paid" (2018). Her debut EP, ''Deeper'', was released in 2013 and her debut album, ''
Feline'', was released in 2015. Eyre's musical influences include
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...
,
Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...
,
Basement Jaxx and
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...
.
Early life and education
Ella McMahon was born on 1 April 1994 and was raised in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...
,
West London. Her father was
Jamaican and her mother is
Maltese. Her father was a chef who lived in Jamaica and was unable to move to the UK with the rest of his family due to limited economics
and her mother, who raised Eyre in London, is a cake designer.
Eyre trained as a competitive
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
before she began singing professionally.
Eyre was educated at
Millfield School, a
public school in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
; refuting the idea that she came from a privileged background, she observed that her mother could not have afforded the fees, and she went there on a "massive swimming scholarship".
She later attended the
BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, where she studied musical theatre. Discovered by her management through a vocal coach in 2011, McMahon juggled school with songwriting. She signed to the publisher
Warner Chappell Music
Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries.
...
in July 2012 and a record deal with
Virgin EMI followed shortly after.
Music career
2012–2016: Breakthrough and ''Feline''
In December 2012, Eyre featured on
Bastille
The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...
's cover and mash up of
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
's "
No Scrubs" and
the xx
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), ...
's "
Angels
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
". Titled "No Angels", the song featured on the band's 2012
mixtape
In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
, ''Other People's Heartache, Pt. 2''. In April 2013, she featured on drum and bass band
Rudimental
Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle.
They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and ...
's single "
Waiting All Night", which peaked at number one on the
UK Singles Chart, becoming Eyre's first chart entry. In August 2013, she appeared alongside rapper
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...
on the track "
Think About It" from producer
Naughty Boy's 2013 album ''
Hotel Cabana''. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in November 2013. Eyre also features on rapper
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie (formerly Tinie Tempah), is a British rapper and singer. He has been signed to Parlophone since 2009, now a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his ...
's album ''
Demonstration'' on the track "
Someday (Place in the Sun)", which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 87 but was never released as a single.
Eyre's first EP, ''Deeper'', was released in December 2013, and the title track reached number 72. She was the runner-up for the 2014
BRIT Critics' Choice Award and came second on the BBC
Sound of 2014 shortlist. Her next three solo singles—"
If I Go", "
Comeback" (both 2014) and "
Together
''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...
" (2015)—reached the top twenty on the
UK Singles Chart. She co-wrote the UK number one single "
Changing" for drum and bass duo
Sigma
Sigma ( ; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used as an operator ...
featuring British recording artist
Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. After signing with Epic Records in 2008, Faith released her debut album, '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?'' (2009), which produced the UK ...
, which was released in the United Kingdom in September 2014. The following month, Eyre won Best Newcomer at the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...
2014.
Eyre featured on the
DJ Fresh single "
Gravity
In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
", released in February 2015. In May 2015, a song Eyre co-wrote, "
Black Smoke", was used by
Ann Sophie, the
German participant of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2015
The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...
. Also during mid 2015, Eyre supported
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2009, where he finished as runn ...
on his 2015 arena tour and was announced as the "face" of the advertising campaign for an
Emporio Armani Diamonds fragrance. Her debut album, ''
Feline'', was released in August 2015 (following the single "
Good Times") and features contributions from
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including " World ...
,
Ilya
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, Ilija, or Illia ( , or ; ; ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/ Jah." It comes from the Byzantine Greek pronunciation of the vocative (Ilía) of the Greek Eli ...
, Paul O'Duffy and
Jarrad Rogers.
In September, Eyre released a cover of "
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" in association with
England Rugby, to coincide with the
2015 Rugby World Cup
The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...
. In November, Eyre won Best Female at the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...
2015. She then embarked on a UK tour. In 2016, she appeared on ''
Drive''.
2017–present: Forthcoming second studio album
On 18 February 2017, Eyre announced her comeback concert at
KOKO, London on 4 April 2017. At the comeback concert at KOKO, Eyre performed four new songs: "LOV(E)", "Drink with Your Name on It", "I Swear" and "Ego". On 29 May 2017, Eyre and
Sigala announced a new collaborative single, "
Came Here for Love", released on 9 June 2017. As of 29 June the official YouTube video has over 2.5 million views and 11 million streams on Spotify. On 31 July 2017, Eyre announced her new single 'Ego' featuring
Ty Dolla $ign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...
, released on 11 August 2017. Eyre supported
Little Mix
Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the eighth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor.'' They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup consisted of Leigh-Anne Pin ...
on their
Summer Shout Out Tour and supported
The Script
The Script are an Irish Soft rock, soft-rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Glen Power (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Benjamin Seargent (bass, backin ...
on their "Freedom Child Tour" in early 2018. When supporting
The Script
The Script are an Irish Soft rock, soft-rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Glen Power (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Benjamin Seargent (bass, backin ...
, Eyre promoted a new song called "Answerphone" yet to be released.
In February 2018, Eyre was confirmed for the 2018 ''
Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off''. On 5 March 2018, Eyre announced her new single "
Answerphone" with
Banx & Ranx which features
Yxng Bane which was released on 16 March and peaked at number 5 on the UK Chart. On 20 June 2018, Eyre teased, whilst in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, a new song on her social media. On 7 September 2018, Eyre released another collaboration with
Sigala called "
Just Got Paid" featuring
Meghan Trainor
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...
and
French Montana
Karim Kharbouch (Moroccan Arabic, Arabic: IPA pronunciation, æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York ...
. It peaked at Number 11 on the UK Chart.
In July 2019, Eyre announced she had signed to
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
. She subsequently released her new single titled "Mama" featuring
Banx & Ranx and
Kiana Ledé.
In January 2020, Eyre released her new single "New Me", with a following UK tour in November and December the same year. Following the release of "New Me", Eyre announced the release of her third single from her second studio album, "L.O.V.(e)", to be released on 8 May 2020, having been performed numerous times prior to release and has been noted as a 'fan favourite'. Following this, Eyre dropped the singles "Dreams" featuring
Yxng Bane and "Careless", before dropping her
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
"Quarter Life Crisis" in August 2020.
In November 2023, Eyre released "Head in the Ground", her first independent release.
Personal life
In February 2017, Eyre and Lewi Morgan, from the British
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
band
Rixton, ended their two-year relationship. A week after the comeback show at KOKO in April 2017, Eyre announced the death of her father.
Eyre revealed she suffered from a kidney infection and severe shellfish allergy during the making of her 'New Me' music video, which resulted in facial swelling and secretion.
Discography
* ''
Feline'' (2015)
Tours
Headlining:
*
Feline Tour (2014–15)
*2021 UK Tour (2021) – rescheduled from June 2020 due to coronavirus.
Supporting:
*
Never Been Better Tour (2015)
*
Summer Shout Out (2017)
*Freedom Child Tour (2018)
(The Script
The Script are an Irish Soft rock, soft-rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Glen Power (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Benjamin Seargent (bass, backin ...
)
*Formula E support at Excel 29 July 2023
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Official websiteElite London
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyre, Ella
1994 births
Living people
Brit Award winners
Electronic dance music musicians
English people of Jamaican descent
English people of Maltese descent
English contemporary R&B singers
English women singer-songwriters
English singer-songwriters
English drum and bass musicians
English soul singers
21st-century Black British women singers
21st-century English women singers
People educated at Millfield
People educated at the BRIT School
People from Ealing
Singers from the London Borough of Ealing
Virgin Records artists
English women pop singers
Neo soul singers