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 Daniel Edward Stein (born 11 April 1977), known professionally as DJ Fresh, is an English DJ and record producer. He is one of the principal members of the drum and bass group Bad Company, alongside Darren White ( dBridge), Jason Maldini and M ...

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 Bruce Fielder (born 1 November 1992), known professionally as Sigala, is an English DJ and record producer. He has had eight songs peak within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, including his 2015 debut single "Easy Love (Sigala song), Easy ...

on his singles "

Came Here for Love "Came Here for Love" is a song by English DJ and record producer Sigala and English singer-songwriter Ella Eyre. It was written by Klingande, Bryn Christopher and Scott Wild, with the song's production handled by Sigala, Klingande, White N3rd ...

" (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 Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton (born 30 April 1970) and Simon Ratcliffe (born 28 November 1969). The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first ros ...

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 West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...

. Her father was Jamaican and her mother is

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of 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 Millfield is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935. Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding s ...

, 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 BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology is a British performing and creative arts school located in Selhurst, Croydon, England, with a mandate to provide education and vocational training for the performing arts, music, music technology, ...

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 Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

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 "No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, '' FanMail'', released on February 2, 1999, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" B ...

" 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

'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 Shahid Khan (; born 1 January 1981), known professionally as Naughty Boy, is an English DJ, record producer, music programmer and songwriter. In 2012, Khan signed a three-year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a recording contract wit ...

'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) "Someday (Place in the Sun)" is a song by English rapper Tinie Tempah, featuring additional vocals from British singer Ella Eyre and production from Eshraque "iSHi" Mughal, iSHi. It was released on 1 November 2013 as part of Tempah's second studio ...

", 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 Sound of... is an annual BBC poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003, and is now widely covered by the corporation's online, radio and TV outl ...

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

single "

", released in February 2015. In May 2015, a song Eyre co-wrote, " Black Smoke", was used by

Ann Sophie Ann-Sophie Dürmeyer (born 1 September 1990), better known as simply Ann Sophie, is a German singer and songwriter. She represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Black Smok ...

, 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 Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

Diamonds fragrance. Her debut album, '' Feline'', was released in August 2015 (following the single "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

") 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 Jarrad Leith Rogers, aka "Mstr Rogers" is an Australian-British artist, songwriter and pop producer. Early life Jarrad played trumpet and classical piano from an early age. Studying piano under renowned concert pianist, Alexander Sumetski, he ...

. In September, Eyre released a cover of "

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early African-American musical traditions, the song was probably composed in the late 1860s by Wallace Willis and his d ...

" 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

2015. She then embarked on a UK tour. In 2016, she appeared on ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "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

announced a new collaborative single, "

", 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

, 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 Banx & Ranx are a music production duo from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 2014. Members Soké (real name Zacharie Raymond) and KNY Factory (real name Yannick Rastogi) are producers, songwriters and remixers. They are currently signed to ...

which features

Yxng Bane Larry Cummings Kiala, known professionally as Yxng Bane (pronounced "young bane"), is an English rapper, singer and songwriter. Early and personal life Larry Cummings Kiala grew up in Custom House, an industrial district of East London's Cannin ...

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

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

and

Kiana Ledé Kiana Ledé Brown (born April 3, 1997) is an American singer and actress. She first starred as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's horror series '' Scream'' (2015–2019). She also starred as Veronica Washington on Netflix's original serie ...

. 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

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 Push Baby (stylised in all lowercase) are a British pop duo from Manchester, England consisting of singer Jake Roche and multi-instrumentalist Charley Bagnall. They are signed to their own indie label, Wow, Big Legend. In 2012, the band starte ...

, 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) (

) *Formula E support at Excel 29 July 2023

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Elite 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