Artists don’t tend to enjoy being told what to do, do they? Many find themselves snatched up by labels perhaps prematurely, and even if the intentions behind so are good, being signed brings with it a certain degree of artistic sacrifice. BRIT and MOBO Award-winning singer-songwriter Ella Eyre found herself attached to a label at only 16 years old, and as such created under a watchful eye for much of her career. It’s only now, a decade on, that Eyre has emerged as an independent artist — and she sounds all the better for it.
In the mid 2010s, Eyre was a totemic presence in British pop music. Bursting into mainstream consensus with “Waiting All Night” with Rudimental in 2013, she went on to share her debut album Feline in 2015, and has worked with a myriad of commercially potent names, from Bastille to Olly Murs, Tinie Tempah to Becky Hill. Her solo material, however, dried up in the years that followed, until late last year when Eyre returned with a bold new single and sonic direction with “Head In The Ground”, featuring Tiggs Da Author.
This summer has seen the singer-songwriter’s renaissance in full flow. May’s cascading “Ain’t No Love That Blind” has now been followed by the disco-inflected, groove-laden soul cut “domino szn”. It’s a sound with far greater depth and sonic authenticity than her early work, and there’s a sharpened sense that Eyre is now, for the first time in a long time, making exactly the music that she wants to make. Do creatives thrive with limitless freedom? Give the track a spin and answers for yourself. Whilst you’re at it, keep scrolling for an exclusive interview with the star, talking comebacks, independence and progression.
Watch the visuals for “domino szn”…
Read the interview…
Hey Ella! How’s your summer going?
My summer has been sweet! I just turned 30 and feel amazing about where I’m at and focused on where im trying to be. My next album has been ‘almost finished’ for a while now but it’s hard to know when to stop tweaking when I’m still discovering so much about myself in this independent era but this summer is dedicated to finally mastering some mixes.
How do you reflect back on your career? Is it surreal to have achieved what you did, especially considering your Brit-award win?
It’s been over a decade since I started which is hard to believe sometimes, there have been some WILD moments and memories I’d like to make again with this album. But honestly I’m just happy and grateful to still be here, loving and making music my way and still be able to sell out the odd show.
You signed your first major record deal at just 16, how do you think that shaped your career since then?
I learnt a lot over a long time, at 16 I was still learning who I was and what I wanted creatively for myself but in hindsight, it’s impossible to explore that fully being signed to a major label with many cooks in the kitchen. The biggest lesson I took from those experiences was how important your sense of self is when making something with your face, voice & heart in.
What advice would you give to your younger self, when you were just setting out on your journey?
The world can wait, there really is no rush. There is so much power in feeling fully confident in what you’re doing and if that takes its time, it’s probably worth the wait.
You’re back and as an independent artist for the very first time. How does it feel to be free in your creation?
So far so good, I really love freedom it allows and once I’d made a commitment to the direction I wanted to take, writing just started to flow nicely, like a conversation. Some of my favourite friends are people I work so I’m at a different kind of ease in the studio these days and I love what’s coming out of it.
What have been the main attractions, and the biggest challenges, of being independent so far?
Biggest attraction is the freedom of final says. I feel free in the music I’m making because I know I can control what, when and how i’m putting something out. Biggest challenge I suppose, is cash-flow. Obviously major label budgets were a beautiful thing while they lasted so was an adjustment to be so directly aware of your limits but it forces me to think differently and creatively in every way.
We loved your collaboration with Tiggs Da Author on “Head In The Ground” from late last year. Where did the link up stem from and what was it about Tiggs that provoked you to work with him?
I was a big fan of Tiggs before I met him and even more so after knowing him for a few years. There’s a beautiful energy in his delivery and lyrics that I’ve always found infectious so it was always on the cards for me when the right song came about. Head in the Ground was good fun to get together, he brought everything I hope he would to the track and we had a ridiculously silly time shooting the video.
Congratulations on your new single “domino szn”! Why did this feel like the right track to continue your releasing renaissance?
Funny because I have never been more sure about a song being the right release than this one. “domino szn” didn’t exist 2 months ago and came about so organically. The day we wrote it I had a smile on my face the entire time and when the demo was done that evening, it just felt like the right thing to do. It’s a cool feeling to be spontaneous about a release, it’s definitely something I’d do again.
Thematically, what is the message of the new track
“domino szn” is a summer love kind of song, it’s about everyone falling in love at this time of the year aka the domino effect. It’s a weightless, dream like state that we all know too well and long to last but the overall message is to bathe in the feeling, be present and be happy in the moment when you’re lucky enough to have i.
How do you think “domino szn” and its May predecessor single “Ain’t No Love That Blind” showcase your artistic progression?
It’s been 10 years since my first album, Feline, was released and naturally I have grown a lot in that time, as a writer and as a person. My next album will be an independent release which is an entirely different experience, I’m taking advantage of owning every creative choice I make and domino szn is the perfect example of me being able to express myself freely, in my own way, on my own terms.
What’s to come from you, this year and beyond?
My album, I pinky promise. It’s been almost a decade since the last one and it’s about damn time I did a tour around it too…