Ella’s such a breath of fresh Eyre

Mercury prize judge is ready to shed her ‘angsty, heartbroken teenage’ sound

Fresh from a prestigious stint judging the 2017 Mercury Music Prize shortlisted albums, Ella Eyre says she’s more excited than ever to launch her own music’s “new direction”.

Her latest single Ego, featuring rapper Ty Dolla $ign, takes the 23-year-old away from her signature drum-and-bass vibe into more poppy territory, shedding what she calls her “angsty, heartbroken teenage” sound.

“It’s a song I wrote at the end of last year and I just fell in love with it,” she says. “It’s a representation of what’s to come and progressing from my first album, which is very drum-and-bass heavy.

“I grew up listening to lots of pop music, so this is more influenced by my childhood.

“I hope it’s deviating away from a previous side – I didn’t want to sit there and create an album that sounds so similar to the last one.

“I wanted to progress and show my voice in a different and more diverse way.

“I am in a different position mentally than I was when I wrote the first album. I’m not that heartbroken, devastated teenager any more. This came from a really positive, happy place.”

Now Ella will be joining Jay Z and Pink as one of the big names performing at V Festival in Chelmsford and Staffordshire this August 19 and 20.

The Good Times singer says she’s been influenced by the pop stars she grew up with, including the Spice Girls, S Club 7 and Blue.

“Ego is about having a crush on someone, like when you fancy someone at school but you don’t want to tell them,” says the star – who split from Rixton drummer Lewi Morgan earlier this year.

“I just love that playfulness. It’s about what life should be like, and what dating should be like.”

A passion for pop music has certainly seeped into this year’s usually highbrow Mercury Music Prize shortlist, under fire for featuring mainstream acts including Ed Sheeran. But Ella defends the list, which she helped whittle down alongside the likes of Marcus Mumford, Lianne La Havas, Clara Amfo and Jamie Cullum. She says: “I think it’s exciting, it’s eclectic. I feel that pop music is shunned sometimes for not being credible music. Everyone has different taste but you can’t ignore the success of Ed Sheeran’s album this year.”

For more information on V Festival, see vfestival.com