Ella Henderson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ella Henderson
Henderson in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Gabriella Michelle Henderson
Born	(1996-01-12) 12 January 1996 (age 29) Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
Genres	Pop R&B soul house
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2012–present
Labels	Syco Asylum Major Toms

Gabriella Michelle Henderson (born 12 January 1996), known as Ella Henderson, is a British singer and songwriter. She became famous after competing on The X Factor UK in 2012. Even though she was a favorite to win, she was eliminated in week seven.

Soon after The X Factor, she signed with Syco Music. Her first album, Chapter One (2014), became number one in the UK. This album included her hit song "Ghost", which also reached number one. Other popular songs from the album were "Glow" and "Yours". After a break, she released her second album, Everything I Didn't Say, in 2022. This album also made it into the top 10 in the UK.

Ella Henderson has also worked with many other artists. She has had several top 10 songs in the UK with them. These include "Glitterball" with Sigma, "This Is Real" with Jax Jones, and "Let's Go Home Together" with Tom Grennan. More recently, she had hits like "Crazy What Love Can Do" with David Guetta and Becky Hill, and "React" with Switch Disco. She has won the Brit Billion Award and has been nominated for four Brit Awards.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Ella Henderson was born in Lincolnshire, England, on 12 January 1996. Her parents are Michelle and Sean Henderson. She has two brothers and one sister.

Ella started singing when she was about three years old. A few years later, she taught herself to play the piano. Her grandfather encouraged her love for music and songwriting. She even put on Christmas shows for her family! Her interest grew at St Martins Prep School in Grimsby. She then decided to try for a scholarship at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Tring. She lived at the school from age 11 to 16. In 2011, she sang "All I Want for Christmas Is You" on a special Christmas episode of the TV show Come Dine with Me.

Music Career

2012: The X Factor Journey

Ella Henderson auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. She sang an original song called "Missed". This song later appeared on her first album. She made it to the live shows, where singer Tulisa was her mentor.

In week seven, Ella and James Arthur were the two contestants with the fewest votes. They had to sing again to stay in the competition. The judges' votes were split, leading to a "deadlock". This meant the public vote decided who stayed. James Arthur received more votes, and Ella was eliminated. Her exit was a big surprise because many people thought she would win.

Many famous people, like Adele, Cher, and Simon Cowell, showed their support for Ella. The show's presenter, Dermot O'Leary, even called her the most talented performer he had seen in his years on the show.

Ella's X Factor Performances

2012–2015: Chapter One Album Success

Henderson performing during the X Factor UK Live tour of 2013

Henderson in 2014

After The X Factor, Ella Henderson signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment. In January 2013, she confirmed she had signed with Simon Cowell's label, Syco Music. She joined The X Factor live tour in early 2013, singing her audition song "Missed" and other popular songs. She also performed at the Capital Summertime Ball with Labrinth.

Ella's first single, "Ghost", was released on 8 June 2014. She wrote it with Ryan Tedder. The song immediately went to number one in the UK. It stayed in the top five for eight weeks! "Ghost" was also certified platinum in several countries, meaning it sold a lot of copies. It was one of the biggest songs of the 2010s in the UK.

Her next single, "Glow", came out on 5 October 2014 and reached number seven in the UK. Ella's first album, Chapter One, was released on 13 October 2014. She wrote it with many talented people. The album reached number one in the UK and was one of the best-selling albums of 2014 and 2015. It also did well in other countries like Australia and the United States. Two more singles from the album, "Yours" and "Mirror Man", were released. "Yours" reached number 16 in the UK.

In 2015, Ella supported Take That on their UK tour. She also went on her own first tour in the UK. That year, she was featured on Sigma's song "Glitterball", which reached number four in the UK. She also worked with DJ Kygo on "Here for You", which was a hit around the world.

2016–2019: New Music and Record Labels

In November 2016, Ella announced she had finished recording her second album. She worked with Danny O'Donoghue from The Script and producer Max Martin. In 2017, she supported James Arthur on his tour. She also joined other artists, including fellow X Factor stars, to record a cover of "Bridge over Troubled Water". This song raised money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in London. It quickly became number one in the UK.

In February 2018, Ella and Syco Music decided to part ways. Later that year, she signed a new record deal with Asylum Records' label Major Toms, which is run by the British group Rudimental. She started working on new music with them. Ella later explained that she had written an album before, but she wasn't ready to release it. She felt she needed to understand herself better first.

On 13 September 2019, Ella released "Glorious". This was the first song from her EP (a mini-album) also called Glorious, which came out on 8 November. She also featured on Jax Jones' song "This Is Real" and Sigala's single "We Got Love". Both songs were popular in the UK.

2020–Present: Everything I Didn't Say and More Hits

In 2020, Ella collaborated with Dutch DJ Sam Feldt on "Hold Me Close". She then released her own single "Take Care of You", which reached number 50 in the UK. She also provided vocals for Nathan Dawe's top five song "Lighter". Later that year, she released "Dream On Me" with Roger Sanchez and a Christmas song "Blame It on the Mistletoe" with AJ Mitchell.

On 19 February 2021, her song "Let's Go Home Together" with Tom Grennan was released. It became Ella's fifth UK top 10 single. This song was originally planned as a duet with James Arthur. In August 2021, she released "Risk It All" and then "Hurricane" with French DJ duo Ofenbach.

On 7 January 2022, Ella released "Brave". This song was followed by her second album, Everything I Didn't Say, on 11 March 2022. "Brave" reached number 42 in the UK, and the album debuted at number eight. In April, she worked with David Guetta and Becky Hill on "Crazy What Love Can Do". This song was a top five hit in the UK and charted in many other countries. In April 2022, Nathan Dawe released another song with Ella called "21 Reasons", which reached number nine in the UK. She also featured on a version of Cian Ducrot's song "All for You" and "Heartstrings" with M-22.

In January 2023, Ella collaborated with Switch Disco on "React". This song became her eighth UK top-ten single, reaching number four. It uses a sample from Robert Miles' 1995 song "Children". She also featured on Frank Walker's "I Go Dancing". In March, she released "No Sleep" with Regard, and in April, "Like I Used To" with Sonny Fodera and Paul Woolford. In June, she released "0800 Heaven" with Nathan Dawe and Joel Corry, which reached number nine in the UK. In August, she featured on Glockenbach's single "Lifeline".

On 27 October 2023, Ella released her second Christmas song, "Rest of Our Days", with Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot.

Upcoming Third Album

In January 2024, Ella started hinting about a new song called "Alibi" on TikTok. On 10 January 2024, she announced that "Alibi" would be released on 12 January 2024 and would feature UK drum and bass band Rudimental. On 8 March 2024, she released "Mamma You Were Right". On 5 April 2024, Ella teamed up with Natasha Bedingfield for a remix of "Alibi". On 31 May 2024, she released "Under The Sun" with Switch Disco and Alok. On 17 September 2024, Ella announced "Filthy Rich" as the first single from her upcoming third album. The song was released on 4 October 2024. "One Door Closes", a collaboration with Breland, was released on 21 March 2025. On 8 May 2025, Ella released her third single "Me & You".

Personal Life

Ella Henderson has been in a relationship with English retired swimmer Jack Burnell since early 2020. They got engaged in January 2023.

Discography

• Chapter One (2014)
• Everything I Didn't Say (2022)

Tours

Henderson in 2015

Headlining Tours

• Chapter One Tour (2015)
• Everything I Didn't Say Tour (2022)

Supporting Tours

• Take That Live (2015; UK leg)
• Back from the Edge Tour (2017)
• Tales from the Script: Greatest Hits Tour (2022)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Ella Henderson para niños