Ili (singer) facts for kids

Emily Middlemas (born September 26, 1998), known as Ili, is a singer and songwriter from Scotland. She uses her stage name, Ili, which is written in all lowercase letters.

In 2014, Emily tried out for The X Factor but did not make it to the live shows. She returned to the show two years later in 2016. This time, she did very well and finished in fourth place. After the show, in 2019, she started using the name Ili. She then released her first music collection, called an EP, titled Changes.

About Ili's Early Life

Emily Middlemas was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on September 26, 1998. She went to Woodfarm High School. When she was younger, Emily also auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent.

Since 2015, Emily has been in a relationship with another singer, Ryan Lawrie. They got engaged in June 2022.

Ili's Music Career

Emily started her music journey at age nine in a band called Loud N Proud. By the time she was thirteen, she began writing her own songs. In July 2014, Emily won TeenStar, a singing competition held in Birmingham.

First X Factor Audition

Later in 2014, she auditioned for the eleventh series of The X Factor. She made it to the "judges' houses" stage. However, she did not move forward to the live shows that year.

Returning to The X Factor

Emily returned to The X Factor in 2016 for its thirteenth series. She sang "Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder for her audition. She was placed in the "girls" category. Simon Cowell became her mentor.

Emily reached the live shows. She was the last singer left in Simon Cowell's team. She made it to the semi-final. There, she was in the bottom two against Matt Terry. Emily was the ninth contestant to be eliminated, finishing in fourth place.

After The X Factor

In 2017, Emily released her first single, "Lost and Found". After this, she went on her first tour across the United Kingdom. This tour was called The Memory Lane Tour and had 11 shows.

In March 2018, she released her second single, "Layla". This song was a special tribute to a young girl who passed away from a type of cancer called neuroblastoma. Later that year, she released two more singles: "Habit" and "Broken Record".

Becoming Ili

In August 2019, Emily Middlemas announced her new stage name, Ili. That same month, she released "A Little Bit" as her first single under this new name. In September 2019, "Changes" was released. This was the main song from her first EP, also called Changes. The full five-track EP Changes was released on November 1, 2019.

She continued to release new music. On May 8, 2020, she released the single "Breath". Two years later, Ili released "Time Goes By". In May 2023, she released the song "Tongue Tied". The magazine Notion said this song was "beginning to transcend Scotland’s borders". This means it was starting to become popular around the world. In 2025, Ili helped write the song "Voyage". This song was recorded by Zoë Më to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

Ili's Music Releases

Extended Plays

Singles