Some things run in families – musical talent, creative drive, the ability to turn personal revelations into anthemic indie gold. For Halifax’s Ellur, all three come as naturally as breathing, though she’s quick to credit her upbringing for laying the groundwork for her rapidly ascending career.
“I’ve always wanted to be a musician,” she explains, speaking from the road en route to a sold-out London show. “I recently found some footage of me at about 4 years old putting on a ‘show’ for my parents and showing them all my ‘songs’. There was hair and makeup, costume changes, the lot.” She pauses. “It was not too dissimilar to an Ellur show now.”
That early theatrical flair has evolved into something altogether more substantial. With her ‘God Help Me Now’ EP landing this January, Ellur is crafting the kind of honest, expansive indie that feels both intimately personal and stadium-ready. It’s a sound that draws from the storytelling prowess of Sharon Van Etten and the anthemic sweep of Wolf Alice, while remaining distinctively her own.
The road to this point has been paved with some properly pinch-yourself moments. “Leeds and Reading Festival this year. Starting the release of my EP, and the response I’ve gotten to the songs so far. Selling out my first headline tour in May,” she lists off her recent highlights before landing on one particularly close to home. “Getting to support my dad’s band, Embrace, a handful of times. I always dreamed of that when I was a kid.”
Yes, that’s right – Ellur comes from proper indie royalty, though you’d never guess it from her grounded demeanor. “My family is incredibly musical and they’re all very talented writers,” she says. “My dad is one of the best writers I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
This summer saw her supporting none other than king primate Robbie Williams at BST Hyde Park, an experience she describes as “surreal.” But rather than being starstruck, she approached it with the workmanlike attitude of someone who’s grown up around the industry: “I always find support slots interesting because most people there watching don’t know who you are and you really have to sell it to them. Our set was so much fun, and the crowd were all dancing with the band and me by the end of the set.”
The upcoming EP’s title might suggest someone in need of divine intervention, but Ellur is quick to clarify: “Despite the defeated tone of the title, the four songs on this EP are a celebration of me finding myself. I’ve found out who I am by writing songs and I am so grateful for that.” She’s refreshingly candid about the journey there: “In truth, until I wrote this EP, I was feeling incredibly dejected and fed up with myself. I would always find myself looking up into the ether and asking for a sign that I was doing the right thing, asking who I was and what I should do.”
Working with co-writer Benjamin Francis Leftwich has helped her tap into an even deeper well of honesty. “It has been an honour and a privilege to write with Ben,” she says. “He has such a strong sense of melody and what an artist needs to write about. I wanted this EP and my first album to be really raw and vulnerable, and writing with him and Jack Leonard was really the start of me understanding how to tap into that honesty within myself.”
When she talks about her influences, it’s clear Ellur has her sights set on creating music that connects on the largest possible scale. “Their honesty and their ability to turn the innermost parts of themselves, all the tiny details of their lives, into such expansive tracks that connect with so many people,” she says. “That’s all I want to do with my music. Connect people and connect with people through storytelling. Big stage, big drums, big laughs and tears.”
2025 is already shaping up to be a landmark year, with SXSW on the horizon and an album in the works. “Among releasing my EP, finishing the recording of my album and then starting the campaign for it, I’m planning headline shows, and I’ve been booked for a few festivals in summer,” she enthuses. “We’re going to Texas in March, too, which is absolutely insane. I’m living the dream. A year of recording, releasing and playing as many live shows as I physically can?! I think I’ve ‘made it’!”
Between all this, you might find her immersed in Skyrim or working with her 70s knitting machine – “I live a fairly boring life outside of my career, and that’s just how I like it,” she admits. But there’s nothing boring about where her music is taking her. “I’m just really grateful for the places this EP has taken me so far. I feel I’m finally reaching my audience,” she reflects. “I’m grateful to everyone who’s backed me since the start; I just can’t wait to see where I am in another year’s time.”
With ambitions to support the likes of Sam Fender, The 1975, and even Coldplay (“God, I absolutely love Coldplay”), it’s clear Ellur’s trajectory is pointing firmly upward. That four-year-old putting on shows in her living room would surely be proud. ■
