About Ellie James…

Ellie James (AKA Ellie Makes Music), a 19 year old singer-songwriter based in Cardiff, has made a name for herself as a ‘hometown hero’, silencing audiences with a voice stronger than her stature and lyrics of brutal honesty.

Photography by Geraint Duckfield, 2012

She made her musical debut in 2009 as part of Swn Festival and has since then gone on to support many artists, including Lucy Rose, Paper Aeroplanes, Jose Vanders & Luke Leighfield, Sue Denim and Ellen & The Escapades. Ellie plays consistently around Cardiff, be it in popular local venues or as part of local events and festivals, as well as sessions on local radio stations such as Radio Cardiff and Tequila Radio.

In 2012, Ellie won The Stage for Singer-Songwriters competition as part of the Cardiff Music Festival, organised by David Mahoney (Only Men Aloud) and Lucie Jones (X Factor finalist), and consequently has become a name to watch in 2013, as noted in The Western Mail and the South Wales Echo.

Influenced by Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor among others, Ellie is now recording her debut EP at Acapela Studios, to be released on the Kissan Label, March 2013.

“…her voice shares a similar warmth and beauty as her heroines.” – Dave Owens, The South Wales Echo.

“Actually, Ellie makes great music … incredibly well-conceived, well-judged songs, displaying all the musical, emotional and intellectual depth of a songstress in clear command of her craft.” – The Miniature Music Press, 2012. 

“Armed with her rich voice and enticing acoustic arrangements, local favourite Ellie Makes Music impressed with a maturity far beyond her years and an undeniably large talent. Her continual development as a performer and lyricist is testament to her tireless gigging in the past year and, while at her best when her vocal delivery was at its most delicate, expertly balanced the upbeat with the reflective. Influences from the Mitchells and Marlings are evident, they are by no means defining here; this is a young woman with stories to share and ample musical means to tell them.” – Tom Bevan, The Miniature Music Press 2013.