A bona fide dance music survivor, Katherine Ellis’s voice has been featured on dozens of hit tunes from acts including Roger Sanchez, Ruff Driverz, Bimbo Jones, Soul Avengerz and Freemasons – with whom she performs at Podium Lounge on Friday (November 27). Here the singer talks us through five key moments in her 30-year-career.
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Ellis never wanted to be a dance-music vocalist. She started off in a rock band with Paul Inder – son of Motörhead frontman Lemmy – called Zen Barbie.
“Me and Paul spent five years working on a project together. We had quite a big record deal, but for one reason or another it didn’t work out. While I was working hard on this album, I was also doing sessions on the side, mainly dance music, which I liked but it hadn’t occurred to me to do it as a career.
“It was always an accident. Basically, a session I was doing became a hit. When I got my first royalty cheque, I was quite surprised.”
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That session was for Brit dance duo Ruff Driverz, and yielded hits Deeper Love and Don’t Stop. She was then called back to co-write an even bigger hit, Dreaming (credited as Arrola). “I had some hits as a singer and then, all of a sudden, I was a hit-writer as well. Dreaming came out 15 years ago and just keeps going. It was number one in Spain and is now regarded as a classic. We’re going to re-release it next year – a revamp for 2016.”
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In a recent twist, Ellis sang an operatic vocal on the Oscar-winning theme song for the movie Gravity.
“There’s a ridiculously high note at the end which I sing in full voice, which not many people can actually do. I said to the composer, Steven Price: ‘I don’t know if I’m able to hit this note.’ He said: ‘I don’t know if anyone can.’ I got it in three takes. I was shaking, and felt quite sick afterwards, but I managed to do it.”
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Ellis has sung backing vocals for stars including Belinda Carlisle, Chaka Khan and Boy George.
“I wasn’t intimated by anyone I worked for. Belinda Carlisle was really lovely. We shared her dressing room for the whole tour – she was great fun and told us some very funny stories.”
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She turned 50 in June.
“In dance music, particularly in vocal house, great voices are revered. If someone’s looking for a singer who’s 20 and nine stone [57kg], then I’m not it. But if someone wants a fantastic voice and a great songwriter that can add weight to their product, then ...”
