About a beautiful musical evening with mesmerizing moments.
It was November 2025 when I saw that Ella Eyre announced a live performance in Union Chapel, a small venue in London. Since her music has always been in my playlists, I immediately decided I wanted to be there. However, I was afraid it would be sold out in no time. So half an hour before tickets first went on sale, I opened Ticketmaster on my laptop and hoped for the best. I expected a violent ticket war, which seems to be the new normal these days, but in the end I secured my tickets easily within a couple of minutes, something I also wrote about in this previous post.
Now that the concert took place, I have even more questions about why it took some months to sell out. Ella’s voice is one of a kind. It’s incredibly powerful while also being authentic. She sounds exactly the same live as she does on her recordings, or maybe even better. From the very first note until the very last echoed through Union Chapel, it all seemed so effortless. And being able to experience this from the fourth row, made it extra special.
Ella started the evening with Everything, In Time, the title song of her newest album, after entering the stage confidently. She didn’t look disturbed or disappointed by the small venue at all. This kind of intimate performance seemed to be exactly the kind she craved for – and the choice is all hers now that she’s an independent artist. So yes, everything in time.
Some might have expected her to fill the evening with hits from around 2016, when she was everywhere with Comeback, Good Times, Deeper, Together, Just Got Paid and so many more.
Ella’s voice is one of a kind. It’s incredibly powerful while also being authentic.
And yes, she did sing some of them, like Waiting All Night and a stripped down version of Came Here for Love, even taking it back to the very beginning with If I Go and We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off. About the latter she told the audience that the new generation thinks the song is originally hers because of TikTok and jonkingly said: “I’m not going to correct them.” In any case, she’s right: I know the song from her, while my mum – who went to the concert with me – knew it as Jermaine Stewart’s.
But she mostly sang songs of her newest album: Loverman, Space, Red flags & love hearts, Domino szn… I realised you can feel it when an artist actually sings the songs she wants to instead of only the somewhat older hits the audience might expect. For a lot of songs, Ella told the audience some background stories, which made it feel very personal. She joked about how the fun stage of a relationship – which she also sings about – doesn’t last long, dedicated a song to whoever is going though a break-up, but also told the very first vocal of her new album was actually the first note she sang after her vocal cord surgery. She wanted to keep it on there as a reminder, and proudly said that her voice is now even stronger than before.
It also felt like an evening where emotions were not only allowed, but celebrated. Multiple songs were met with a long applause and cheering from the crowd, which made the singer visibly thankful and moved. One of the most beautiful moments was the performance of Rain in heaven with Poppy Ajudha, who opened for Ella. I hadn’t heard of Poppy before but her voice immediately made an impression. During her opening act she also was a bit emotional and said her heart was pounding more than she expected. I appreciated the fact that nerves or excitement weren’t hidden, but shared openly – both by Ella and Poppy. Ella already mentioned Poppy once during her own performance and then also shared the stage with her for one of the softest songs of her album. The fact that she included Poppy, not hesitating to share the spotlight, made her even more likeable.
Multiple songs were met with a long applause and cheering from the crowd, which made the singer visibly thankful and moved.
My personal favourite moment might have been when Ella sang Little Things. Yet, apparently she almost didn’t put it on the setlist. It was her band who encouraged her. I’m definitely with the band on this one! Speaking of the musicians and background singers she brought: the love between everyone on stage was very tangible. I was also pleasantly surprised she brought a full live band. For such a small venue – and even small stage – other artists might not make that choice. But lots of those musicians have been with her for years, and I think this is part of what creates the magic on stage.
On multiple occasions the crowd went completely silent, but most of all during Even If. I was completely mesmerized during that song and it felt so intimate I didn’t even think of filming that moment. Being in a church, with dimmed lights and stained-glass windows, and Ella’s voice claiming the entire space, it all felt incredibly touching. She said that she hadn’t been able to perform this song without breaking into tears, until this evening.
Lots of those musicians have been with her for years, and I think this is part of what creates the magic on stage.
Ella ended on a high with Hell Yeah, where she completely owned the stage for one last time. This was a constant, by the way. She didn’t hesitate to look at everybody while effortlessly playing with the cameras – both of her team and in the audience. This last song was also the moment everybody stood up. ‘Finally’, she must have thought, because she said multiple times before we could, in fact, stand up. Being in a church, sitting on wooden benches with little space in front of everyone, the crowd didn’t listen to that request. After all, nobody wanted to be ‘that person’ who obligated everyone else to stand up, which I’m grateful for. I walked 30 km during my London trip, so let’s say my legs were happy I didn’t have to stand up the entire time. 😉
Maybe having her encourage us to stand up and mentioning she used to be in the dance scene was the only time we were reminded of the fact that she was playing a venue that felt way too small for an artist of her calibre. Because her performance certainly made us forget we found ourselves in an atypical location for a concert. After all, we just felt part of Ella’s world for an evening and forgot about everything else, which is exactly how it’s supposed to be.
Written by Nikita
Nikita – founder of Nikita’s World – is a Belgian author of feminist feelgood & a journalist specialized in pop culture and the creative industry.