Kerry Ellis loves to push herself. She shot to fame playing Elphaba in Wicked, both in the West End and on Broadway, and currently has a new album out. Now, as Andrew Clarke discovers, she is realising some long-held creative ambitions
Suffolk-born West End and Broadway star Kerry Ellis loves a challenge. She loves to, as she describes it, ‘keep moving’ and keep things fresh – which is why with the release of her new album Kings and Queens, she has opted to work with an entirely new band and creative team, albeit with one particular famous friend making a cameo appearance on her new single.
The album was largely recorded in May/June last year, but her extended run in Cole Porter’s classic musical Anything Goes overlapped the end of the recording process, preventing her from putting the finishing touches to it. 'We were going to release it at the end of Anything Goes in September, but I thought it was crazy to rush it because, to me, it was much more of a spring/summer album rather than an autumn/winter one, so I persuaded them to wait.
'It's also allowed me to prepare a series of three shows to launch the album and to reconnect with it – because it seems that we did it quite a while ago - and I’m excited to finally be able to share it with people.
'The first single is going to be a song called Battlefield, which features a particularly good friend of mine who plays the odd bit of guitar (Sir Brian May), so I managed to rope him in. But much of the creative team for this album is new to me, and it’s great to be working with new people because they come at things from a different angle and it forces you to approach your music slightly differently.'
Recorded in London during the early summer last year, Kings and Queens is produced by the award-winning Mike Stevens, who had previously worked with Annie Lennox, ELO, James Morrison and Take That. It sees Kerry not only collaborate with some of music industry’s most esteemed singer-songwriters, in the form of Newton Faulkner and Jamie Lawson, but it is also the first album where she felt confident enough to try her hand at songwriting.
'This has been the biggest challenge for me. I am not a natural songwriter. My strength is interpreting existing songs. I am actress, I work in musical theatre – that’s what I do. That’s where I feel comfortable. So, having the courage to write some of my own songs, to put myself out there with other great songwriters, has been a huge hill to climb, but something I wanted to do because I wanted to push myself and see if I could do it, and I am happy I did.'
The sound of the new album is also something different for Kerry. It has a more Americana feel than her previous releases which were a mix of pop, theatre and rock. 'This album is a more grown-up album. It’s a reflection of me as I am now. Where I am in my life and the sort of album I would listen to when I am driving in the car. I feel the songs have a lived in quality, they are weighty, and have something to say about our world and how we live our lives.'
The album kicks off with the title track which celebrates both the upcoming coronation of King Charles III and her two decade friendship with Sir Brian May, the co-founder and guitarist with Queen. The pair first met when she was cast as Meat in We Will Rock You in 2002 after Brian had seen her play Eliza Doolittle opposite Jonathan Pryce in Sir Trevor Nunn’s production of My Fair Lady at The National Theatre.
Kings and Queens provides a rousing start to the album showcasing Kerry’s formidable range and vocal talents in this barn-storming, anthemic rock number. Kerry credits producer Mike Stevens with giving her the confidence to explore different sides of her musical personality. 'He was great. We clicked straight away. He really got what I was trying to achieve with this album. He had such a positive ‘can do’ attitude and was great to be around – besides he had a whole host of stories about working with Annie Lennox and Gary Barlow. I really enjoyed working with him and he wasn’t afraid to push me to enable me to get to that place where I said I wanted to be.'
Despite the chaotic scheduling clash with the Anything Goes rehearsals, she says the recording of the album was quite simple because they had done much of the prep work. She is thrilled how it has turned out. 'I love the sound of it. It sounds both quite modern and timeless. When you hear it, you’ll know what I mean.'
Highlights of the album include the first single Battlefield, which was written for Kerry by Charlie Turner, and explores the nature of the world as it exists today. Another favourite is Mean The World To Me which was written by Kerry along with pop icon Ben Adams. It was inspired by the recent Lady Gaga musical A Star Is Born, which made a huge impression on Kerry when she saw it.
'I am a huge Lady Gaga fan and have covered her songs Paparazzi and Edge of Glory in my solo concerts. When I saw this film, it really affected me in the way it showed how show business can become all-consuming and how it can affect your personal life.
'I love that this record tells a series of stories, offers some light and shade and will connect with people. Hopefully it will remind them of a time and a place where they first heard it. Music is the soundtrack to people’s lives.'
Kerry also treasured the opportunity to record a duet with Newton Faulkner, and was delighted with the sound of their vocals blending in perfect harmony while, at the same time, the music added to the album’s contemporary Americana vibe.
Further original songs include I Will Find You, written by Jamie Lawson, lively country-Americana numbers Big Wide World and Lemonade, as well as emotion-charged tracks The Only One, My All, and concert favourite Home Again.
'We planned the album so the listener went on a bit of a journey. It wasn’t just 12 songs of the same style. We listened to an awful lot of songs and submissions when we were at the planning stage and as we started recording we add others that we liked or felt that they added a new element to the story, so it grew organically as we put the album together.'
Kerry also took the opportunity to cover and some of her favourite songs by other artists. These include Fire & Rain by James Taylor, a reimagined version of Carrie Underwood’s Love Wins and a surprise appearance of Tina Turner’s seldom heard Be Tender With Me Baby, which Kerry completely reinvents to give it a new lease of life.
This creative approach to cover versions was partially inspired by her love of contemporary pop artist Pink. Kerry explains that Pink’s recent singles Cover Me in Sunshine and Never Gonna Not Dance Again were constantly on her playlist while she was working on the new album and inspired her to want to do something different with the covers, to personalise them. 'Pink has always been a great inspiration to me because she is who she is and doesn’t apologise for it. She’s a hard-worker, is always out there, doing her stuff, while also being a great mum. She makes remarkable music, it’s her music and she’s a real icon to me. That’s why I wanted to put my stamp on those cover songs.'
This latest album is just the latest step on a musical journey that started at Stowmarket High School before moving onto the Wolsey Theatre youth group, onto Pontins Holiday Camp in Pakefield and eventually to formal training at Laine Theatre Arts.
An early break came when Kerry was cast as Martine McCutcheon’s understudy in My Fair Lady, but it was her role in We Will Rock You and her killer performance of Brian May’s tribute to Freddie Mercury, No-One But You, that catapulted her to West End stardom.
Shortly after finishing We Will Rock You she was cast as the first British Elphaba in Wicked, the new West End sensation, a role she took to Broadway and then reprised in 2014. Following her first stint in Wicked she played Nancy opposite Griff Rhys Jones and Russ Abbott in Cameron Macintosh’s revival of Oliver at Drury Lane, as well as starring in the world premiere of a new musical Murder Ballad at The Arts Theatre, and co-starring opposite Jason Donovan in a stadium tour of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds.
She balances this with looking after husband James and her two boys, Alfie and Freddie, along with maintaining a concert career both as a solo artist and as a partner alongside Brian May, playing gigs across Europe, with plenty of appearances in Suffolk. Ever mindful of needing to push herself, she recently strayed from the world of musicals to play Cecily in a revival of The Importance of Being Earnest and this summer is nervously looking forward to playing her first Shakespeare outside drama school when she takes on the role of Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
'I'm excited... but I’m also terrified because it’s like another language. I am looking at the script now and I’m not doing it until the summer, but I want to get really familiar with it before we start rehearsals so I know what I am doing.
'I’m really doing my homework on this and I’ve ordered a ton of books on Shakespeare and on The Dream, so I really know what’s going on. I'm really enjoying getting to be immersed in that world. It’s funny how life changes. When I was at school I didn’t like Shakespeare at all. I didn’t understand it, wasn’t interested in it, and now I'm hanging on every single word. I love it. My younger self would be disgusted with me.'
Kerry says there’s a possibility of an autumn tour to promote the album on a wider scale, but the launch of the album and the summer production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre is currently claiming all her attention.
'We’ll see what the future holds. Things change so quickly, it’s difficult to predict what will be happening, but I would love to tour my new music if possible. It’s very bright and upbeat, and will be perfect for a concert setting.'
Kings & Queens is released on May 12.
