Rising indie singer-songwriter Ella McNamara, known by her stage name Ellur, released her latest single ‘The Wheel’ on Tuesday. Hailing from Halifax, West Yorkshire, the track marks a vibrant shift in tone following her July release ‘Missing Kid’ and her God Help Me Now EP, which dropped earlier this year in January.
Described by Ella as “fun, silly, and outrageous,” The Wheel is a feel-good anthem about finding happiness while navigating anxiety and depression. The track dives into themes of mental health and self-discovery with her signature honesty and openness.
Having previously produced more sombre songs such as ‘God Help Me Now’, ‘Your Dog’, and ‘Yellow Light’, Ella set out to write something more uplifting—without losing the raw emotional honesty that defines her music.
“It’s about how I woke up one day and thought, I need to try snap out this.
Ella
“The song’s inspired by me pretending that I have this undeterrable spirit of happiness within me and that nobody can get me down. My reality is very different from that, but I think happiness spreads so quickly. A simple smile at a stranger can go a long way and I wanted this song to have the same effect.
“I want my listeners to know that you don’t need to let your demons get you down. Pass on that undeterrable happiness to someone else. Even if it’s just for the 3 minutes and 7 seconds that you’re listening to it.”
The song was co-written with Jack Cochrane and Scotty Anderson in Edinburgh, in a studio originally built for singer Calvin Harris.
“I woke up the morning we wrote it and was feeling super low. When I got to the studio, Jack and Scotty were playing with a fun chord progression and I just started singing about how I wanted to feel. It didn’t take long to write at all.
Ella
“There were specific moments that sparked the idea for the song. I’d kept singing ‘keep spinning The Wheel’ over and over and tried to make sense of what it meant to me. I think it’s a bit like ‘keep calm and carry on’. Hopefully the lyrics will make it onto the back of a bathroom door one day. My fingers are crossed.
“When I write with friends we spend the whole day laughing about how outrageous it is that we get to call this great creative feat our career and I feel very grateful”.
Ella’s approach to music-making often starts with melody, though lyrics sometimes inspire the tune. She tends to writes late at night in her bedroom or in collaboration with friends.
Her favourite part of recording ‘The Wheel’ was spending time with producer Joel Johnson and experimenting with the unconventional sounds of percussive frogs, coat zips, knee pats, and banjos to create a fun energy that radiates throughout the track.
After completing ‘The Wheel’, Ella reflected on her journey as a writer, emphasising that becoming a world-famous pop star isn’t her ultimate goal, and what matters most is creating music and finding joy in the process.
She also acknowledged how her wide-ranging influences have shaped her distinctive sound. Artists such as Coldplay, The 1975, Adrienne Lenker, Sam Fender, The War on Drugs, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Dora Jar, Big Thief, Sharon Van Etten, and CMAT have all left their mark on her music.
“I’ve definitely evolved as a writer since I started releasing music. My sounds evolved from a more pop-based sound to sounding much more like my influences in alterative indie-rock. It’s ever changing with me as I grow because my taste changes every day. It’s nice to have a documented personal journey.
Ella
“I’m very excited for my upcoming tour. I just love the fact that I get to be in a room full of people who all understand the same things, even in just a small way. That’s my favourite thing about music and pursuing a career in it – connecting with people in real life. I’m proud of myself for no longer perusing this career for validation, but for the sheer joy of it.
“Now the tap is on and I’m not turning it off!”
The singer hopes that this time next year she is given the opportunity to record more music, see new places, and connect with more fans.
Fans can catch Ellur and her band live this Autumn, as she brings the infectious energy of ‘The Wheel’ to cities across the UK, starting in Manchester on 30th September and concluding in Leeds on 10th October.
