Ella Hooper burst onto the Australian music scene in the late 90's as the technicolour teen front woman of Killing Heidi, a band who went on to explode the naughties, claiming pop rock dominion over the turn of the millenium. She scored her first number one single and released the fastest selling Australian album of all time in the year 2000. Ella was the first ever woman and youngest person to be awarded APRA’s Songwriter of the Year Award.
After spending her 'uni years' touring the world in a wildly successful rock band, she embarked on the first of a series of unexpected sidequests, putting the band on extended haitus and pivoting to media, hosting multiple TV and radio shows, including ABC's beloved music trivia show Spicks And Specks, making her more than just a pop singer in her native Aus.
2010 saw Hooper return to music under the moniker 'The Verses', showcasing her love of Americana and classic West Coast harmonies. Produced by music legend Mitchell Froome, it caught the ear of Fleetwood Mac and scored her the support slot on their 9 date Australian tour. Inspired by a conversation with Stevie Nicks, Ella made her first official solo record in 2013 - the darkly energetic 'In Tongues' and now has three full length solo releases to her name, traversing synth pop to dream folk and her most recent, exploring the Americana genre once again, Small Town Temple.
Written in her hometown of Violet Town Victoria, in a period where both of her beloved parents tragically passed away from cancer within two weeks of each other, Small Town Temple has been widely praised for its deeply personal songwriting and its unique 'Australiana' perspective. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Country chart, number 7 vinyl sales and was nominated for the prestigious Australian Music Prize. Firmly in her country era and carrying enough highs and lows to really do the genre justice, Ella is now collaborating with Grammy Award winning stalwarts like Jim Lauderdale, Steve Poltz and Melody Walker on the next record. Recorded in Nashville TN, it's set to be heavier on the twang, more immediate in tone, rich in stories from the past few years of chaos, but as always - full of heart and enthusiasm.
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