Ellis was born in 1979 in Haughley, a small village near Stowmarket, Suffolk, where she grew up with her older brother Andrew. Ellis attended Stowmarket High School and in 1995, she joined the team of Starmakers at the age of 16, with which she was involved until 1997. In 1996 and 1997, as a member of Starmakers, Ellis performed musical numbers such as "Memory" from Cats and "Sun and Moon" from Miss Saigon.Following this, Ellis returned to formal stage training at Laine Theatre Arts.
In 1999 Ellis sang on a recording for Children in Need and did a jingle for Capital Radio. In 2004 she worked with Queen lead guitarist Brian May to record an orchestral version of the song "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", originally a Queen song and featured in the musical We Will Rock You.[7]
In 2000, Kerry became a member of the My Fair Lady cast and became second understudy to Martine McCutcheon for the lead role of Eliza Dolittle, which she got to play on five occasions. During 2000 Ellis also understudied Marti Webb in Magic Of The Musicals.
In 2002, Ellis originated the role of Meat in We Will Rock You, and played this role for two years, making appearances for performances such as "Party in the Park", "Party in the Palace" and Parkinson. Ellis left the cast of We Will Rock You on 17 April 2004 and went on to play Ellen in Cameron Mackintosh's UK tour of Miss Saigon. On 7 June 2005 she joined the cast of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre, portraying the character Fantine.
In 2006, Ellis joined the cast of West End's new production of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, as the temporary standby for Idina Menzel, who originated the lead role. She took the role of Elphaba over full-time after Menzel's pre-planned departure on 30 December 2006. Effectively, Ellis is the first British actress to play the role of Elphaba. For this role, Ellis won "Best Takeover in a Role" at the 2008 Theatregoer's Choice Awards.
On 7 June 2008 Ellis temporarily departed the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where she was succeeded by Alexia Khadime. She transferred to the Broadway production of Wicked with performances starting from 17 June 2008. Ellis replaced actress Stephanie J. Block on Broadway, making her the first Elphaba to transfer from the West End to Broadway. For her run in the Broadway production Ellis won the Broadway.com Audience Award for "Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Female)". Ellis left the Broadway Company on 9 November 2008 and she was replaced by Marcie Dodd.
Ellis returned to the West End production on 1 December 2008 and completed her time with Wicked on 9 May 2009, when Alexia Khadime returned.
On 12 May and 13 2008, Ellis performed alongside Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal and Josh Groban in a special performance of Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ellis performed her rock version of "Defying Gravity" at the Royal Variety Performance 2008 on 11 December at the London Palladium in the presence of senior members of the Royal family.
Ellis recently worked with Steve Sidwell to produce new recordings of the Wicked songs "I'm Not That Girl" and "No Good Deed". It was expected that a teaser CD of her forthcoming debut album, produced by Brian May in the time since Ellis left We Will Rock You and featuring drum tracks by Taylor Hawkins, would become available in June before she left for Broadway.
The teaser CD was released on 7 July 2008 as Wicked In Rock and features rock versions of Wicked songs "I'm Not That Girl", "Defying Gravity" and a remastered version of her We Will Rock You song, "No One But You". The CD is on sale in London musical shop, Dress Circle, at the Gershwin Theatre and is available on the British iTunes. A limited edition 12" vinyl has also been released to purchase from Dress Circle.
During her time performing as Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, Ellis recorded a song for Scott Alan entitled "Behind these Walls". This song is featured on his album Keys.
In January 2009, Ellis sang with Mazz Murray and Peter Johansson in the Champions of Rock concert at De Geerhallen in Norrköping, Sweden.
In March 2009, Ellis and other West End actors recorded songs for a musical treatment of Terry Pratchett's Only You Can Save Mankind.
On 15th and 16th May 2009, Ellis performed with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra alongside Mazz Murray, MiG Ayesa and Ricardo Afonso at the Symphonic Queen Spectacular at the Bournemouth International Centre's Windsor Hall. She is set to perform similar concerts in Weybridge on 1st August and Romsey on 15th August 2009 plus possibly others around the country from July through to September.
During June 2009 Ellis performed 4 shows called "The Great British Songbook" at the Shaw Theatre.
Ellis performed with John Barrowman at the Henley Festival on 10 July 2009.
Kerry appeared in OK! magazine on 23rd June alongside Patina Miller talking about "The Great British Songbook" and her time in Wicked.
On June 20, 21, 25 and 26 June 2009, Kerry performed her first solo concerts at The Shaw Theatre, Euston Road, London. The Great British Songbook celebrated the work of many of our leading contemporary composers and lyricists, including Queen, Coldplay, The Feeling and Goldfrapp. The series was devised by Neil Marcus and the Arranger and Musical Director was Steve Sidwell.
Ellis has also done the workshops for Way Beyond Blue, written by Imogen Stubbs and directed by Trevor Nunn and the title role in Helen of Troy, directed by Gary Griffin.
Gimme Love
Kerry Ellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order′s tall
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I′ll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines
Come on skinny love, what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted
And then who the hell was I?
And I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?
Come on skinny love
My my my my my my my my
The opening lyrics of Kerry Ellis's song "Gimme Love" is a direct reference to the song "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver. The singer is asking for love from her partner to last for one year, while also admitting they were never there in the first place. She then goes on to describe the current state of their relationship as being on the brink of destruction, as she stares at the sink full of blood and broken pieces. She asks for her partner to "wreck it all", relating to the idea of starting anew by cutting all ties and being free to fall.
The chorus of the song serves as a reminder to her partner of the advice she had given them in the past. She had told them to be patient, fine, balanced, and kind, but as the chorus progresses, it's clear that the relationship has not lived up to those expectations. The singer ends up owning all the tickets, representing the power dynamic in the relationship, while her partner owns all the fines, which could represent the emotional baggage and the consequences of their actions.
In the second verse, the singer and her partner are questioning what happened to their love. They are no longer in a place where they can hold onto hope or sustain the passion in the relationship. The singer reminds her partner that she had warned them about this outcome and expresses her frustration at how their love was wasted. The chorus then repeats, emphasizing the message of being patient, fine, balanced, and kind, before the final lines of "who will love you? Who will fight? Who will fall far behind?" puts the relationship's fate into question.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on skinny love just last the year
Don't let our love be a fleeting thing that fades quickly. Let it last for at least a year.
Pour a little salt we were never here
Let's forget about the past and pretend like our love never existed.
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
The repetition of 'my' portrays the singer's emotional state and emphasizes the personal nature of the lyrics.
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
Feeling broken and defeated, the singer is staring at a sink filled with blood and shattered things.
I tell my love to wreck it all
The singer is willing to let their destructive love destroy everything else in their life.
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
The singer wants to completely let go and fall into their love, free of any restraints.
Right in the moment this order's tall
At this moment, everything seems difficult and the obstacles seem insurmountable.
And I told you to be patient
The singer is reminding their partner that love takes time and requires patience to grow.
And I told you to be fine
The singer is asking their partner to maintain a sense of emotional stability and not let their love consume them completely.
And I told you to be balanced
The singer wants their partner to find a healthy balance between their love and the other aspects of their life.
And I told you to be kind
The singer is reminding their partner to be compassionate and understanding in their relationship.
And in the morning I'll be with you
The singer is promising their partner that they will be there for them in the future.
But it will be a different kind
However, their relationship will be altered and different than what it currently is.
And I'll be holding all the tickets
The singer will hold power and control over the relationship.
And you'll be owning all the fines
The partner will face the consequences of their actions in the relationship.
Come on skinny love, what happened here?
The singer is questioning the state of their love and how it fell apart.
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
The singer is struggling to find hope and is clinging onto the small amount that is left.
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
The weight of the relationship is heavy and the singer feels like it's slowly tearing them apart.
And now all your love is wasted
The singer feels like their partner has wasted their love on them.
And then who the hell was I?
The singer is questioning their identity and worth in the relationship.
And I'm breaking at the britches
The singer is barely holding on and is close to falling apart emotionally.
And at the end of all your lines
The singer will reach the end of their partner's patience and love.
Who will love you?
The singer is questioning who will love their partner when their relationship inevitably ends.
Who will fight?
The singer is questioning who will fight for their partner when they need it most.
Who will fall far behind?
The singer is questioning who will be left behind and forgotten when the relationship ends.
Come on skinny love
The singer is pleading with their partner to hold onto their love and not let it slip away.
My my my my my my my my
The repetition of 'my' continues to emphasize the personal nature of the lyrics.
Writer(s): Gosling Jake Nathan, Leonard Christopher William, Sheeran Edward Christopher
Contributed by Isabella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.