Until last month, Ella Eyre had only been to The Brit Awards as part of the audience.

This year, the lion-maned 19-year-old was one of the highlights of the show.

Her performance of Waiting All Night – her chart-topping collaboration with Rudimental – mashed up with Bastille’s Pompeii went to number 21 in the charts the following weekend after it was released on iTunes.

She also picked up one of the big awards of the night after the song was voted Single Of The Year, and was a runner-up in the annual Critics’ Choice Award.

“It was absolutely mind-blowing and over-whelming,” she says from LA, on the final day of a series of record company meetings.

“I grew up watching the Brits. When I got to go with school [Eyre went to Croydon’s Brit School For Performing Arts And Technology] it was amazing. I saw [former Brit School pupils] Adele win an award and Jessie J take the Critics’ Choice that year.

“Going to the Brits and performing a song which then won an award... it doesn’t get much better.”

It was her collaboration with Rudimental that brought the singer to public attention as a featured vocalist on their Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut album Home.

But Eyre is keen to point out she had been writing songs for two years prior to that break.

“I’m so fortunate to have been part of Rudimental’s success. I was so lucky to share that moment with them,” she says.

“I would never detach myself from Rudimental – they were a big part of the start of my career. They are like family.

I would love to work with them again, maybe on album number two or three.

“I learned a couple of things from that collaboration but my work always had my own stamp on it. I knew where I wanted to go with my own sound.”

Touring with Rudimental

When she completed an international tour with the pair and fellow singer John Newman, she reworked some of the songs she had already written and penned more for her forthcoming debut album.

“I grew up a lot,” she says. “I’d travelled the world and seen a lot. When I came back, I suddenly had a whole new angle to come from. I must have written about half of the album coming off that tour.”

The album is currently in production.

“It’s more about the music than the vocals,” says Eyre, who has already released an EP Deeper, which showcased her more soulful side.

“I’m totally involved but I can’t use a computer to save my life. I’m a perfectionist. If the song doesn’t sound right, I will sit there until it does.”

She attributes her drive for perfection to her Jamaican mother, who taught the young Ella to swim by just chucking her in the water, according to Eyre. She went on to be a competitive swimmer but had to give up because her sensitive ears made her prone to ear infections.

“I quit swimming and got into drama,” says Eyre. “I got into singing because of musical theatre. It’s like a rollercoaster.”

The role that first saw her singing in front of an audience was Tallulah from Bugsy Malone. Her drama teacher saw her potential and encouraged her to audition for the Brit School.

“I didn’t want to do musical theatre,” says Eyre. “It didn’t allow me to be creative enough – I was singing words other people had written.”

With her album due out in the summer, Eyre is now looking towards her live show, which she admits is a different beast from her recorded output.

“I like to think a lion is my alter-ego on stage, with that fierceness and attitude,” she says. “The production is a lot harder hitting than on the recorded album.

“It’s a powerful rock god beast live show – it’s loud and in your face. When I hear the songs back in their recorded version, it feels very different. The best thing about the live show is not just reeling off the songs but presenting them in a different way.

“I have spent months in the studio writing down experiences and emotions – now I want people to connect with them and to have fun on stage.”

She is particularly looking forward to her Great Escape support slot in May with one of her all-time heroes. “I grew up listening to Kelis,” she says. “Millionaire is one of those songs I listen to when I’m getting ready to go out. Kelis has got such a great attitude. I’m flattered to be supporting her.”

Her debut album may be set for release soon, but Eyre is constantly noting down ideas for songs while she travels around. She sees her album as almost a diary of the last two years.

“I don’t feel detached after I’ve written them,” she says. “I can connect back to that feeling of when I was writing a song. In a couple of years I will be able to look back and still relate to them.

“I can’t wait to share the songs with people.”

  • Ella Eyre plays Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, Thursday, March 13. Doors 7pm, SOLD OUT. Call 01273 673311 for returns
  • Ella is supporting Kelis at The Great Escape on Saturday, May 10, at Brighton Dome Concert Hall. Tickets for non-Great Escape wristband holders cost £16.50/£15. Great Escape weekend tickets including guaranteed entry to the Kelis show cost £61.80/£56.50. Visit mamacolive.com/thegreatescape