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Eliza Sophie Caird (born 15 April 1988), better known by her stage name Eliza (formerly Eliza Doolittle), is an English singer and songwriter from
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
, London. After performing her music in live venues around
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
from the age of 15, Eliza signed to
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
in 2008. Her debut album was released on 12 July 2010 and went Platinum in the UK. The album produced two UK top 40 hits: "
Skinny Genes "Skinny Genes" is a song performed by British recording artist Eliza Doolittle. The song serves as her debut single and first single from her debut album, ''Eliza Doolittle''. The track was co-written by Doolittle in collaboration with Tim Wood ...
" and " Pack Up", the latter of which peaked within the top five on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. In 2013, Eliza contributed writing and vocals to " You & Me" a single from British
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...
duo Disclosure's number one debut album ''
Settle Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * ''S ...
''. On 7 June 2013, she premiered a single called " Big When I Was Little", which was released in July 2013. It subsequently joined
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
's and Radio 2 playlist. It was later included on her second studio album, titled '' In Your Hands''.


Early life

Eliza was born in
Westminster, London Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buc ...
. She comes from a family with a successful and varied musical background. Her father is John Caird, a stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas who is also an honorary associate director of the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
. Her paternal grandfather
G. B. Caird George Bradford Caird (17 July 1917 – 21 April 1984), known as G. B. Caird, was an English theologian, biblical scholar and Congregational minister. At the time of his death he was Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture ...
, was the theologian and principal of
Mansfield College, Oxford Mansfield College, Oxford is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The college was founded in Birmingham in 1838 as a college for Nonconformist students. It moved to Oxford in 1886 and was renamed Man ...
. Her mother is musical theatre actress and model artist
Frances Ruffelle Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", ...
, who won a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...
for her role of Éponine in the English-language version of ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...
''. Eliza is the granddaughter of Sylvia Young, founder of the eponymous theatre school. She has a younger brother. Her parents divorced when she was four years old. Eliza grew up in
Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
and attended Channing School For Girls,
Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of con ...
, and Westminster Kingsway College. She was used to being around stages and seeing her mother singing and had always wanted to become a recording artist. She chose the stage name of Eliza Doolittle, the '' Pygmalion'' and ''
My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...
'' character, because it was her nickname as a child. Eliza had a brief career on stage playing Young
Cosette Cosette () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo and in the many adaptations of the story for stage, film, and television. Her birth name, Euphrasie, is only mentioned briefly. As the orphaned child of an u ...
in ''Les Misérables'' in London's West End in 1996–1997. Her parents had met and began their relationship during the original production when her father was the co-director and her mother played Eponine. Eliza went on to play the lead role in Lucy Simon's Tony Award-winning musical version of ''The Secret Garden'' in 2001, when The Royal Shakespeare Company premiered the show in London.


Musical career


Career beginnings

Before entering the charts, Eliza toured the UK with her band. Her first release was an EP featuring the tracks "Rollerblades", "Moneybox", "Police Car" and "Go Home", which came out on 29 November 2009. Tracks from the EP were remixed by Plastic Little ("Rollerblades"), Sam Young and
Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band The xx. He has been described ...
from
The xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), an ...
("Money Box"). The EP received radio plays from
Rob Da Bank Robert John Gorham (born 24 June 1973 in Portsmouth, Hampshire), known by the pseudonym Rob da Bank, is an English DJ and co-founder of music festivals Bestival, originally on the Isle of Wight and now moved to Lulworth, Dorset and Camp Bestiv ...
,
Nick Grimshaw Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw (born 14 August 1984), also known as Grimmy, is an English television and former radio presenter, podcaster and author. He became known for having hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1. He is also known as a t ...
, Fearne Cotton and
Jo Whiley Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known by her professional name Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running weekday later weekend '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1. She curre ...
. She recorded a song called 'Running For Life' which featured on the soundtrack of the cult British film ''
Adulthood An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majo ...
'' in 2008. Later that year, she performed at
Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...
on the Pussy Parlour stage, her first festival performance.


2010–2013: ''Eliza Doolittle''

In early 2010, she took part in musician
Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...
's charity single " I Put a Spell on You", in aid of the
2010 Haiti earthquake A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's ca ...
. Her debut single "
Skinny Genes "Skinny Genes" is a song performed by British recording artist Eliza Doolittle. The song serves as her debut single and first single from her debut album, ''Eliza Doolittle''. The track was co-written by Doolittle in collaboration with Tim Wood ...
" was released on 12 April 2010, reaching No. 22 in the UK Singles Chart. She told BBC's
Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Academ ...
the song is "a funny scenario if you didn't like someone, if they were really annoying, but you had a good time under the sheets." Eliza's second release " Pack Up" was released on 5 July 2010, reaching No. 5 on the Official UK Singles Chart on 11 July 2010. In March 2011, she performed at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
festival in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
as well at Coachella in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. In April 2011, Eliza was touring the UK. On 19 April 2011, Eliza's self-titled album was released in the United States almost one year from the UK date. In 2013, Eliza collaborated with Disclosure on the track " You & Me" from their debut album, ''
Settle Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * ''S ...
''. Early that year, she began recording new material for her second album. In an interview with ''
Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
'' magazine in April 2013, she stated "I'm definitely showing more of myself than I ever have before. I feel like on my last album, I hadn't experienced very much of anything really, and it's been three years or more since then and I have felt and seen things I hadn't before, and I know things I didn't know before. In a way I have answers to questions, but then those answers open up a thousand other questions. I guess I've gone through things that so many people go through at the age I am. I've written almost every day about my every thought and emotion and the album is made up of the songs that mean the most to me".


2013–2016: ''In Your Hands''

On 7 June 2013, she premiered a new single called " Big When I Was Little", which was released in July 2013. It subsequently joined
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
's playlist, and features on her second studio album. On 17 June 2013 the video for the single premiered on her YouTube channel. Eliza and UK garage artist Wookie wrote a song called "The Hype" in 2013. Wookie contributed a remix to her album ''In Your Hands'' for her track "Walking on Water". She featured on "YNSP", a track from hip hop artist
Vic Mensa Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...
's ''
Innanetape ''Innanetape'' (stylized as ''INNANETAPE'') is the debut mixtape by American rapper Vic Mensa. It was released on September 30, 2013, as a free digital download. The mixtape features guest appearances from Chance the Rapper, Ab-Soul, Rockie Fres ...
'' mixtape produced by DJ Dahi. She had a cameo role as a
nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...
in '' The Great Train Robbery'', a drama series on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
in December 2013. In 2014, Eliza was invited by
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...
to sing with him at
Henley Festival The Henley Festival of Music and the Arts is held, at Henley on Thames, each July, on the Berkshire bank of the River Thames, at the same spot and using adapted facilities from the Henley Royal Regatta, which is held the week before. The main s ...
in the Summer of 2014.


2016–: Re-brand, ''A Real Romantic'', and ''A Sky Without Stars''

In 2017 she re-branded her name from Eliza Doolittle to Eliza, and changed her sound. On 12 December 2018, her album ''A Real Romantic'' was released. In 2022, Eliza released a couple of new singles, "Straight Talker" and "Heat of the Moon" after signing to IASs Log Off/Different Recordings, and a new album, ''A Sky Without Stars'', was announced.


Discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Singles


As lead artist


Promotional singles


As featured artist


Music videos


Tour

Doolittle toured as the opening act for Paloma Faith's Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful Tour and Gary Barlow's Since I Saw You Last Tour in 2014.


Filmography


References


Footnotes


Sources


External links


Eliza Lovechild
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doolittle, Eliza 1988 births Living people Parlophone artists Singers from London People from Westminster People educated at Bedales School English soul singers English women pop singers English people of Canadian descent 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers British indie pop musicians