Ella Red – It’s Not Real

At just 22, alt-pop singer-songwriter Ella Red is redefining what it means to tell stories through pop music. Today, she announces her debut album, IT’S NOT REAL, out January 23, alongside the release of its bold new single, “He Asked For It.”

“He Asked For It” flips a cultural script that has too often excused harmful behavior at the expense of women.

In Ella’s own words:

“This song is full of the same excuses problematic men have always made—‘it was what she was wearing,’ ‘I saw it in her body language,’ ‘she shouldn’t have been out so late.’ All I did was flip the script, He Asked For It.”

IT’S NOT REAL captures the cyclical nature of beginnings and endings, weaving songs written as far back as Ella’s teenage years into a larger existential exploration.

Ella reflects, “There’s always been something all-consuming to me about humanity—our existence, the beauty and the mistakes. It’s eaten at me since I was a child and continued until it was almost unbearable in my late teens and even now. I wanted my music to feel as all-consuming as these episodes, and I feel like with IT’S NOT REAL, I’m telling more than my own story—I’m telling a part of humanity’s.”

Ella has already previewed the album with the release of “Ball and Chain” and “Parasite,” two striking singles that showcase the depth and range of her songwriting ahead of the full project.

Raised on piano, guitar, and cello, Ella Red has long embraced both curiosity and experimentation in her craft. With influences ranging from Lady Gaga to Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, her music sits at the intersection of vulnerability and ferocity. Her debut LP is at once intimate and expansive. Live, her songs have already struck a chord with audiences, particularly women who see their own experiences reflected in her lyrics.

With IT’S NOT REAL, Ella cements herself as fearless, unflinching, and unafraid to blur the line between diary entry and myth.

#ellared