Yahoo News Ella Henderson 'tortured herself too much' deciding to leave Simon Cowell's label
Ella Henderson says she 'tortured herself too much' when making the decision to part ways with Simon Cowell's record label.
The singer was given a deal with Syco after being a finalist in the 2012 series of X Factor, where she released her first album, which included the hit 'Ghost'.
They mutually parted ways, she told Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time, after six years when she was struggling to write a follow up to her hit debut album Chapter One.
"Looking back on it now," she said, "I think I tortured myself too much thinking [if] I come out of this deal and we part ways I'm never gonna sign again, or this is never gonna happen again."
WATCH: Ella Henderson on teenage success, her lockdown romance, and overcoming anxiety to return to music
She said she felt ready for a change at the label, because a lot of the people who were there at the beginning of her journey were no longer there and 'it was a different place'.
But it took a cup of tea and a sit down with her mum to help her see the good in what was happening. Her mum explained that she had sat on her sofa opposite Ella's three older siblings while they told her they were changing jobs and careers.
She said her mum told her: "You've decided to literally just part ways with a company in your industry, after six, seven years. You've done better than your brothers and sisters in a sense of actually sticking to something!"
Henderson said this allowed her to stop feeling guilty as she did at first and to stop questioning if she was doing the right thing and making the right decision.
The 26-year-old also said she's had her eyes on a Grammy since she was 16, and still wants to win one.
She said that despite having a lot of success from a young age, including a number one single and album, she now sees those as 'stepping stones' on her journey.
She spoke to Thornton about the touching moment she went back to the piano in her parents' house, having spent the first lockdown there when it coincided with her deciding to step back from music for a bit.
Read more: 'X Factor' star thanks NHS after being rushed to hospital with suspected heart attack
"I'm so grateful for the achievements I've had," Henderson said. "And I sit here and say that now because a few years ago I thought I was a failure.
"Even when I hear myself saying it, it's taken me a while to get to a place to even say that – because I've sat with therapists and all sorts – to be proud of it. My mum is like: 'You should be proud!'"
WATCH: Ella Henderson on the magical moment she got back behind the piano
