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A worship singer, whose new album was produced by a songwriter who has worked with Diana Ross and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, said ‘I always come back to writing about God’. Elle Limebear grew up in Rustington before moving to Brighton at 14, where she still lives with her husband Tom and two young sons Maccabee and Wilson. As Elle dances around in a rainbow of suits and dungarees in the music video to her hit Rest On Us, with a singing style not dissimilar to mainstream artists like Sigrid or Jess Glynn, you might not even clock that her lyrics are not about a lover – as most pop songs – but God.
“I always come back to writing about God, I can’t help it. Even my husband says, ‘Ells when you are going to write about me?’ “My faith is everything. My relationship to God is the core of who I am.
” The 28-year-old grew up in the charismatic tradition and her grandfather was the pastor of her local church. She said: “All my family lived in Rustington. I have 15 cousins, so we were quite the gang.
“I grew up touring the world, often to America, with my dad’s band and my mum was the Steady Eddy back at home. “I loved music from a young age. I remember being a kid and having piano lessons and I was so excited for them to be over so I could mess around on the piano.
I loved messing round with words and melodies. “I had a lot of fear growing up and I shut off many opportunities, counted myself out so many times because I didn’t have the confidence to sing in front of people.” The 28-year-old has just released her second album (Image: Connie Jobling) Elle’s first album Lost in Wonder was released in 2020 and her second, Welcome to the Bloodline, was released in March of this year.
She said: “I wrote this album over five years, during which I was pregnant. Being pregnant gave me a completely different view of song writing. “My children are going to listen to these songs – I want the words I’m writing all to be true.
I don’t want to write crappy music. “My songs are for people who know Jesus or maybe don’t know Jesus – whoever you are and whatever path you’re on.” The album was produced by Troy Miller who has produced songs for Rag’n’Bone Man, Gregory Porter and Diana Ross.
Elle has 175 million global streams and recent support from BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Good Morning Live. Elle says becoming a mother changed her perspective (Image: Connie Jobling) Christian and Gospel is the fourth fastest growing genre in the world, after Pop, Latin and Country. But Elle admits it can be “tricky” as a worship singer in a society where Christianity doesn’t have the same presence it once did.
She said: “Years ago I would have been more terrified and fearful of what people think. "But we all believe in something or someone. For me I believe in God, and that’s who I want to tell the world about.
“Music is such a powerful way to tell a story or share a message. Anyone can hear about it and anyone can believe. No one is too far gone and it’s never too late.
“Just being a mum made me think, what’s the point of hiding or being shy if that’s what you believe. "I want my boys to grow up being bold and not feel they have to be a certain way. Becoming a mother kicked me up the bum.
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