What has happened to La Roux star Elly Jackson? Update on noughties singer who had a ‘unsettling’ encounter with Kanye West and hid her sexuality

When La Roux burst onto the scene in 2009, their electric music felt like a breath of fresh air in the music landscape. 

The duo was originally formed of Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid, who were introduced by a mutual friend two years earlier.

They shot to fame with their second single In For The Kill, which was followed by the number one hit Bulletproof.

However, while promoting their second album Trouble In Paradise in 2014, Ben parted ways with Elly due to creative differences. 

He revealed at the time that it was because of the involvement with their second album writer and engineer Ian Sherwin, whom he described as ‘an idiot’.

However, Elly told NME that ‘there wasn’t a great deal of understanding’ between them when it came to making new music.

When La Roux burst onto the scene in 2009, their electric music felt like a breath of fresh air in the music landscape – but where is she now? 

The band was originally formed of Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid, who were introduced by a mutual friend two years earlier (pictured in 2011)

She said: ‘I came to him with some rare disco references and he made it very clear he didn’t like them. 

‘There wasn’t a great deal of understanding. Sometimes I thought we were on the same level, but then from the production that would come to light, I didn’t feel that we were.’

Elly decided to carry on as a solo artist under the same name but her struggles with record label pressures and personal battles eventually led to a lengthy hiatus. 

During this period she opened up about her experiences as an artist in the industry, including her reluctance to label her sexuality despite public interest. 

She once shared what is was like working with rapper Kanye West, one now that she described as ‘disturbing and unsettling’.

The pair previously collaborated on his 2010 Grammy Award-winning track All Of The Lights, while Kanye featured on a remix of La Roux’s debut single In For The Kill.

When asked to discuss her work with the rapper by The Sunday Times, Elly replied: ‘No, f**k him! Nobody likes him.’

It was later revealed that a mutual friend of the pair once forced her to apologise to Kanye by writing after insulting him.

However, while promoting their second album Trouble In Paradise in 2014, Ben parted ways with Elly due to creative differences (pictured on Instagram in September 2024) 

Elly decided to carry on as a solo artist under the same name but her struggles with record label pressures and personal battles eventually led to a lengthy hiatus (pictured in 2010)

She once shared her experience working with rapper Kanye West, one now that she described as ‘disturbing and unsettling’ (pictured at the 2025 Grammy Awards)

In 2020, the daughter of actress Trudie Goodwin, best known for playing Sergeant June Ackland in The Bill, and actor Kit Jackson discussed about her sexuality, saying that while she identifies as gay, she rejects labels.

The singer told the Independent that she believes there are multiple genders, and that she ‘couldn’t give a f***’ if someone misgenders her ‘because I’m not that petty’.

Despite identifying as a female, she told the publication: ‘I don’t care if somebody calls me giraffe, sir, madam, boy, child, binary, non-binary. I couldn’t give a f***. I’m not gonna get offended, because I know what I am.

‘And I feel like that’s the place that we need to work to. Not this place of, ‘I can only be OK with myself if a stranger labels me correctly.’ I’m confused by that.’

Elly is the daughter of The Bill actress Trudie Goodwin (pictured on an episode as Sgt June Ackland)

She is set to take to the stage for a series of intimae gigs across Los Angeles in March, wi
th her first one kicking off on March 15 at The Sun Rose in West Hollywood

It wasn’t until 2020 that La Roux returned to the music scene with her third studio album, Supervision.

However, the record only achieved moderate commercial success, reaching number 20 in the UK and number 85 in Germany. 

Fast forward to 2025, and Elly, who now lives between Los Angeles and London, is still doing what she loves most: performing live. 

She is set to take to the stage for a series of intimae gigs across LA in March, with her first one kicking off on March 15 at The Sun Rose in West Hollywood.

Tickets went on sale on Thursday, February 13, at noon PST via Ticketmaster and are still available to purchase at the time of writing this article.