Emily Henning

Emily Grace Henning (born December 20, 1978), often nicknamed EmHen, is one of the most successful female recording artists in chart-history, who is best known for hit songs such as "Blush", "Rhythm of the Rain", "Burnt Out Heartbeat" and "Folie de l'Amour". She has sold more than 6,000,000 albums since 2007 and has achieved seventeen number-one singles. She has also received several accolades, including a Record Of The Year winning single.

In 2007, Henning signed a record contract with Wired Records after auditioning for then-label head Arwyn Knight. She subsequently released her chart-topping debut single, "Blush", followed by her debut album, Shattered Diamond, which achieved mammoth success. The album went on to become the best-selling debut album of all time, spending 68 weeks in the Albums Chart, five weeks at number-one, and spawning five number-one singles.

A year later, in 2008, Henning released her second studio album, Seventeen Missing Kisses, which also peaked at #1, with all five singles from the release charting at number-one. It has gone on to sell over 1,800,000 copies, ranking as the best-selling album of 2009. Her third studio album, Only Human, was released in November 2009. It charted at No.1 and yielded four chart-topping singles, including "Heaven's Grace". In the fourth quarter of 2010, Henning released her fourth studio album, More Than A Dream. It continued Henning's run of number-one albums and spawned two number-one singles, but would be her final studio release for nearly a decade.

Henning quietly retired from public life in 2011 and was rarely seen in public until 2014, when she briefly returned to release a greatest hits compilation, Number Ones and a farewell single, "The Last Dance".

In 2020, a decade after her last studio release, Henning returned to release Rebound. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at #1, selling 117,888 copies in its first week of release. Simultaneously, the album's lead single, "Detonate", also topped the Singles Chart. "Detonate" was Henning's seventeenth number-one single and broke the chart-record for longest gap between number-one singles, with a gap of 9 years and 3 months.

Beginnings
Henning was born in San Fernando Valley, California, to Francesca (née Simons) and Joshua Henning. Her mother is of English descent, and her father is Mexican-American. Both of her paternal grandparents were born in California, and she grew-up living between England and the United States.

Henning's music career began in the all-American girl group Fever, at the age of 21. The group found a flicker of fame and commercial success in the States during the late 90s, scoring a series of minor hits, before disbanding in 2001. Following the demise of Fever, Henning left her home in New York for London, England, where she worked as a backing vocalist and session singer, before eventually abandoning her career in music to become a make-up artist for a number of years. Henning later admitted she was "never really content" with working behind-the-scenes.

It was in early 2007 that she finally returned to her roots in singing, when she began recording songs with her friend, London-based producer Charlotte Moore. Moore became interested in producing material for Henning, after hearing her sing a reference vocal for one of her tracks. It was Moore who ultimately convinced Wired Records chairman Arwyn Knight to listen to Henning's demos. These songs would go on to earn her a record contract with the label, who were so impressed with the tracks, immediately offered her a deal.

Shattered Diamond (2007-2008)
Main Article: 'Shattered Diamond' By May 2007, Henning was working closely with her record label to finalize her debut album, 'Shattered Diamond', for its October release. Henning said that she combined a lot of different genres on the album and it received mostly positive reviews from critics, BBC Music describing the album as "bullet-proof pop music".

The album's lead single 'Blush' topped the UK Singles Chart in June 2007 and catapulted Henning to fame and widespread acclaim, with 365,749 copies sold after fifteen consecutive weeks in the Top 40. A second single, 'Rhythm Of The Rain', was also released before the album, and it too scored a vast run of success, charting at number-one and selling 382,250 copies. The song was the 12th best-selling single of 2007, the highest of a newcomer, and the best-selling number one and single released by Wired Records in 2007.

Upon its release on October 1, 2007, 'Shattered Diamond' spent two consecutive weeks at #1 in the UK Albums Chart, and to date has sold more than one-million copies. It has spent five weeks at number-one in UK Albums Chart, twenty-five in the top 10 and sixty-eight weeks in the top 40; tieing with Christine Tyler's 'Star Of The Sideshow', for longest chart-run of an album ever.

Henning's third single, 'Divine Intervention' was released in early December 2007, but failed to match the success of Emily's previous singles. It charted at #2 in the UK Singles Chart, behind the Putanovska and Ryan Dawson duet 'Make-Up Sex'. 'Divine Intervention was Henning's first, and to date only, single not to chart at the number-one position or gain a Platinum certification. The fourth single, an AA-side of 'Round & Round / Mystified', resumed Emily's run of number-one singles and garnered the album's diamond certification on April 6, 2008.

In July 2008, Henning released the fifth single from the album, 'Shoebox'. The release witnessed a great deal of press attention for its comparison to the reunited Venom's single and the public feud which emerged between Henning, Taylor Farley and China. 'Shoebox' went on to spend two consecutive weeks at number-one; Emily's first single to achieve this feat in the Singles Chart.

'Shattered Diamond: The Deluxe Edition', a repackaged edition of the album, was released in September, 2008, accompanied by the final single of the era, the number-one selling and Record Of The Year winner, 'That Was Then, This Is Now'. These would also mark Emily's final releases with Wired Records, as she left the label, citing its financial crisis for her decision, as the company went into administation. Emily signed a new record contract with Saturdays Records in August 2008, a label Henning founded herself, as she prepared for the much anticipated release of her second album.

Seventeen Missing Kisses (2008-2009)
Main Article: 'Seventeen Missing Kisses' It was confirmed in June 2008 that Henning was "in the experimental stages of a new album." Her official website announced in a July 2008 press release that Henning would be "spending her summer in the studio, working on a brand new album with a team of top-notch producers and songwriters." In an August 2008 interview with OK! magazine, Henning said that the album is "more dance. There is this fresh new energy."

In addition to her long-standing producer Charlotte Moore, Henning worked with a number of new producers on material for the 'Seventeen Missing Kisses' album, including Jack Stevens' long-time collaborators Knobfeelers, Shell Ruin and Indigo Peak. Shell Ruin was also the writer of the lead single from the album 'Burnt Out Heartbeat', which was released on December 1, 2008. 'Burnt Out Heartbeat' performed exceptionally well, becoming Henning's sixth number-one single and her second best-selling single to date, with 430,000+ copies sold.

The second single from 'Seventeen Missing Kisses' was announced in January 2009 as the Indigo-Peak penned, 'Body Language'. It was released on March 16, 2009 and reached #1 in the Singles Chart with over 99,000 copies sold in first week sales and 354,892 copies overall. The third single from the album was 'Watch Me Shine', which was released in May 2009. It was around this time that Henning embarked on The Seventeen Missing Kisses Tour, for 31 sold-out UK dates. On May 11, 2009, 'Watch Me Shine' entered the Singles Chart at #1, scoring the album its third consecutive #1 single, and on May 24, 2009, the album was officially certified Diamond by the Official Charts Company.

The album's fourth single was an AA-side of 'You Get Yours / 'Through The Mud', which was released on August 17th. The double A-side topped the Singles Charts on August 23, 2009, as Henning's ninth number-one single. The release also helped the 'Seventeen Missing Kisses 2.0' reissue climb back into the top 5 at #2.

A fifth and final single, 'Bruises', was lifted from the album on September 28, 2009. It debuted in the Singles Chart at #1 after selling 94,688 copies in its first week of release, making it Henning's tenth number-one single. 'Bruises' brought total copies sold of 'Seventeen Missing Kisses' to over 1,800,000, ranking it as the fifth best-selling of all time.

Only Human (2009-2010)
Main Article: 'Only Human' In May 2009, Henning embarked on her third studio album in collaboration with Shell Ruin and Alesha Kurdadze. The pair approached Emily after becoming intrigued by her phenomenal chart-success and offered to write and produce the album in its entirety. This partnership was highly touted in the music media as the beginning of a new phase in Henning's career, as she moved away from what she described as a "commercial sound", in favour of more creativity and a darker edge to her music. Henning explained to The Guardian in August 2009, that her vision for the album was to "explore the darker corners of pop", whilst maintaining that the album was "still a pop album at its core". She also remarked that her influence for the record was credited to Josie Matthews' album Resurrection, which was also written and produced by Alesha, in 2007.

The album was recorded at Alesha's home-studio in London, at her ten bedroom Marylebone property. In her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Emily Henning, Emily revealed that the recording process was "brutal", often taking place "for fourteen to sixteen hours, from dawn until dusk, day after day". "It was one of the most difficult, but most beautiful times of my life," she stated, "I was exhausted but completely absorbed by Shell and Alesha's artistry."

Only Human combines thin, airy vocals with heavily layered synth beats. It is heavily influenced by 1980s electronica. Upon its release on November 30, 2009, the album was praised for its ethereal and melancholic sound, recieving an overwhelmingly positive critical response. MusicOMH.com called it "a brilliantly-crafted, glorious pop record", while NME wrote that "Emily Henning gives us an inspiring story of self-realisation" and called the album "perfection".

It was preceded by the critically-acclaimed single 'Folie de l'Amour', a song described as an "elegant discotronic ode to the madness of love". 'Folie de l'Amour' had considerable success, spending two consecutive weeks at number-one and selling over 100,000 units in its opening week of release. It has since sold in excess of 450,000 copies, as the biggest hit of Henning's career to date.

The album's promotional campaign was marked by the deaths of Henning's husband Carl Reeves and popstar Shell Ruin, who acted as co-producer for 'Only Human'. During Henning's promotional tour for the album in late October 2009, Carl Reeves passed away as a result of an accidental overdose. She was said to be "distraught", and was often seen breaking-down in tears in public, but she vowed to continue her promotional duties. However, just weeks later on November 8, 2009, Ruin was killed in a car accident after hosting the Urapopstar Awards 17. Emily took a brief break from her work to grieve, and later dedicated the album to the memory of the fallen stars.

'Only Human' earned Henning her second nomination for "Best Album" at the Urapopstar Awards, whilst also producing four number-one singles with, 'Folie de l'Amour', 'Strike', 'Crash and Burn' and 'Heaven's Grace.

More Than A Dream (2010-2011)
Main Article: 'More Than A Dream' In August 2010, rumours began to circulate that Henning planned to retire from the music industry and concentrate on her many business ventures. In an interview with The Observer that month, Emily admitted that she was irecording new material for a greatest hits collection and said she considered that "the time feels right to bow out"; stating that she wanted to retire from touring and recording while she was "still at the top of her game". The news came as a shock to many and prompted much surprise and upset from the star's fans. However, during the recording process Emily reconsidered and instead began composing a new studio album.

The album would be a "lighter, brighter and more fun" pop record than Only Human. Emily described the sound as "colourful" and "hopeful", and said that the album was "the next step in the evolution of Emily Henning".

Henning's fourth studio album, titled More Than A Dream, was released on 22 November 2010. It was met with disappointing reviews from music critics and branded a lacklustre follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Only Human. The album was largely produced by Knobfeelers, which many reviewers labelled a "step backwards". It was also criticised for its lack of creativity and personality, with NME calling the album "a serious disappointment." The Independent felt that the album did not live up to "the Shellesha-directed wizardry of her previous oeuvre," while Virgin Media said that "we're not mad for EmHen's manufactured conveyor-belt-drivel."

Despite the album's scathing reviews, its lead single, "On The Ground", was released on 15 November 2010 to much radio-play and commercial success. It became Emily's fifteenth number-one hit in the UK and has to-date sold 284,297 copies. The album also debuted at number-one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 104,589 copies in its first week, becoming the fourth number-one album of Emily's career in the UK, with her strongest first week sales at that time. Its second single, Blush (Response) - an Alesha penned reworking of Emily's debut single, Blush - also charted at #1, though the third and final single lifted from the album, Rulebreaker, charted at #2, breaking Henning's streak of fourteen-consecutive number-one singles.

By the end of its run, the album accumulated a total of 947,000 sales; Emily's first album not to receive a Diamond-certification. It was viewed by Henning as a critical and commercial disappointment, resulting in the cancellation of all her future projects, including the planned fourth-single, I Surrender.

Hiatus, Number Ones and retirement (2011-2020)
Following the completion of The Dream Tour in December 2011, Henning quietly disappeared from public life. Rumours circulated that she was privately working on new material, but this would not take place for the next nine years. In 2014, Henning briefly returned to the spotlight to promote Number Ones, a greatest hits collection. The album featured all sixteen of her number-one singles and a new track, The Last Dance. Henning described the compilation as a "farewell" and again dropped out of the public eye after its release.

From 2014, Henning shied away from interviews and was rarely seen in public, with the press labelling her as a "recluse". Some outlets even used the moniker 'Miss Henning', drawing a comparison with Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.

Overall, The Last Dance sold in excess of 330,000 copies and was certified platinum. Number Ones spent 11 weeks in the UK Albums Chart during its initial chart-run, selling 270,262 copies. It re-charted in June 2020, following Henning's comeback, and sold a further 91,444 copies.

Return to music and Rebound (2020-Present)
On May 19, 2020, Henning's discography was added to streaming platforms for the first time, generating buzz online that she was planning to return to music. Articles circulated that Henning had been secretly recording new material since January and was planning an imminent comeback. This was confirmed on Henning's official website on May 27, 2020, with the announcement of a fifth studio-album and comeback single, Detonate, which premiered on Radio 1 that evening. On June 1, 2020, it was revealed that the much-anticipated album was titled Rebound and would be released through Henning's own record label, ''Blush Recordings' on June 12, 2020.

Influenced by 80s disco and synthpop, Rebound debuted at number-one in the UK, with first-week sales of 117,888 copies. Simultaneously, Detonate, which served as the album's lead single, also charted at #1. It became Henning's seventeenth number-one single, and broke the chart-record for "Longest Gap Between Number-Ones", with a gap of 9 years and 3 months.

Personal Life
Henning was married to singer Carl Reeves on March 10, 2008. The pair shared a highly publicised and tumultuous relationship before Reeves' sudden death in September 2009. Henning and Reeves shared a daughter together, Melody, who was born on August 8, 2008.

Henning is a close-friend of Jack Stevens.

Discography
Main Article: Emily Henning Discography

Awards

 * Urapopstar Awards 14
 * Best Newcomer — Nominated


 * Urapopstar Awards 15
 * Best Female — Nominated
 * Best Single "Rhythm Of The Rain" — Nominated
 * Best Album "Shattered Diamond" — Nominated
 * Best Artwork "Shattered Diamond" — Nominated


 * Urapopstar Awards 16
 * Best Female — Nominated
 * Best Pop/Dance — Nominated
 * Best Live "Shattered Diamond Live — Won


 * Urapopstar Awards 17
 * Best Single - "Burnt Out Heartbeat" — Nominated
 * Best Female — Nominated
 * Best Pop/Dance — Nominated
 * Best Live "The Seventeen Missing Kisses Tour" — Nominated
 * Best Artwork "Through The Mud" — Nominated
 * Best Banner "Bruises" — Won
 * Best Promotion — Nominated


 * Urapopstar Awards 18
 * Best Single - "Folie de l'Amour" — Nominated
 * Best Album "Only Human" — Nominated
 * Best Female — Nominated
 * Best Overall Artist — Nominated
 * Best Pop / Dance — Nominated
 * Best Artwork "Only Human" — Won


 * Other
 * Virgin Media Awards 2008 - Most Fanciable Female Won
 * Virgin Media Awards 2009 - Hottest Female Won
 * Virgin Media Awards 2009 - Legend of the Year Won
 * Glamour Woman of the Year Awards 2009 - Best Dressed Won
 * Glamour Woman of the Year Awards 2010 - Woman of the Year Won

Records

 * 'Shattered Diamond' - Best Selling Debut Album in Chart History

Books

 * Watch Me Shine: My Story
 * The Meaning of Emily Henning

DVDs

 * Shattered Diamond Live
 * The Seventeen Missing Kisses Tour|Seventeen Missing Kisses: Live From The O2
 * The Only Human Tour
 * The Dream Tour: Live in Manchester

Touring

 * Shattered Diamond Live
 * The Seventeen Missing Kisses Tour
 * The Only Human Tour
 * The Dream Tour
 * The Rebound Tour

Television

 * Emily Henning & Friends
 * Second Chance Idol