The Friday Flash(back) is back! Celebrating an Aussie icon! Ella Keighery Hooper, lead singer of Killing Heidi, solo artist, radio presenter and TV personality.
Killing Heidi formed in 1996 (when Ella was 13) and also featured her older brother Jesse Hooper. Killing Heidi broke up in 2006. Ella and Jesse have performed small scale venues as an acoustic band, The Verses.
Hooper has worked on 2DayFM and was one of the two captains in the short-lived revival of the ABC television show Spicks and Specks that commenced in February 2014.
In 2012, Hooper decided to embark on a solo career after a conversation with Stevie Nicks. Hooper released her first solo single Low High on 9 November 2012. The single was produced and recorded by Jan Skubizewski (Owl Eyes, Illy, Way of the Eagle) in his Collingwood studio.
Häxan, her second single, was released on 26 April 2013, and launched at The Workers Club on 9 May 2013. A third single, The Red Shoes, followed in June 2014. All three singles feature on Ella's debut album In Tongues, which was released on 21 November 2014 via Pledge Music.
Hooper returned to television on 5 February 2014, as one of two team captains (along with Adam Richard) in the comeback of the ABC's musical quiz show Spicks and Specks. She also hosted the weekly Australian Top 20 countdown across the Today Network during this period.
In 2016, Hooper released the EP New Magic and joined Gena Rose Bruce on the Calamine Sisters tour in support of their respective new releases.
In September 2016, Hooper made a surprise appearance in the seventh episode of an Australian documentary web series called How To Be A Fan With Hex.
In 2018, Hooper joined with Kate Miller-Heidke, Wendy Matthews, Kristin Barardi and Rachel Gaudry for a series of concerts entitled "Both Sides Now: Celebrating the Songs of Joni Mitchell'.
In July 2018, Hooper released the single, To the Bone. She later announced in an interview that she is planning to release a mini-album in 2019.
On 18 January 2019, Hooper was named as an entry in Eurovision, Australia Decides, a competition to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Her song Data Dust finished 10th out of 10.
In 2019, Hooper joined seven celebrities including Lisa Curry, Georgie Parker, Casey Donovan and Lynne McGranger for All new monty The All New Monty: Ladies Night – a one night only special event choreographed by Todd McKenney, where they bared all for women's health awareness, in particular breast cancer. Hooper shared publicly for the first time that her mum was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
In 2021, Hooper was revealed to be Baby during Season 3 of The Masked Singer Australia.
In October 2022, Hooper released Words Like These & announced her second studio album, Small Town Temple, which was released on 20 January 2023.
In August 2026, Hooper announced the release of her third studio album Overnight Success. Which landed last Friday. What a career, what an icon, oh the memories of Weir and Mascara on the radio. Take me back! The Friday Flash(back) returns next week, right up to Halloween eve!
