Chelcee Grimes likes to write songs and then “see what happens”
Chelcee Grimes started her music career doing gigs in pubs and bars around Liverpool(Image: InYourArea)
It’s hard to keep up with Chelcee Grimes. Chelcee, a 33 year-old from Aigburth, has written songs for Kylie Minogue, Dua Lipa, Kesha and Olly Murs.
She grew up with dreams of being a footballer, playing for Liverpool as a child. But with a lack of funding in women’s football at the time, she opted for a career in music instead. This journey took her from the pubs of south Liverpool to working with some of the biggest stars in the planet. Her latest song, Back To Me, was released this month and is performed by Jess Glynne and Rudimental.
Despite her busy schedule, Chelcee has managed to maintain an active role in football too, playing for numerous clubs such as Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Tranmere Rovers as well as competing at Soccer Aid and presenting coverage for the BBC.
Speaking to the ECHO, Chelcee explained she likes to keep herself busy. She said: “I have loads of hobbies. I think obviously the first one is football, that’s what started everything off for me.
“Then I’ve gradually moved into music. At the time, there was lack of funding in women’s football.
“The only other thing that I ever wanted to do was music, so I gave that a go. I think I’ve played in 98% of anywhere that would allow me to sing in the city.”
Laughing, she added: “People think I just wrote a song and it ended up on the radio for someone. That didn’t happen. I was playing in Lark Lane, I was playing in town. I played at the O2 Academy in Liverpool. I was selling my own tickets. I was dropping the tickets off with my mum when I was 16, 17 to fill the place. That’s how I got my first record deal.
“Sometimes me and my mum will just be having a coffee somewhere and we just laugh our heads off, remembering my mum carrying my piano into venues and we didn’t know how to plug it in.”
Despite pursuing music, football continued to inspire her. She said: “What we’re taught as Scousers is you can do anything you want.
“I was a massive Liverpool fan. I watched Steven Gerard drag us forward and he was local. I’ve never felt like being held back by anything.
Chelcee Grimes played for the Team World XI during Soccer Aid 2022(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
“I think you’ve just got to go and get what you want. I think being a Scouser from this city definitely instilled that in me, the ability to think nothing’s going to stop me.
“I get paid well for (football and music), let’s be honest. I feel like it’s about time because I’ve done the two things that I’ve done and loved for so many years and never got a penny for it. I’m finally being rewarded. I’ve done it for too long for a little next to nothing.”
Many people are not aware that Chelcee is the songwriter behind so many hit songs, such as Love Again by Dua Lipa and Million Miles by Kylie Minogue. She acknowledges she might have wanted more acclaim in the past, but has changed her perspective now.
Chelcee said: “I always wanted to be on stage when I was younger. The older I’ve got, and the more closely I’ve been around people who are famous, it’s actually not what people want.
“All I want is to make a lovely living. I’m still creating the art while not getting bothered by too many people. I still get respected by my peers and I make a nice living from making records and get to travel the world, it’s amazing. I’d rather be writing records than waking up, doing TV shows or press and stuff like that.
“I write a song, I give it to the world, and then I can sit back and see what happens. I like to collect things like Pokemon cards.
“I’m still a massive collector of those cards, so I see songwriting now as a bit like that with certain artists that I want to work with. It keeps it exciting for me.”
One of Chelcee’s particular highlights was working with Dua Lipa at the start of her music career. She wrote Dreams with her, which was released in 2017, as well as 2020’s Love Again.
Chelcee said: “I worked with Dua when she had no followers and she just got signed. I was a brand new songwriter.
“As a songwriter, you don’t get paid to go into a session. You get paid on the backend if they become a success, so it’s always a gamble.
“But me and Dua had such a good energy, a good vibe. I always believed in it and it’s been amazing to be a part of something from the beginning and watch it just take off.
“I went to see her perform at Anfield and she sang one of our songs there. That’s where my two worlds collide. I used to sit at that stadium when I was 10, 11, 12, with all my family just going to the game.
“Then I was sitting in the stands and watching one of the biggest pop stars on the planet now singing a song of mine. It was a crazy moment.”
Yesterday, Chelcee received an honorary doctorate from Edge Hill University for her contributions to music, media and sport. Speaking before the ceremony, Chelcee said: “I left school at 16. I wasn’t a big fan of school, I just wanted to be active. I had ADHD, I was all over the gaff. I had massive dreams. I felt like I was caged in there. So to be awarded anything from a university, for me, first of all seems like a million miles away.
Chelcee’s achievements have been recognised by Edge Hill University(Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery)
“Second of all, just to be acknowledged for anything that I’ve done, it’s so cool. It’s a nice accomplishment and something that I never thought would happen.”
Despite her continuing success, Chelcee feels her background keeps her grounded. Laughing, she said: “Usually when I’m in newspapers is when I don’t mean to be!
“That’s the funny thing about being a writer. ‘m behind the scenes. Sometimes I’m in front of the curtain.
“Especially because I’m still living in Liverpool, you’ve got to be grounded. I’m with all the same friends and family that I grew up around, so nothing’s really changed for me.
“Sometimes, someone will send me a picture and they’ve seen me on the telly or my songs on the radio, but I live a pretty normal life.”