Ella Eyre has insisted racism “exists” in the music industry.

The 26-year-old star – who is half-Jamaican and half-Maltese – insisted people need to continue campaigning for change and equality across all industries and called for those in the public eye to put out “the right message”.

She told Closer magazine: "Across the board, I think everyone is having to take a great big look at what's going on. Racism in the music industry exists as much as it exists in lots of industries.

"I just think it's really important that we keep putting the right message out there and make sure that everybody is taking a look at what they're doing."

Ella attended the Black Lives Matters demonstrations in the UK this summer and found the protests to be very “inspiring” and “positive” and hopes the issues they raised can be taken further.

She said: “I think it was really important for me to go and be surrounded by that powerful energy. But it was really frustrating at the time to read what was being written about the demos and then to be there and have a completely different experience - I thought it was really positive and encouraging and inspiring.

“What was even more inspiring was how many young people were there. "It's important to carry this forward and make sure that this is a really important part of the lessons we teach the younger generations.”