Ellie Lawson


Many of us wait eons before discovering that it’s possible to create and mold our trials and tribulations into something worthwhile and productive. Unlike Ellie Lawson, some of us still haven’t figured it out.

Having grown up with a single mom on welfare in South London, Ellie channeled her grievances into self-determination and a little something called music. As a result, she’s currently sitting comfortably in the U.K., working on her first video for her single “Gotta Get up From Here.” But don’t jump to conclusions. She’s not exactly sitting on some narcissistic throne in the land of video stardom, deciding on her next full-length mink coat while ordering up foie gras. Instead, she’s most likely rubbing The Body Shop moisturizer on her tired guitar-strumming arms and debating which vegetables to throw into her stir-fry tonight.

On your Web site, you describe yourself as “caring, socially aware, human rights, animal rights, and worldly.” How did you first become aware of animal rights?
I think I first became aware of animal rights when my mum and her friends used to buy The Body Shop. … I remember sort of looking at the bottle when I was like 10 or something and thinking, “Oh, it doesn’t test on animals.” And then realizing that means that all the other products must test on animals and becoming aware that that kind of thing happens.

I’ve had cats and dogs and rabbits. I’ve always loved animals, so I’ve always been against any kind of cruelty to animals. I never thought that it’s necessary—especially not with cosmetics—to test on them.

What are some of your favorite cruelty-free products?
I like to use The Body Shop products and their soaps and shampoos and stuff … To be honest, I’m trying to look into that a lot more now. But I try not to use particular brands that I know are really bad. It’s something that I want to become better at.

So was there any one thing that made you stop eating meat?
It was one of my best friends, and he’s actually my writing partner. When I met him, he was a vegetarian. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I don’t know why I didn’t. I’ve always respected vegetarians, and I’ve always liked to do it. So he just made it look really easy … That really inspired me, and I just stopped eating meat and that was it. I haven’t eaten it for about five years.

And did you primarily want to go vegetarian for animal rights reasons?
Definitely. You don’t have to eat meat in this day and age. I just aspired to be a better person, a conscious person who thinks about what they put into their body and what they do socially.

Could you talk about what you know about factory farming or slaughterhouses?
I know that chickens are kept in such poor conditions and that the way cows are transported is really inhumane. If you saw the way that they’re cramped and squashed together and that they were all like shittin’ on each other—you really wouldn’t want to eat that meat if you really saw where it actually came from. It’s awful. We don’t get to see that side of it, so we just kind of don’t think about it.

How do you feel about fur?
I just think it’s awful. I think people are selfish and ignorant to buy into that whole thing. And it’s just a fashion statement. I hate people that one year, it’s fashionable, so they’ll be against wearing fur and the next year, they’ll be out there wearing it. I think it’s so contradictory. I just think it’s a very selfish thing to wear.

Would you say anything to a friend or relative if they went out and bought a fur coat?
Yeah. I have a friend that has a fur coat, and I feel really angry with her, and I don’t like being around her when she’s wearing it. I’ve told her how I feel about it … I really dont understand how people can justify to themselves wearing fur.

Do you think animal rights and vegetarianism and other social justice issues are related at all?
Yeah, definitely, it’s all related. I think being conscious and asking questions is really important in this society. There are so many unjust things that happen, and people just let it go by and they don’t think deeply enough about it. I think it’s all connected, and I think the more that you become conscious about, say, what you eat, the more you’re going to become conscious about other issues, as well. You know, like where does food really come from? It might look all nice in its packaging, but where did it come from? How did it get in its packaging?

Have you ever written any songs about animal rights or social justice issues?
I haven’t, not about animals, but I’ve written a song called “Why the Fighting?” recently with my writing partner, and that’s just basically questioning, why is there so much fighting? Whose agenda is it, and who is it benefiting? Just trying to raise the consciousness … it’s a very sort of worldly kind of song. Baby Face and Russell Simmons ended up using it on the compilation for their “Go Out and Vote” campaign.

What did you think of Russell Simmons? He’s done a lot of work with PETA.
He’s amazing. He supports a lot of different charities … someone to really look up to. He’s fantastic.

So you mentioned that you’ve always loved animals. Do you have any companion animals?
I had a cat called Emily. I had her from a young age, and I used to sing to her. She used to fall asleep when I sang to her. She was my little baby cat.

Do you have any advice for your fans about how to be compassionate and help animals?
Basically, just to think about what you’re eating and what you’re doing. Be as conscious as you can be. For me, I aspire to be somebody that is involved in all of these issues—social issues and animal rights. I feel like I’m just kind of getting started and exploring that … I’m just hoping that The Philosophy Tree can be some kind of engine to get me more involved in those issues and really make a difference.

If you want more information on what you’re eating, e-mail PETA2@peta.org. And don’t forget to sign up for our e-news for all the latest interviews with your favorite musicians, actors, and athletes.