“If you cut me down the middle, I'm exactly what my city, Liverpool, is about. It's music, and it's football. And that's me – I'm 50/50.”
Words by Shelby Brooks.
Photographed by Giorgio Lattanzi. Styled by Sally Bottomley. Creative Direction by Vincenzo Luongo. Makeup by Alex Reader at One Represents. Hair by Charles Stanley. Stylist assisted by Sim Wouhra. Chelcee Grimes appears courtesy of Cutting Edge. Special thanks to The Soccer Archive store in Soho, W1D 7LG.
Archive Italy 1990-92 track jacket and archive Italy 1994 football shirt from The Soccer Archive. Blue denim jeans by Aries.
Grammy-nominated songwriter and ex-professional football player Chelcee Grimes refuses to be just one thing. The duality of her careers in traditionally opposing public arenas – sport and music – is emblematic of her hometown of Liverpool, where the Reds and The Beatles are equally revered.
Chelcee’s first love was football, having grown up in a Liverpool shirt. “Football is in your blood. [You’re either] red or blue, and thankfully, all my family were Liverpool supporters,” she said.
She recalled that while other girls made daisy chains, she was learning the game from the boys on her street. It wasn’t until Chelcee trialled with Liverpool at age nine – and was promptly signed – that she found her tribe. “I remember so clearly all the other little girls with their hair tied back like mine. I used to feel so different, but I had a coming-of-age feeling of being okay with myself at that moment,” Chelcee remembered. She went on to become one of the pioneers in women's football during its rise in popularity across the UK. She’s played for notable teams such as Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham, Tranmere Rovers, and Merseyside Ladies.
Knitted jumper by Late Checkout. Check polo shirt by Aquascutum Active. Silk shorts by Hai.
It wasn’t until Chelcee picked music as a subject in high school that she truly found her voice. She started gigging and quickly found her place in Liverpool’s vibrant music scene, eventually landing record deals and making the move to London. “Everything in the music industry felt so familiar to me through football. I got dropped by my first record label before I released a single, and in football, if a new manager comes in and you’re not his sign, you get sold on. So, football gave me [the resilience I needed] to persevere in the music industry,” she said.
Despite helping pen hit songs for Dua Lipa, Kesha, Kylie Minogue, and BLACKPINK, she’s no pop-princess. “You're never gonna see me in a dress and heels, that's not really my vibe. But if I can add a little bit of sport in there, I do feel like that embodies who I am straight away, and I feel a lot more confident and comfortable,” she said.
Archive Inter Milan 1998/99 football shirt from The Soccer Archive. White boxer shorts by Aries. Loafers by G.H.Bass & CO.
Looking back at photos from her childhood, Chelcee was always wearing football jerseys. “Whether it's a Juventus kit, or a Bayern Munich kit, from the age of five, I was obsessed,” she recalled. It’s a look she still comes back to time and time again, often paired with a blazer or styled as a dress with cycling shorts and boots. Today, her most treasured shirts include a pristine 1992 cream Carlsberg Liverpool shirt with Fowler on the back and a retro Netherlands jersey from the 1970s. “The Liverpool third kit is the one I’m rocking this season at all the home games; it pays homage to the female punk scene in Liverpool,” she said.
Chelcee Grimes proudly represents Liverpool's music and sport roots in each of her endeavours and is continuing to gain huge momentum in the music industry, already racking up over three billion streams and a Grammy nomination. Her latest single, ‘Girl,’ released on Ultra Records with Krystal Roxx, is available to stream now.
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