La Roux singer Elly Jackson has revealed that she suffered a nervous breakdown and disappeared from the spotlight for 10 years after the release of the 2009 hit Bulletproof. She is now back with her new solo album, Old Flames.
Breakdown After Bulletproof Success
Jackson's voice helped turn Bulletproof into one of 2009's biggest pop hits. She teamed up with Ben Langmaid to write and produce the synth-pop anthem, which introduced their sound to audiences around the world. Released as the third single from La Roux's self-titled debut album, it became the track the duo were best known for.
The track rocketed straight to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2009. In the United States, it became a massive sleeper hit in 2010, breaking into the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 8 and ruling club play. Yet despite the single's incredible success, the duo appeared to disappear from the limelight shortly after its release.
Instagram Announcement
Vocalist Elly, 38, has now revealed what transpired, posting to the band's Instagram page this week to inform her 208,000 followers she 'had a nervous breakdown'. The star posted a reel showing her gazing intensely into the camera as 'Bulletproof' played in the background. Overlay text read, 'You think you can hurt me?'
She wrote: "I literally wrote and sung this song, lost my voice, had a nervous breakdown and disappeared for 10 years. But now I'm back."
Supporters went wild for the post, which garnered more than 130,000 likes. One exclaimed: "Yay, so glad you're back!". While another added: "I had no idea... this song is amazing and so are you!" A third chimed in: "Still on my playlist," while a fourth added: "We will always love you La Roux."
New Album Old Flames
La Roux shared the post to promote her new studio album, Old Flames. The record, which features Elly performing solo without Ben, was released on November 6, 2026. The track 'Old Flames' serves as the album's title song, bookending the collection in two parts.
Old Flames (Intro) is a brief opening piece that sets the tone for the record, while Old Flames, appearing as track 11 on the album, is the full-length track that rounds things off. The title track signals a departure from the icy, razor-edged 1980s synth-pop sound of the Bulletproof era.
Rather than delivering a punchy dance floor anthem, the Intro opens with atmospheric sounds — including windscreen wipers in the rain — and a slow, brooding tempo. Meanwhile, the full closing track acts as a soothing, optimistic finale, drawing on warm, late-'90s and early-2000s R&B-influenced production, gentle synth textures, and soft vocal arrangements in place of harsh electronic stabs.
Critical reception for the album as a whole has been largely positive, with reviewers applauding Elly Jackson's growth as a solo producer and composer.
Career Since Bulletproof
Despite Elly suggesting she 'disappeared' following Bulletproof, La Roux released numerous additional singles and complete studio records after the track. This featured I'm Not Your Toy in 2009, which served as the official fourth single from their first album, climbing into the UK Top 30, plus Quicksand, which was re-issued as a single after the massive success of In for the Kill and Bulletproof.
Following a five-year break and the departure of producer Ben Langmaid who left in 2012, Elly then unveiled La Roux's second studio record, Trouble in Paradise, in 2014. It shifted away from frosty, sharp synth-pop towards a more mellow sound shaped by disco and funk.
Jackson later dropped La Roux's third album, Supervision, independently via her own label back in 2020. It explored deeper into early '80s pop-funk, George Michael-influenced production, and laid-back rhythms.
