"Ghost" is the debut single by British singer and songwriter Ella Henderson. It was released on 8 June 2014 as the lead single from her debut studio album, Chapter One (2014). Henderson co-wrote the song with Kenan Williams and its producers, Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella. The music video was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana in March 2014. The song entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart, as well as in the Republic of Ireland. It has also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland, New Zealand and South Africa. Since its release, the song has sold over 1.8 million copies in the UK and in excess of one million in the US. It was also the sixth best-selling single of 2014 in the UK. It served as the main song in the romantic comedy My Dead Tinder Match. On 23 November 2020, Ghost has reached 100 million views on YouTube, being her first video to achieve that milestone. Background and recording On 18 November 2012, Henderson finished in sixth place on the ninth series of The X Factor, despite being the favourite to win. On 15 December, whilst being interviewed on The Saturday Night Show in Ireland, she revealed that she had signed a record deal with Sony Music. On 22 January 2013, Henderson confirmed she had signed to Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music. Regarding her decision to sign with Syco, Henderson said, "The most important thing I was looking for was to be involved creatively, and which label presents me with the best team to bring the best out of me. The fact that Cowell is letting me be involved creatively is overwhelming." "Ghost" was co-written by Henderson, Kenan Williams, OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and record producer Noel Zancanella and produced by Tedder and Zancanella. The song was recorded at Tedder's recording studio in Denver by Smith Carlson on 12 January 2014, Henderson's 18th birthday. In March 2014, Henderson announced that it would be her debut single, and released on 8 June 2014. The song received its debut radio airplay on Capital FM on 10 May 2014. The song is played in the key of A major. Critical reception Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review, stating: "The end result, Ella's first single 'Ghost', would make a worthy winner's launch, let alone someone