Ella Henderson makes ''weird dolphin'' noises before going on stage.

The 18-year-old singer - who rose to fame after making it to the live finals on 'The X Factor' in 2012 - revealed her unusual vocal warm-up leaves her sounding like a marine mammal and ''freaks'' people out.

She told The Daily Star newspaper: ''I make a weird dolphin noise before I go on stage. It freaks everybody out because it's a weird clicking sound, but it's become routine.

''I have a fear that my voice will give out when I open my mouth so by doing it offstage it means I don't wobble later.''

Ella - whose debut track 'Ghost' has topped the UK singles chart and has become the fourth fastest selling single of 2014 so far - took over two years to produce her new album while she tried to figure out her ''sound''.

She previously said: ''I don't wanna copy anyone, I didn't want to do a retro record. I wanted to do something new, and fresh.

''In the beginning I was open to anything, but you figure out what your sound is, and when you go into sessions there's certain things you have to be open, and honest on. When it comes to my music, when it's your job, you can be cutthroat about things.''